Dine with Love (2022)

Witty, Humorous, Philosophical, Fluffy Romance

For me, dining together with loved ones at home is my most enjoyable time of the day. This drama, Dine with Love, conveys the message that I most value. Home cooked meals need not be elaborate; a simple dish such as a tomato omelet, is suffice to whet appetite and satiate hungry stomachs. This drama emphasizes on the importance of sharing time as a family. What is better than sharing a meal?

Chinese people like to ask each other casually when they meet, “Have you eaten?” That’s because meals are so important, particularly in the Chinese culture. Sharing a meal, one can discover the background of new friends, and have better understanding of the people around us. Like music and visual arts, culinary art is a means of communication of love and happiness.

With only 16 episodes, this drama is easy to watch. The plot is straight forward: girl meets nasty boss and falls in love with him. Nasty boss gets attracted to girl because of her talents and wisdom. Both characters have flaws and they grow together to become better persons.

Yu Hao (Gao Hanyu) is an entrepreneur and a slave driver. He is a workaholic and to him, every minute is precious, and he would not waste time doing unproductive things including cooking a meal, so he thinks. He is aloof, unfriendly and fires anyone outright who doesn’t meet up to his standard. Everyone is frightened of him and calls him a demon head. Comes Su Kelan (Jade Cheng) who is one of the workers in public relation. She uses her wit and plays along with Yu Hao’s logic and feeds him his own poison. After spending some time with him, Su Kelan realizes Yu Hao is actually a very sweet and kind person; just that he doesn’t know how to communicate without hurting people. She falls in love with him. And with Su Kelan, Yu Hao is amazed by her wisdom and talents and soon falls for her too.

This is a great story writing. The author explains how one can convey a different concept to someone who normally doesn’t see or accept the view because no one has ever convinced him/her. Time and time again, the author uses the analogy of a bitter gourd, which can be so bitter that not many people appreciate its value. However, with imagination, a good cook can turn the bitter gourds into various delicious and nutritious dishes. I love how Su Kelan gently nudges Yu Hao along and uses his logic in a different scenario to help him see the picture. The interaction is hilarious and adorable, and Yu Hao is sold every time; the bitter gourd in him slowly becomes less bitter and more tasty.

The first time I watched Gao Hanyu was in Love is Sweet. I found him more charismatic than the main lead, Luo Yunxi (sorry fans), in that drama. Gao Hanyu has a face that makes him look cold, serious and mean, fitting the Yu Hao character perfectly. Therefore, having such a face, it is difficult for viewers to associate him with blunders, and when it (blunder) happens, it makes him so adorable as he stumbles time and time again. Gao Hanyu’s acting is amazing and very believable. I cannot have enough of him on screen. Jade Cheng is soft and beautiful, and her acting is convincing as the gentle Su Kelan. She has incredible CP chemistry with Gao Hanyu.

There are two gorgeous side couples. One pair tries to get Su Kelan and Yu Hao together, and the other pair tries to split them up as they each has love interest with our main couple. The outcome is hilarious.

My Verdict

Watching this drama is like seeping a cup of hot afternoon tea, soothing and enjoyable. The story hits a note with me because it shares a very simple principle - life philosophy through food. What seemingly a very simple dish such as the tomato omelet, is also a dish that can help the dinners bring back memories of home and warmth. There is no one right way in making the omelet, but each recipe brings back the memories of belonging as taste is the unforgettable memory. Mealtime can help reconcile relationships, putting down the past and bringing forth the future. It is the most important time of the day when family members and friends get together after a whole day of work and school, and enjoy their food.

Apart from the food philosophy, this drama also tries to convey the message of different point of views. When a value seems insignificant to one person, it can be of utmost important to another, and vice versa. Yu Hao feels it is important for him to be successful in his business so that he can take care of his family. He finds it hard to understand why Su Kelan thinks differently. He finally realizes why his father had worked so hard and neglected him and his mother when he was little, and the tragedy. He doesn’t want to make the same mistake as his father did. Su Kelan thinks she has to be perfect and to shoulder all the burdens. She learns that shouldering all the burdens herself is not what people want of her; people want to share her burden and it’s fine if she’s not perfect.

