Midnight Foodstore Episode 20- 21 review

[Episodes 20- 21] Sausages again

Featured food: Smiley Octopus shaped sausages :D

We're back at the diner series again! This is the continuation of Xiao Long's story, if you remember he loves to order those octopus shaped sausages... :D Now we will get to know the backstory of his relationship to Inspector Li and those sausages... 

One day, Inspector Li came to the midnight diner looking for Xiao Long, or Ah Long as he is fondly known as. He wanted Ah Long to visit someone in the hospital but Ah Long refuses to agree to his request. This person in the hospital is actually Ah Long's ex-girlfriend, named Mu Mei. 

Inspector Li, Ah Long and Mu Mei were best friends back in university. Ah Long was a basketball star in their university team. They used to hang out together all the time. Ah Long and Mu Mei were dating and she would always make those octopus shaped sausages for him. Haha! Now we know why... ;D 

It was nearing the finals and Ah Long had a big basketball match ahead. He was practising one night when a bunch of youngsters approached him and Mu Mei. Ah Long had seen this group earlier in the day but didn't pay much attention to them. They started to beat Ah Long up and he told Mu Mei to run. But then those guys decided to chase Mu Mei and wanted to rape her... Omo!! So scary I was screaming... Ah Long did his best to protect her and he pushed her over the fence to safety. With his last strength he beat up two of the guys real bad... I think one was unconscious for six months. :O !! 

Because of that incident, Ah Long had to drop out of university and his career in basketball was all gone. He had to go to jail for about 1 year (I think, can't remember) and when he came out he did not contact Inspector Li or Mu Mei at all. 

Oh so sad story! :'( Poor Ah Long... I don't blame him, if I were him I would also not want to meet Inspector Li or Mu Mei at all... Fast forward to present time, Ah Long is moving up in "the company". Yes, if you remember he works for a big boss looking after the docks. Now that big boss is handing over the empire to Ah Long. Ah Long refuses the offer but the big boss's words are final. Wow... so gangster style! :D 

After some final persuasion from Inspector Li and I think it was the diner boss that told him to visit Mu Mei so that he will not have any regrets. Mu Mei is terminally ill and she has very little time left to live...about two weeks or something... :O Ah Long visits her at the hospital... Haha, I am like woww this guy is too cool... Everywhere he goes he has those dark sunglasses on like Matrix style... :D 

Mu Mei was so happy to see him. She had been looking for him for many years but no luck in finding him. She married someone else instead and has a son. Inspector Li and Ah Long takes her to the midnight diner to hang out together just like old times for one last time... I think this is the first time I've seen Ah Long smile in the drama! Hahah!! 

Mu Mei passed away not long after. The story ends with Ah Long and the octopus shaped sausages at the diner. But this time those octopuses are smiling! Hahah!! So creepy if you ask me! It was Mu Mei who told the diner boss to prepare it for Ah Long. She had promised him way back in the university days that she will make smiley ones for him. Ah Long stares at the plate and breaks down in tears... Oh my heart broke too!! Ah Long!! :'( 

Ohh what a sad backstory! Ah Long had gone through so much... No wonder he hardly smiles and always have that emotionless expression... But deep down inside he still loves Mu Mei so much... Aww... 

This episode shows the preparation of those sausages. There was a part where Ah Long's right hand man, Ah Xian orders some instant noodles from the diner. The diner boss prepared it so nicely! I feel like ordering one too... :D 

Fight for my way review

Drama name: Fight for my way/ Third rate my way

Country: South Korea

Year: May- July 2017

Argh, I can't take it anymore! I'm taking a break from the diner series. :D Back to some Korean dramas. Can't remember how I came to know about this drama, maybe because of Park Seo Joon. Saw him in She Was Pretty, so it was nice to see him again in a new drama. 

So, what's this drama about?

This drama is about four childhood friends who are now all grown up and living normal ordinary lives. They nicknamed themselves the "Fantastic Four", however their lives are anything but fantastic. The four consists of Ko Dongman, Choi Aera, Baek Seol Hee and Kim Jooman. 

Ko Dongman was once a promising taekwondo star but due to a match fixing, he lost the match on purpose because his family needed the money to pay for his sister's hospital fees. That incident had left him unable to move on for many years. He now works as a pest exterminator but his heart is still thinking about that match and wanting to fight again.

