r/ChefAndMyFridge

I got to episodes 52/53 with guest Lee Su-ji, and I haven’t been able to watch the show for weeks because of how uncomfortable they made me. I thought Lee’s impersonation of mothers from Hong Kong complete with fake Cantonese was cringe-worthy, but it was her minstrel caricature that really took the cake. It was so racist, I had to double-check that these episodes were filmed just last year, and I stopped watching both the episode and the show altogether.

I understand that this is a cooking show made in Korea, but the hosts have acknowledged multiple times how international the show is now, so I don’t think it was completely ridiculous for me to be surprised by this.

Since I’ve stopped watching the show, I remembered some other episodes that made me uncomfortable because of how they normalized disordered eating. Disclosure: I’m not a doctor, nor is what I’m saying a keyboard diagnosis of any guests. I was simply shocked at how positive everyone on the show was about an olympic athlete and a very tall man eating far too little in episodes 15 and 47 featuring Cha Jun-hwan and Jon Woo-jae, respectively. The latter episode was then followed up by two guests who are mukbang content creators. It’s well known that people in that line of work must starve themselves or throw up their meals in order to binge eat in such large quantities. To be clear, I’m not accusing any guest of having any eating disorders in particular. I honestly didn’t even watch this episode after they mentioned their occupation because I knew it would gross me out.

The last issue that’s been bothering me a bit is the fatphobia that seems to bleed into the show here and there. I know that the recurring chefs seem to be okay with the disparaging jokes, but they still bother me lol. It’s uncomfortable enough when someone’s body is made to be the butt of the joke, but it’s especially frustrating when it goes far beyond a passing comment and it just keeps going on and on….

I saw a post in the subreddit about the excessive use of AI in a recent episode, so maybe that could be one of the possible warnings listed, too.

This is all to say that I would really appreciate an episode list with possible content/trigger warnings. The show went from something I loved watching almost every day to now being something that I can’t click on since early July. I don’t think the episode previews are sufficient, and there’s really no harm in making a CW list. It would just be there for people who’d like to be more informed before starting an episode, and it might help me feel comfortable enough to get back into watching:)

Hi everybody.

I am looking for a catchy song it has a rap vibe to it and mentions Miami? Can’t seem to find it anywhere but it has been played on numerous episodes. Anybody know which one I’m talking about?

“I’m in Miami” or something to that effect.

Thanks

I just watched S4E18 (Guest: Kangnam). I love Eunyeong, but her stealing antics this episode had me a bit of frustrated and annoyed. I don’t think it’s similar to Poong stealing her boiling cooking oil in the pan because that was just a simple ingredient. What she did was 100% cheating, and it was upsetting that she even won because of it lol.

I know this is all fun and games, and this is the first time that I think she definitely went overboard. Although, I already had this uneasy feeling about her when she said that Edward Lee is not supposed to be called as a member chef, but a guest chef, because he was never truly present, completely ignoring that he was literally part of the member chefs who pioneered the new season. I thought that was already a bit rude but I never took it against her because I know that was just a joke.

I am not sure about the next episodes but I hope she’ll become more chill and not focus too much on getting stars.

The episode with Namkoong Min and Kim Dae Myung. Min asked for a dish to make him ugly. I was shocked that they asked the entire production crew to vote who is the ugliest among Namno and Sung jun. Omg. They kept being really really mean. Of course the duo were sporty in taking the comments but I cannot imagine what it does to one’s psyche. To have a workplace that openly jokes and then votes on how ugly you are. It’s no longer just a joke. This is so so mean, especially as a society that prides itself on being respectful. I am not easily shocked and I am shook.

Much love to chefs Nam no and Sung jun.

Also I think they’re overdoing the ageist jokes on Chef Choi Hyun seok. A couple jokes is okay.

Also (2), can someone teach Ahn Jung Hwan some basic tenets of respect? He’s the mean girl of the show.

It was such a hearty show but this was quite a passive aggressive episode and the cruel comments have been far and in between until not but the cruelty really peaked. It’s starting to get borderline toxic. Chef Nam-no puts up humour and self deprecation as a defence mechanism so one might be deluded in thinking he’s okay with the jokes but how can anyone be okay with this level of spite? Sung jun was smiling but you could tell he was bothered internally.

Can’t imagine this kind of experience not needing serious therapy to get through. I am quite a resilient person but this would’ve hit me really hard if it were me.

I absolutely HATE the use of ai in the recent episodes. They did it in the kpop demon hunters episode and also the Karina one. Seeing ai slop in the middle of an episode really kills my mood.

Being a chef in a fine dining restaurant in France i think i understand why Poong has so many wins in this tv show.

Hes type of cooking pleases a lot of koreans and asians in general. His chili oil that he makes everytime. All the msg and hot pepper spice he puts everywhere.

All the sauces mix he put in the plate and sometimes some creative plates. Not always lol

His knife skills are above average but not chef level.

All said for me the most skilled chef is either grandpa or good vibes chef. After sam kim and japanese cuisines chef come just after.

All things said im not saying they should not invite him. Hes a og guest so

E26 with the teams was great. I especially love seeing Choi Hyun Seok with his staff. I've seen it on YouTube too. I know you can never know for sure, but I get the impression he creates a genuinely happy team. His assistant has stuck around for 14 years!

I'm on Netflix episode 26 season 4. Have they taken off namno from the regular chefs? If yes, I'll be very sad 😔. Thoughts?