Rewatch? Absolutely! There's a lot of simple recipes for ordinary home cooked meals. This time round (rewatching), I would note down all the recipes and their simple steps, together with the philosophy behind each dish. I want to be able to use the author’s words to explain to my family so that they would appreciate the food on the table.

A reword of Hippocrates’s words: "Let food be thy happy memories and happy memories be thy food"

A great watch! Don’t miss it!


Spoiler: For romance buff, the main couple does separate for about 2 years before they come back together again.

Read More

“Can people eat cat food?”

I've been waiting for this drama for a long time and I was worried it wouldn't hold up to my own hype. Well, I worried for nothing because this drama is delivering on so many levels. It was a mistake to watch this while it's still airing because I simply could not get enough.

The story isn't necessarily original, warm FL & domineering CEO ML, but the chemistry between the cast is perfect. Each character plays their part perfectly as if written for them personally. The main couple is so good that when they're apart it's almost painful waiting for them to share the screen again.


What I Love:

- Heart Flutters! This drama is delivering on all the heart flutters you want out of a rom-com. The chemistry is off the charts. It's as if the 2 leads are magnets! I can't get enough of them being together. Not only is the romantic chemistry there but the comedy between them is there too. I'm having so much fun watching their relationship and characters develop. (Also, they kiss quite a bit. Lots of steam here)

- The ML seems cold but you find out pretty earlier on that he's actually pretty silly. Unlike a lot of dramas, it's not the FL that brings this out in him, he's already silly on his own just in private. We see this early on when he's with his uncle/best friend. He's serious and cold about his business but not in his personal life. It's more that he's a bit shy and protective of himself when it comes to his personal life.

- The FL is very sweet and warm but don't let that fool you. She is smart, capable, and often the hero. Even though she's quiet, that doesn't mean she's at all stupid. Bullying her doesn't work. But because she's warm and sweet as a viewer I keep worrying for her, as if someone is going to tear her down and break her spirit but she proves over and over that she's not that type of FL. I find myself constantly cheering her on.

- The FL's best friend is the friend we all deserve and more. I love how supportive and fierce she is about the FL. She will literally fight someone's mom for her friend and I love to see it.

- The ML's best friend/uncle is also a favorable character. He protects and loves his nephew dearly. Everything about their bromance is fun and supportive and I enjoy watching them interact.


What I Don't Love:

- There are 2 semi-annoying characters who don't want the leads to be together but they're not unrealistically evil. I think this is good because it shows them as real people. They are jealous like real people are but not devilishly jealous. They try to gain favor the way real people would but they don't go around trying to ruin lives to get what they want. I do feel like they use these two as fillers towards the backend of this drama which did impact my rating slightly. It's just frustrating to watch the SML not getting the hint that Ke Lan just isn't into him. He's quite dense when it comes to women. Even though I find these 2 characters annoying I don't have hate for them. More of an annoyance with them than anything else.

- There's something that happens with the main couple that I really dislike because the FL's reason is frustrating and frankly so is her mom for letting her daughter make the decision she did. These episodes really upset my feelings for this drama. When the leads are together there's so much magic. When they are apart this drama feels quite slow and sad but that's because the leads are just so so good together.

- There are a few slower episodes. Some are "build" episodes and I don't mind these but there are a couple of episodes towards the end where I would have preferred seeing more of the MC together. Although what happens between the MC is necessary for them to be together long-term (mostly on the ML's side of things), I wish the issue didn't take up so much time. I wish we would have seen the main couple together more in the end, after everything was resolved.


Note-worthy:

There's also the ML's ex who obviously wants to get Yu Hao back but she's also not an evil character, just a regretful ex trying to win him back. There's really nothing outlandish about her actions other than trying to separate the MC. The MC handles her really well. As a couple, they are mature about her. Also, the way Yu Hao goes about dealing with his ex is mature, compassionate, and respectful of the relationship they once had.



Would Recommend
Would Re-watch (with some skipping)

Read More

Five Ingredients to Dine with Love

What ingredients make a foodie romance drama endearing?

Happy ending? Great chemistry between the leads? Food?

Dine with Love has those three plus two extra ingredients – a tight script and just the right amount of silly supporting characters. These five ingredients, I find, make this drama enjoyable:

1. Fabulous main couple and the actors who played them.
Gao Han Yu and Jade Cheng, breathe life into Yu Hao and Su Ke Lan, respectively. Him, the cold CEO and her, the warm PR manager. Together, they displayed a comfortable long-term couple vibe. And I was very drawn to their chemistry. Oh. I have lost count of the number of times he was shirtless!