Choi Aera aspires to be an announcer all her life. Whenever she holds a microphone, she would feel so empowered that her natural born talent of being a host will take over. However, her dreams never materialised and she is now works as a front desk receptionist in a department store.

Baek Seolhee had always wanted to be a good wife and mother. Her dream is to get married to Jooman and start a lovely family. She does some part time blogging and works as a telesales representative for a home shopping network.

Kim Jooman is an assistant manager at the same home shopping network where Seolhee is working at. They have been dating for six years now and Jooman wants to become a manager before he can marry her. He believes that he needs to provide a big house, car and a comfortable lifestyle for Seolhee. 

Dongman and Aera will be able to chase their dreams once again. While doing so, they would discover that their friendship of 20 years have changed. Dongman is a little slow to realise his feelings toward Aera goes beyond friendship. They will also uncover the mysterious identity of the landlady who seems to be watching over all of them. Meanwhile, Jooman and Seolhee will face obstacles that will push their relationship to the limits. 

Overall thoughts?

The characters are very relatable. They lead normal ordinary lives and face challenges that most of us can identify with. Issues such as unemployment, giving up on life dreams and relationship struggles are part of growing up and being an adult... 

Best parts of the drama?

Namil villa and Namil bar of course! The access to Namil bar is through a cupboard outside the landlady's house... it's so strange but exciting! Located in Busan, but in the drama it remains as Seoul. Not sure why... 

The fantastic four, love it whenever they are featured together. It gives you a sense of how life is about relationships, best friends forever! 

The flashbacks of their childhood. The child actor and actresses are too cute!

Coach Hwang and his cute soondae van! :D He looks too tall to fit in that vehicle! 

Park Seo Joon's super hot body... Hahahah!! XD He definitely built up his body for this role and we're not complaining! ;D 

Notable scenes

Possibly when Aera jumped up and Dongman thought that she had leaked (period stain on her pants) but it wasn't. She had passed the first round and was scheduled for an interview. They hugged and then Dongman realised that she wasn't wearing any bra... oops! Hahah!

The motel name and the teaser that the writers gave us... Thinking that they had a one night stand but actually not... Their first kiss and the beach fireworks!

Other sweet moments of Dongman and Aera realising their feelings for each other... 

Conclusion

If you have not watched or have yet to finish this drama, you have to stop reading now. Consider this as your spoiler alert! ;D 

Aera did become an announcer after all. But it was not her envisioned dream of an announcer in a TV network. She became an announcer for the MMA ring instead. (Mixed Martial Arts) She would announce the current match on the ring and also conduct exclusive interviews with the fighters in the TV studio. I think it definitely suits her spunky personality!

Dongman finally became a MMA fighter and settled his grudge with Kim Taksu, the person he fought with many years ago in the taekwondo championship. Dongman beats Taksu with his signature flying kick and that was it. 

The drama ends with a happy ending where Dongman proposes to Aera right after winning the match. Seolhee and Jooman got back together after breaking up. Seolhee is now a successful businesswoman selling homemade wine. Jooman is still the assistant manager at the home shopping network but he plans to open a company to market Seolhee's wine. The mysterious landlady is actually Aera's mother, she had always been by Aera's side without her knowing. 

It was an okay drama for me. I enjoyed the earlier episodes where they were struggling in their lives and not giving up on their dreams. However, somewhere midway I got a bit irritated with Aera's character... I found her annoying at some point even. She seemed so bossy and demanding. I cringed at the parts where she tried to act cute and all. I ended up falling for Seolhee instead, first time where I actually like the second lead female more than the lead female. 

I read some rumours that possibly Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won are dating now because of this show. My reaction is... Whatever. :P I don't really like her sorry! So until they surprise us like the Song Song couple, let's just leave them breaking the fourth barrier at the end of the show... :D 

Midnight Foodstore Episode 19- 20 review

[Episodes 19- 20] Dawn diners

Featured food: Egg sandwich

I'm dragging my feet along as this drama series continue... I'm still waiting for my handsome Xiu Jie Kai to appear! Haha! He was the main lead in the Taiwanese drama, Thirty Something. Actually, he is the reason why I started on this diner series. Saw the preview that he was one of the guests but until now he has yet to appear! It's so frustrating. :( 

Okay back to the current story... ;D We have another young couple chasing their dreams. Lin Xiao Sang is an actress, an extra to be more precise. She does not have any script but appears as one of the background people, sometimes playing dead or as a pedestrian in the rain. Cai Zhi Yong aspires to be an international journalist. He is currently studying and working part-time delivering newspapers early in the morning. Yes, paperboy! 

