Food is a versatile part of human life. We may not remember much about a trip we took or a past moment, but we often remember the taste.

The Korean BL Bon Appetit starring Lee Ki Taek (Yoon Soo) and Yoo Jung Hun (Doo Hoon) takes the premise of food and turns it into much more than a sustainable necessity. It uses it to nurture.

Bon Appetit follows its main leads from college to adulthood, revealing a past bittersweet unrequited romance that manages to fatefully bring them back together in the present, reuniting two lonely hearts in need of being fed.

There’s a lot of ground covered. Love triangles. Ex-boyfriend angst. Multiple misunderstandings. The working world caste system and how it often wears a person down. And yet, Bon Appetit manages not to feel overwhelming or underdone.

Bon Appetit is an excellent example of how well South Korea captures an original plot, especially when the acting, directing, pacing, and story all come together nicely.

Bon Appetit admirably fits a lot of time and things into its eight episodes, using food to bolster rather than overpower the romance. Despite the premise, it’s not the food as much as how Yoon Soo cares for and observes Doo Hoon. Yoon Soo uses food to show Doo Hoon how much attention he’s paid to the man he loves.

And that’s my favorite thing about this drama. Food isn’t a universal language. Love is. Pain is. Like is.

In short, emotion is the language of love. In life, we often take what we know best to show the people we love how much we care about them, how much we know about them, and how much we hope to help them remember, not only us, but the things they care about.

Yoon Soo knows food and uses cooking to express these things to Doo Hoon, such as the memories Doo Hoon carries of his mother and the regrets he can’t let go of. But no matter how good something tastes or how intense an emotion is, it doesn’t eliminate obstacles in a relationship. Like all couples falling in love, Yoon Soo and Doo Hoon must overcome these obstacles.

Love is when two lives come together, bringing with them the troubles and complications of those two separate lives. Love is when two people work through those troubles and difficulties in order to move on from them together.

Bon Appetit manages to express this despite its short length.

For a drama that takes its title and offers it to its viewers by saying, “Enjoy life, love, and the food that sustains both,” check out Bon Appetit now on iQiyi.

Rating- 4.5 out of 5