It is worth noting that Yu Hao and Su Ke Lan are one of the most mature yet flawed characters in Chinese romance drama. Individually, each carries trauma and heavy responsibilities. It shaped them into who they are and how they handle relationships as a couple and with others.

2. Tight script
In a 16 episodes format, the writers did not stray away from themes of food, family, friendship, and forgiveness. It is also tightly focused on the main couple. All subplots are connected to Yu Hao and Su Ke Lan - illness, ex-partners, business dealings, and secondary couple’s stories.

3. Main supporting Characters
The drama contains just the right amount of silly supporting characters. They served as support and competition to the main couple and slight comedic relief. My favourite amongst them is Yu Hao’s uncle, as he is the only one that brings out Yu Hao’s childishness.

4. Food
Specifically, cooking lessons. During these lessons, Su Ke Lan shined! I want her to be my cooking teacher. She is calm, always smiling and imparts knowledge about the value of food and cooking. She also gives an egg coated fried rice recipe! Yes, I did try it, and it was yummy.

In these lessons, the couple gets to know each other. It was calm yet intimate. And Yu Hao was mesmerised and addicted to her and her food. There was a scene when he turned on his laptop camera just to see her cooking behind him. Sneaky!

5. Happy ending
It is one of the most important ingredients to any romance fan. A good happy ending requires the audience to go through anticipation, warm fuzziness, heartbreak, frustration, and finally happiness. Dine with Love did not disappoint. My heart was full when they kissed in the final scene and burst when I saw the short bonus episode. Tip – find that extra episode! You will be giddy.

These five ingredients make this drama endearing and lovable to me from episode one right through the finale. It is still a flawed production (and what story isn’t?) but it showed me how invested I was in both Yu Hao and Su Ke Lan. I would have loved to spend more time with them as a couple before the proposal and less time during their separation.

On a final note – the now infamous ‘Sewing Scene’ of episode 12, is the most sensual in a Chinese romance drama I have ever watched. You are most welcome.

With love,
Lady Ajumma.

Ps. Despite the poor subbing during airing, it does not deter away from the quality of the story.

Read More

The value of a meal

I live in Appalachia, which is a part of the United States that has it's own indigenous culture of family meals. What I've learned about Asian dramas and entertainment is that this is a worldwide phenomenon, not just a local custom. "Have you eaten?" is sometimes the first sentence a guest or family member hears as they enter the doorway with the next being, "let me fix you something to eat while you sit and talk to me while I cook".

This drama exemplifies several points about family and does so without being preachy or pretentious. We're human with flaws and driven to decisions that effect the present and future. Yu Hao is a character who strives to always be the better competitor in the cutthroat business world while Su Ke Lan is someone who realizes the importance of family moments. The clash and understanding between the exchange of characters is realistic and wielded brilliantly between actors and script.

I love this drama because it's light and understands the importance, especially in the cell phone world we live, about the gold standard value of sitting down to a meal. I highly recommend it for someone wanting to watch comedy, family and romance rolled into one. You definitely won't be disappointed.

Read More

Best story ever

I just finished watch this drama. First thing that make me interest with this drama is the actor and the actres, I like both of them and I know that their acting was good. Second, Inlove the title Dine With Love, who doesn't want have a diner with someone you love?? Third, that this drama first airing on Valentine day's, I know it's gonna be good, remembering CMovie Fall in Love at first kiss also airing on Valentine day's and this remake is sooo good. (Well, I watch all the Itazura na Kiss versions from Japan, China, Korea and Thailand) and this movie remake is the best!

Back to DWL. After watch 4 episodes, something from this drama tickle me. The story was good, the music was great, the background of the story was different from other CDrama and the acting of them all ML, FL, SML and SFL was great! Don't miss out that Gao Hanyu in this drama is extremely handsome compare from his other drama.

The story was smooth and I love the flashback scenes to give more information about what actually happen between the ML and FL. It put us to guess first and know about it later and it is refreshing for me.

The songs is soothing, I can feel their pain everytime the song was played when they have different opinions or missed each other.