The two met one day while Zhi Yong was on his newspaper delivery rounds. He spots a girl hobbling along the street, all dressed in the traditional Chinese wedding dress. He stops and helps her to the diner in order to get some ice for her sprained ankle. He ordered an egg sandwich earlier and shares it with her. His favourite food is egg sandwich that the diner boss would always prepare for him and he will come back for it once he finished delivering all the newspapers.

Their friendship developed from there and they started dating not long after. Some sweet moments here... :) Zhi Yong tells Xiao Sang about a fancy restaurant on top of the building where only the rich and famous can dine there. Xiao Sang confidently replies him that she will take him there someday to eat egg sandwich! Zhi Yong chuckles but he really doesn't know that will actually come true... 

Both of them continued to work hard in order to reach their dreams. There were some sad moments where Xiao Sang had to be in the rain without an umbrella and running back and forth until the shoot was over. 

Actually Xiao Sang should really thank the diner boss. He helped by introducing her to Sun Ke Wei. Yes, she's the famous movie star in that appeared in the earlier episodes. With that connection, Xiao Sang shot to stardom. Hmm, I guess that's true in every industry... connection counts. :( 

While Xiao Sang is now a rising star, Zhi Yong was also working hard in his new intern job. However, he was not making a lot of money like Xiao Sang. She surprises him with a new bicycle. 

She takes him to the rooftop restaurant as promised... Wow! Zhi Yong wanted to propose to her that night but then he backed out when he saw how happy Xiao Sang was with her career on a roll. 

As Xiao Sang's star status rose higher and higher, they grew further apart. Zhi Yong could only admire her from afar. Not only that, he begun to feel the pressure of having her as a girlfriend. Even at his workplace, he was given the permanent job just because of his connection to Xiao Sang. Ouch... 

One day he visits her on set, he realises that he does not match up to her anymore. He decides to break-up with her by sending a text message. What?! I know... it's the norm now... :O Xiao Sang was stunned and replied him by saying she will wait for him at the diner. But he never showed up.

The story ends with Xiao Sang at the diner in a wedding dress... This time she was going to get married for real. She is still hoping that Zhi Yong would appear... I think this part was her hallucination, where she throws an egg sandwich in his face. She bids goodbye to the diner boss and the diner boss narrating about the sun/ sky/ clouds that do not appear together anymore... 

Another mediocre story from this drama series. I'm not sure how the original Japanese version was, but seriously this drama is boring. When I searched for this series online, I saw a post saying that this is China's worst drama because of the lowest view rating in its first episode. I thought that was rather harsh at first but now I'm having second thoughts! 

I get that the writers are weaving in stories from all levels of society... ranging from personal to community... some social issues even, including  the elderly... Let's hope it might get a little bit better from now on... or maybe not. :(

The egg sandwich looks yummy, I'm craving for it now! 

Midnight Foodstore Episode 16- 18 review

[Episodes 16- 18] The best doctor

Featured food: Braised pork belly

I wasn't looking forward to this story when I saw the preview after the stewardess story. Luckily, they aired Xiao Long's story instead so it was a breather for me. The reason why is that because this story reminded me of my grandmother who recently had a fall and my mum had to go over to help her bathe everyday. It is difficult to care for the elderly... 

Cui Fang is an ordinary housewife who was hired by the Su family as a maid. She was not told that she had to look after an elderly old man as well. Dr Su is a retired heart surgeon. He had a stroke which left him paralysed on the left side and also immobile. 

Now, having to care for an elderly stroke patient is bad enough... but the worst thing was that Dr Su has a very sharp tongue. He does not mince his words and many previous maids quit because they could not tolerate his unending nagging. 

Cui Fang had to endure Dr Su's constant nagging as she needed the money. She contacted her agency but they told her she has to wait about 3 months before they can find a replacement. She starts to take on her job as a maid as well as a caregiver. However, she wasn't a good cook so it made Dr Su even grumpier than usual. 

One night he sends Cui Fang to the midnight diner to get some food. Cui Fang took his order down and headed there. The diner boss chuckles when he saw the list... It was a list of food from the royal imperial courts! Hahah! Dr Su was definitely pulling Cui Fang's leg. 

