I’ve been watching the Korean drama serial 大长今 Jewel in the Palace ever since my mum brought home the VCD set which her colleague had lent to her.
Anyway, despite being frustrated sometimes at the slow pace of the show, I love watching it because of all the food which is featured in the series. It’s a feast for all the eyes watching the characters prepare all the food for the king and his officials in the palace kitchen. OK, I also love the lead actor Ji Jin Hee. His character is so cool and so sweet and he has such a lovely smile! *melt*
But I have a bone to pick with some historical inaccuracies. In one episode, they had an ambassador from China visit Korea. It was supposed to be set in the period of the Ming Dynasty. He was then served the 满汉全席 by one of the cooks. If one wants to be nitpicking, this technically wouldn’t be possible as the 满汉全席 came into existence in the Qing Dynasty
满 refers to the Manchurians who ruled China in the Qing Dynasty. 汉 refers to the native Han people of China. The 满汉全席 is a banquet which combines the best of the cuisines and cooking styles of both groups of people.
In any case, I don’t even know why the Koreans would be cooking the 满汉全席 when it’s something unique to China!