Overall, I suggest you to watch this drama. I love this kind of drama and it is rare to find a Cdrama talk about love, family, work and food only in 16 episodes. The ending was totally perfect for me but I also believe 1 special episodes about their marriage life will be awesome!

10/10 and must re-watch drama ever!

Read More

Good main leads but the rest....?

Be prepared- if you don’t understand Mandarin, the English subs are really bad!! ;(;( I only understand very little, so a lot of things were so confusing.

The character and romance/ relationship development between Yu Hao and Su Kelan was quite good. A lot of values and priorities the FL said rings true, and she slowly changed the ML from his hard, non caring personality, to someone who is thoughtful and a more considerate person. Her character is a strong, smart capable woman who performs really well at work, which I liked. Umm... there were some chauvinistic elements from the ML which I didn’t quite fancy, but it didn’t really bother me that much.

To be honest though, although Su Kelan wants to spend more time taking care of her mum, which is very honourable... it’s not realistic if she doesn’t work. And she has to have a high enough position in the company in order to be able to afford all the medication, dialysis and hospital bills! So it doesn’t make sense at all that she can just quit her job without thinking about the future. His mistake was not going straight to her at the hospital... that upset me. I guess both are still learning about life and love. There was a nice confession scene in episode 9, and some sweet PDA and kissing moments the next few episodes... nothing too raunchy ;) Gao Han Yu is a real eye candy here ;)

The second couple was less interesting, lots of bickering and childish banter. The third couple- yeesh. I fast forwarded all their scenes, not interesting to me at all.

I’ve heard the ending is a happy one... so wait for the update next week! :):) UPDATE: Ending was a sweet one, but it dragged out until the last 10mins ;( so typical. Sigh.. I do like the main couple. Unfortunately I FF a lot as the pace was just too draggy.

Read More

Slice of life, cooking & some romance

This drama is about the female lead, who pines over the male lead, who is hung up on his ex and needs therapy. The support cast tries to get with the leads even though they have zero chance. The side couple marries after one night stand. Oh and there is lots of cool cooking. Okay, okay I’m just trying to be funny here (but it’s lowkey true). Let me tell you the actual plot. The male lead owns a food platform but refuses to learn how to cook so he hires a double for his cooking shots. After being caught lying, he hires the female lead (who also works at his company) to teach him how to cook.

The main lead is a hot, red flag. Workaholic, toxic boss that appears to be arrogant and prideful but secretly is kind and lonely. He carries a lot of past trauma and emotional baggage. The female lead is down to earth and a total cinnamon roll. Mature yet gentle. Kind but not a pushover. Hard-working but not materialistic.

POSITIVE:
- Viki live chat. Yep, the drama was 100x more enjoyable because I watched it while reading the hilarious live chat. Users on Viki not only roasted the drama but each other too. If you decide to watch this drama, definitely do it on Viki, the subs there are great too compared to Youtube.
- Awesome cooking shots.
- Cute romance (for the most part).
- Great mother-daughter relationship.
- Mature dialogue.
- Nice OST.
- Nice chemistry between the leads.
- First half of the drama has wholesome vibes.
- Relatable female lead.

NEGATIVE:
- Male lead is heavily hung up on his ex for the first half of the drama.
- Unnecessary and illogical situation at episode 13 that might ruin the drama for some people. The remaining 3 episodes were too melodramatic and draggy so I skipped a lot.
- Kind of slow paced especially as each episode was more than 1h 15 min compared to the typical 40 min.
- Second male lead had me conflicted. Sometimes he was such a sweet green flag, other times he was the most obsessive and annoying towards the female lead. I feel the way his character was written could have been better especially as he got tons of screen time. In the first episodes he kept putting a toothpick in his mouth which I didn’t like. Then the director gave him a glow up that was actually a glow down.
- Annoying side character (girl) who acted like a 3 year old and her voice was non-stop quacking like a rubber duck (and mind you I rarely find characters annoying).

OVERALL:
This drama starts off great but loses its charm half-way through. I have mixed feelings, some parts are great, other parts not so much. The drama sometimes felt very wholesome and sweet but other times too melodramatic, sometimes mature but other times too silly. In the end, I felt that it wasn’t what I expected (the poster misled me to believe it was a fluffy rom-com). But I suppose if you want a slice of life with lots of cooking and some romance on the side, check this out.

