The Korean Wave (aka Hallyu) has undoubtedly contributed to the metamorphosis of Korean food from what was once regarded as esoterically and narrowly “Korean” into what it is today—a virally global, metropolitan gastronomic phenomenon. Nowhere is this better witnessed than on the streaming platform Netflix. The success of its K-food-themed programming, represented by K-dramas such as Bon Appétit, Your Majesty and the reality TV show Culinary Class Wars, signals that K-culture, including food, has transformed spectacularly over the past thirty years during the Age of K-pop. Yes, Korea has come a long way.

But has it, really? How much has it changed, really? More importantly, what exactly has changed and what has stayed the same? Robert Ku ponders these questions by drawing on his experience of cooking for and feeding other people and by specifically focusing on the gender dimensions of contemporary K-culture and global K-food.