Bon Appetit, Your Majesty

The Mangunrok goes directly to the Borgesian Library

It is a poem when a book is the end and the beginning of a nice story where we can enjoy the Korean cuisine adapting World famous recipes. And the book is a feast done by an in love man to an incredible cuisinier who teach and learn to love through an alternative story to real History. Is History being betrayed? We know for sure that Prince Sado real History was hidden and we do not know the real facts around Yeonsangun, we know only what the winners wrote in the Korean Chronicles. This is so Borges, my preferred author, that I cannot avoid to remember what Baricco said about TV series, "they are the new books". I understand this Bon Appetit series is based in a web novel that I could ever read if not made a TV series and I am grateful to be in this era where I can, in the other side of the world, follow the incredible story of Yeon Suksu and the more incredible arrangements to the well known 1506 Korean History. A world of the History that nerver were, a world of a novelist making her readers enjoy this parallel Universe. A world where we can salute to Borges so many times. Is there a previous Korean Borges I am totally ignorant of? It is deserved to be known if there exists.

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Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, 'A chopped bonny apples Joseon 'love' watch

Welcome to the time travel special of 'Chopped' Joseon style, ya'll!!! I have been waiting on this highly anticipated show since it began making its runs on the K-drama circuit. Then once it dropped...I had to suffer through dodging all the nasty little spoilers being shown. I sat in anxiety, hoping that I'd love this show, which, based on the previews, was giving me my other favorite time-traveling Joseon cooking rom-com show, "Mr. Queen," vibes. (I highly recommend that one.)

Interestingly enough...and this is a good thing, it was nothing like that, except in light homage of similar situational feels. That's it and that's all, but that's what sets the two apart for me, which makes me value Mr. Queen more. HOWEVER....Bonny Apples holds its own in giving me joy, laughs...early attraction and kisses, as well as all the different interpretations of food brought into the Joseon period. As a foodie, I was locked in. As a hopeless romantic, the recasting of our ML [Lee Chae-min] was PERFECTION (You all can look up the pre-production drama that happened with that; it was goofy, but eh). He gave all that needed to be given. Regal sex appeal, ruthless callousness...in needed situations and great fighting skills. Our FL [Im Yoon-ah] was an EXCELLENT contrast in bringing her modern sensibility, aloofness, and utter forgetfulness of the era she was in/disbelief in being in it, personality to his abrasive nature, which was being hidden purposefully due to royal intrigue. On top of that...sis could throw down in the kitchen, causing a PG version of my fave anime Food Wars, reactions.

I do recommend watching this show just for the escapism and food. I do have two lingering questions about that ending and epilogue as well. One is a minor little gripe related to my P.S. below. All in all, watch dis ish, and enjoy. My eyes were hit by onions at the end, because I'm a sap, go judge ya peoples!

RATING: As you see, I deducted a point...ONLY because of my two lingering questions, that are just 'wants' that I had. Otherwise, for moi, this drama is a solid 10.

P.S. Let me leave with my fave saying that only those in my Blaque K-drama group understand...

🗣️🗣️THAT SILVER-HAIRED BAMA!!! [Secondary actor: Jo Jae-Yoon] 😍

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This is no MR queen

In my opinion, the cast delivers strong performances. As for how open the world is, it's too early to tell after just two episodes, so I can't comment much on the setting yet. The plot has potential, but it could have benefited from a stronger writer. It feels like the writer was aiming for something in the vein of Mr. Queen, but didn’t quite hit the mark he or she totally miss it. The female lead comes across as overly ignorant of her situation, and it’s frustrating, she seems capable of nothing beyond cooking.

The first 30 minutes are particularly hard to get through. You’ll find yourself gritting your teeth, wondering why the story didn’t start differently and why the character is written to be so clueless. Sure, she’s in another world, but that doesn’t excuse the lack of basic awareness or adaptability. I did push through this rough beginning and hope she grows smarter and more strategic as the story progresses ,something she did in episode 2 what made me think she is the worse FMC ever written . You will now when that part come

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Expressive acting, hilarious

I’m a 30-year follower of East Asian films and dramas.
Chinese works, especially historical dramas, are often full-budget and intense with complex storylines and a large cast. Billions of views is not unreachable for China’s best works. One complaint is that more and more, capable actors have become zombie green screens for CGI.
Japanese films often explore spiritual conundrums, but the weekly serials tend to be insular and mundane. I’m avoiding the word “boring”. Japan’s public TV - NHK - is absurdly expensive and international audiences miss out on well-made non-fiction and dramatic content.
In contrast, Korean dramas are highly accessible. Facial expression, body movement and human-centered stories are the reason Netflix and other platforms have picked so many up.
“Bon Appetite…” is hilariously modern with a sarcastic nod to the historical genre. Super fun. Maybe I’ll expand my culinary repertoire.

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it’s cute but the ending was so rushed

The entire thing was not top tier or anything but I genuinely enjoyed it. I especially liked the way they portrayed the story, in the end the king was maybe bad, but even if he wasn’t he still would have been known as bad because that’s what the winner (prince jesan) decided. In the end, the ones who win are the ones who tell the story how they want. So I found that nice honesty.
Acting was good, both FL and ML played their roles really well for me.
The cooking aspect was enjoyable, I don’t know about other Kdrama watchers but maybe anime influenced me in this aspect so it felt like a slice of life cooking kdrama which made me unwind if anything.
However the ending… Ending it with “how he came to find me is not important cause now we’re together”..is very annoying. I don’t what happened with the production to want to wrap it up like that or maybe that’s how it was meant to be, but 1 more episode could have explained a few things, like what happened to his people who took over the palace? , like how he came to future? , and when he met her in the restaurant he was already well dressed in a normal outfit so how did that happen? , how did even find her?
So yea I enjoyed a whole 11 episodes of this, but the last part was so rushed it frustrated me.

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Ignore the Low Ratings: Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Is Worth Watching

I noticed Bon Appétit, Your Majesty received surprisingly low ratings, which genuinely puzzled me because I found it quite enjoyable.
First, the leads are undeniably good-looking, and more importantly, they have real chemistry. The female lead, in particular, stood out to me. She embodies a strong woman; someone thrown into circumstances she wasn’t raised for, yet she survives, adapts, and builds something out of nothing. She is confident in her abilities and truly believes her skills are enough to save her. As someone who appreciates strong female characters, this was one of the things I loved most about the show.
The male lead’s character is often criticized for being a tyrant, but when you consider the historical context, his behavior makes sense. Therapy didn’t exist in the past, and he was constantly under threat, with people actively plotting to overthrow and kill him. While his actions were extreme, it isn’t shocking when you remember how royalty historically found entertainment in power, punishment, and even death. From that perspective, his character feels realistic rather than exaggerated.
What elevated the romance for me was the implication that the leads had met before ,that she was the subject of the book from the very beginning. That detail adds an extra emotional layer and depth to their relationship, making the story more meaningful than a simple chance encounter.
While the eating scenes can feel a bit cringey at times, they also add charm. The cooking segments are enjoyable too, though I’d recommend skipping through them if food isn’t your area of interest.
Overall, this drama is a work of art in my books. My advice is to watch it without letting the reviews influence you. Go in without judgment and experience it for yourself... you might be pleasantly surprised.

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