Read More

A mature love story

You'll salivate over the food, swoon over the ML (who delivers a pretty heartfelt speech/confession), cheer for the supportive BFF, and wish you could be as awesome as the FL. Dine with Love is a genuinely lovely romance depicting the realistic struggles and dynamics of a modern relationship. Sure, there are cliches and tropes, but there also aren't any goofy/silly antics either. Gao Hanyu showcased his potential to be a romantic lead in Love is Sweet, so it is wonderful to see him take on that role here opposite a radiant Jade Cheng, who portrays a very smart and extremely capable female lead. (There's not enough of them in C dramas!) Except for the loser ex-bf, the supporting cast is great too -- even the annoying influencer turns out to be cute and likable.

The show, structured more like a K-drama at 16 episodes of 75 minutes each with a much shorter opening credit sequence, was perhaps at its strongest in the first four and final episodes. Even with its flaws, however -- the pacing and storytelling was somewhat uneven in the middle -- it did a good job depicting the challenges of work/life harmony and the consequences when that balance is off kilter.

I had to ignore the auto Mango subs, which were beyond atrocious and almost useless. I genuinely hope this one gets picked up by Viki or Netflix so that it can get the proper subbing and wider audience it deserves.

For those wanting a more satisfying ending, there is a 23 minute epilogue as well that Mango released on YouTube.

Read More

C and K- drama fusion?

This drama may have Mandarin audio and use Chinese settings and cast but the format feels very much like a K-drama as it has a lot of very familiar K-drama tropes the 16 episode format and, not a single annoying overbearing c-parent in sight.

There is a lot of good to say about this drama, food shots, food tutorials and beautiful scenery, faces and yes abs for that matter. The leads are mostly lovable, and even the most annoying characters have a lot of good points and scenes that make them lovable. The friendships in this drama are sweet devoted and loyal. However non of the conflicts make sense to me. They honestly just seem to be there out of lack of imagination to make the plot draggy... or to make sure the viewers do not like the leads and side characters too much. As these otherwise smart, fun and highly capable people seem to loose all logic and ability to communicate from the slightest little hick up.

There is also an extreme over use of grand gestures from the second couple there to make people nauseous, which is really to bad as they started off all cool, easy going and fun but turned in to this messy goo of emotional chaos is a bad way

While the male lead has great character development the female lead has negative character development, which is kind of sad but also symptomatic of many heterosexual relationships gone wrong.

That said there are a lot of good moments, steamy kisses and fluffy cats making this worth a watch for all those who love both K and C romcoms and do not mind a little bit of unnessesery conflicts and choices that make no sense.

Read More

Annoying Side Characters and the Most Annoying "Love Triangle" Trope

I do like watching this but right now I'm on Episode 8 and the side characters are just pushing me on the edge of hating this...

So the story is pretty self-explanatory in the detail summary but just to add a bit more details, the two main leads have best friends who get together and get married. They try to get the main leads together.

As for the other side characters, the ML, Yu Hao, has a stalker actress who's in love with him and who is so annoying that every time she comes on screen, I have to fast forward and skip every scene she's in. I don't blame the actress, but her immature antics and acting are so bad. She plays the 3rd female lead and gets a lot of screen time. I dislike her so much I will only refer to her as the "stalker actress".

Then, of course, the FL, Su Ke Lan also has another guy, who is the director at her new job, that's interested in her and he teams up with the annoying actress to thwart the two leads from getting together. This is where I think that story really starts to crash and burn with the stalker actress and director. Honestly, the storyline was okay with the main leads and their besties trying to get them together, but the other two stalkers, ugh... it's really ruining the show for me, that I'm almost ready to drop this.