The diner boss gave Cui Fang a packed food container and tells her to give it to Dr Su. Dr Su awakes in the morning and started to nag. He stopped when Cui Fang hands him a note from the diner boss and the food container. He opened it to find his favourite dish, braised pork. 

From there, Cui Fang decided to ask the diner boss's help in making the dishes. She realised that the food kept Dr Su in a good mood hence no nagging! Hahah!! Brilliant. ;D The diner boss agrees to her request and starts to teach her the recipes. 

As time passes by, Dr Su has warmed up to Cui Fang and vice versa. Cui Fang decides to bring Dr Su to the midnight diner one day, much to Dr Su's surprise. She built a wooden ramp so that his wheelchair can go into the diner. 

Dr Su, on the other hand also gave Cui Fang access to his late wife's clothing... He said that she must look good if she was going to be seen with him. What the... :D Yeah, don't worry, Dr Su was not interested in Cui Fang at all. He was just being nice to her and helping her to dress better. 

Their midnight escapades came to a halt when they were caught one night by Dr Su's son. He had a drink or two prior to that and had a shouting session with Dr Su. Apparently, there are unresolved conflicts between father and son all these years. Dr Su had always been so busy at the hospital that he was never around when the son grew up. Even when Dr Su's wife passed away, he did not come for her funeral. Aigoo... Yeah, that was definitely the thorn in their relationship. What the son didn't know was that during his mother's funeral, his father was busy saving a young girl's life...

There was a slight scare one day when Dr Su did not wake up in the morning. Everyone thought that he had passed away. But Dr Su had taken some sleeping pills the night before so he couldn't wake up. Ah! Drama suspense for a bit... :P

Now years have gone by and it was the Lunar New Year. Everyone gathered at the diner to celebrate it. I didn't know the mainland Chinese celebrate it by eating steamed dumplings... Dr Su and Cui Fang arrives at the diner with some dumplings as well. 

Being a retired top surgeon, Dr Su would receive a lot of gifts for the Lunar New Year. Gifts from patients which he has helped save and those from his former colleagues. However, this made Dr Su really angry... He felt that they were mocking him by doing so. I know right?! This old man. (-_-") He snapped at Cui Fang and said some nasty things about her and her son. This was the last straw for Cui Fang. She loved her son so much and that was mainly the reason why she was working all these years... She left the house crying... Omo! :( 

The Su family came home and realised that Cui Fang was missing. They had her travel documents so she could not have gone far. Dr Su knew where she went... Yes, your guess is right too! The midnight diner of course.... :) There, the diner boss consoles Cui Fang and tells her that Dr Su did not mean what he said... 

Dr Su arrives with a student of his student of his student.. Hahahah! That poor guy! Dr Su apologises for his actions earlier and Cui Fang forgives him. It wasn't easy for someone like Dr Su to admit his mistake...The young student suggests that Dr Su could help tutor the younger students by imparting his surgical knowledge. What a great idea! It was a morale boost for Dr Su, that he was useful once more. He became elated when he receives a motorised wheelchair. 

As Dr Su's life was on a roll, Cui Fang was missing out on her own son's life. He has grown so much... There was a scene when she was pushing Dr Su to the midnight diner, a courier boy passed them by! Yes, it's the same cute courier boy from Sun Ke Wei's episode! 

One day, Cui Fang receives a phone call from her family. Her mother has passed away. Cui Fang had no time to go back to see her mother at all and was so heartbroken. Dr Su realises that it was time to let Cui Fang go. She has spent so many years taking care of him and the Su family that she never had the chance to see her own son grow up. He did not want Cui Fang to make the same mistakes that he did. The Su family was shocked when Dr Su told them to arrange for a new caregiver. 

The story ends with a bitter sweet ending... There was reconciliation between the father and son... Dr Su apologises for all the years he had been busy and away from home... There were so many onions here! I cried nonstop! :'( Heartbreaking but it was also heartwarming at the same time! 

The diner guests throws a farewell party for Cui Fang and Dr Su starts all over again with a new caregiver... And yes, his mouth is still as sharp as ever!! He will never change... ;)

The featured food actually looks a bit scary to me because the pork belly has that thick layer of fat... Yeah, I know that is what makes it so tasty! ;P Somewhere midway through the episode they also featured some other food, which looks like squid or something... Not sure... I guess you could eat this pork belly once in awhile!