Satisfy Your K-Drama Craving By Indulging in Netflix’ Chocolate

“Brought together by meaningful meals in the past and present, a doctor and a chef are reacquainted when they begin working at a hospice ward.”

— Netflix

Chocolate (Netflix)

I wonder how many people pass on this K-drama based on the Netflix description? Presumably, someone is paid to write these but I can’t believe they’ve actually watched the series. Isn’t the purpose of a description supposed to make viewers want to watch the show?

I wish I had thought to write my thoughts down when I first started watching K-dramas so I could capture my initial impressions. Chocolate was one of my early K-dramas and even though it’s been some time since I first watched it I vividly remember it being very touching. Chocolate is labeled a romance but this K-drama delves into storylines for several characters that are very meaningful. While Moon Cha-Young and Lee Kang’s stories are intertwined romantically, to view Chocolate simply as a romance does a disservice to all the other storylines that actually dominate this K-drama, including the full stories of the two leads.

If you like cooking shows you will find Chocolate appealing as Ha Ji-Won’s character Moon Cha-Young is a chef. This is another K-drama that will have you hankering to try Korean food and possibly inspire you to try your hand at cooking. I think this must’ve been the show that first got me interested in trying Korean food. It’s so beautiful and Ha Ji-Won works with the food like she’s a real chef!

K-dramas frequently use flashbacks which gives the characters so much depth when we see all the layers of what made them who they are. This also gives the opportunity for us to see a lot of young actors and I’m always amazed at their ability to come across so authentically.

When I was watching Squid Game I knew the gentleman who played Oh Il-Nam looked familiar. Oh Young-Soo portrays one of the many hospice patients we get to know in Chocolate. I had a similar experience while watching Encounter. Where did I know Cha Soo-Hyun’s ex-husband from? He is the half-brother, Lee Jun, who’s pitted against Lee Kang in a competition of who will be appointed to the top spot in the family by their grandmother (halmoni 할모니).

Chocolate also features a Korean adoptee storyline. I’m always pleasantly surprised when this happens and holding my breath till I see how it all plays out. The character of Michael played by Noh Kwang-Tae is interesting because his American adoptive mom is present and central to his story. This is the first time I’ve seen a transracial, international adoptive mom portrayed in a K-drama. The presence of Michael is a welcome reminder there are people in Korea who know and care about Korean adoptee stories. I wonder what role K-dramas will ultimately play as it pertains to our identities? I hope they’re helping to remove some of the stigmas around adoption so more K-Adoptees can connect with our birth families. There are more than 200K KADs who’ve been adopted to 15+ countries around the globe. K-dramas and K-pop are helping many of us connect with Korea and Korean culture for the first time.

This K-drama deals with dementia, abandonment, terminal illness, and PTSD so there is a fair amount of sadness in Chocolate. But there’s also healing and some very joyful moments. We get to be that proverbial fly on the wall as we observe so many different relationships. Parent/child, exes, husband/wife, siblings, significant others, friends, caregiver/patient, and co-workers. The stories are so thoughtfully told my lasting impression is how moved I felt by the lives of these characters I was privy to witness.

To bring this back to where I started—I have a friend who took over a year to watch Itaewon Class solely based on the poor Netflix description. I hope this post inspires you to watch Chocolate if you haven’t already. As one of the K-dramas I happened to stumble upon in my early days of watching, Chocolate inspired me to continue watching even more Korean content. It remains one of my favorites.

Which young actor appears in 2020’s The King: Eternal Monarch?
Which actor is married IRL to one of the actors making a cameo appearance?
Which actor was a member of the idol group God?
Which actor plays a stuntwoman in Secret Garden?

Have you seen Chocolate? I’d love to know what you thought so drop me a note in the comments.

KADS & K-DRAMAS

Monday, December 6th Noh Kwang-Tae who portrayed the Korean adoptee Michael in Chocolate will be our special guest in the K-Adoptees club on Clubhouse. Noh Kwang-Tae is featured in episodes 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12.

NOH KWANG-TAE INTERVIEW + Q&A ON CLUBHOUSE

Released: November 2019, Episodes: 16

Cast: Ha Ji-Won (Moon Cha-Young), Yoon Kye-Sang (Lee Kang), Jang Seung-Jo (Lee Jun), Yoo Teo (Kwon Min-Seong), Min Jin-Woong (Moon Tae-Hyeon) Kim Bo-Min (young Moon Cha-Young), Oh Ja-Hun (young Lee Kang), Kang Tae-Ung (young Lee Jun), Kim Min-Joon (young Moon Tae-Hyeon), FULL CAST

CHOCOLATE TRAILER

CHOCOLATE BTS

CHOCOLATE OST