(Major spoilers ahead)
Here are some of the other ridiculous schemes the stalker actress and the director pull off:
-The director confesses to the FL on the first day of her job in front of everyone... talk about tacky and inappropriate behavior in the workplace. He basically gave her a job because he liked her
-The stalker actress constantly schemes and pushes the director to try to get the FL's attention. On top of that, the stalker actress has the audacity to constantly accuse the FL of "scheming" to take away the ML from her. OMG. Even when the two leads finally get together publicly, the stalker actress doesn't stop her antics. We can now add "obsessive" and "crazy" to her "stalker" title. I don't even like to use the term "crazy" for women so that's saying a lot for me. She still thinks she has a chance with the ML, even when she knows he now has a girlfriend, and yet, she still tries to break them up. Her acting is just limited to being immature and annoying.
-The stalker actress and director literally sneak uninvited into the best friends' wedding just because the stalker actress hates that the leads are the best man and maid of honor and hates the idea of them being close together. Seriously? Spying on them at a wedding?
-Most of the kindness that the director shows to the FL's mother is all due to scheming with the stalker actress so all of his kindness towards the FL and her mom, seems insincere and manipulative. Even when he found the FL's mother unconscious, it was only because the actress pushed him to go visit her. BS man.
-Did I mention how stalker-y the annoying actress and director are?
-The leads finally have a precious moment when the ML confesses, only to be rudely interrupted by the stalker director and actress... way to ruin a romantic moment writers. Thanks.
-Now about the leads. The FL's look and personality never change. Her business wear and casual wear are all plain and her work hairstyle is so boring. A tied-back loose ponytail with just too much hairspray. Her work hairstyle looks like she's doing laundry at home. There's even one scene where there's a professional hairstylist working on her with the same boring work hairstyle and I'm just like, "What an insult to hairstylists everywhere..." Let's talk about her acting. It's limited to just being overly nice, wide-eyed, smiling, and giggling. If she's mad, angry, or upset, her acting has no real emotional range. Actually, it's the same for the male lead too. He just tries to act stiff and cool all the time but it just kept looking like he was trying to pull a double-chin look. Even when he was angry or emotional, there's not really much range either.

-Then the mother goes to the hospital and the FL lead acts like it's the end of the world. She's supposed to attend a business meeting with investors but flies back after hearing about her mom, without a word to anyone. Even her phone is powered off the whole time. She acts as if her mother died. The acting here is so BS. I dunno why the director and writers went this route. It was way too unprofessional and unbelievable of someone from a top position to be behaving this way. She couldn't even call and tell ONE SINGLE PERSON about her emergency?? Even with a death in the family, women can still be professionals. The investors talk bad about her, the boss/boyfriend ML berates her, and then you have the doctor and stalker actress berate her for not taking care of her mother. Because of course, women can't handle having a boyfriend, taking care of aging parents, AND having a high position job. Whatever.

I'm watching this only because it's a filler during the week when nothing else is on. I also like the second leads storyline better. I may add more to the review when completed...

UPDATE:

-By Ep15, I nearly dropped this because I was just fed up with the stalker actress and her antics towards the director. Like WTF? The things she did was practically sexual harassment, but because she's a woman, we're supposed to just think it's "cute"? Talk about double standards. Ugh.
-The ex-bf of the FL comes back in a few scenes and really, I have no idea why. What a waste of screen time! His scenes contributed nothing to the ending storyline. I have no idea why they brought him back.
-In the last episode, it seemed too late to tie in the reconnection with the ML's father and grandmother. It was a bit rushed.
-Lastly, the last 15 mins of the last episode were full of cheese, cheese, and more cheese. Why they had to include the ML's ex-gf and his investor friend, (who really hated the FL btw), to be in this last scene made no sense whatsoever. It was if they wanted to include everyone in the last scene. Should've brought back the ex-bf while they were at it.

Because of the last 2 episodes and the points I just mentioned above, I lowered my rating from a 6.0 to a 4.5. I had enough of that stalker actress. She just ruined the whole drama for me.

Read More

Love It

I love how the relation to food and memories was a constant in the story. It make me think of many memories of my family at the dinner table. The chemistry between the lead Female and male characters was great. I like how they kept it simple and no obsess character. The lead female was portrait as a strong and smart with great charisma and I loved the character. The second couple was cute even when they had their ups and down in their marriage, which is so true. The part about him not caring about his wedding ring. I can understand how mad she was. Been their and done that. The actors performance was great and I love the story. The shorter episode but longer hour was a blessing. The story was better understood. Gao Han Yu is a great actor and did not disappoint me in his performance. Jade Cheng performance is always wonderful, I am a big fan of hers. Some of the cooking in the story gave me some ideas about my own recipe. Love it.

Read More