Thanks, @Phoenix, for the titles again.
Ep 1: How Many Bowls of Gamjatang is a Modigliani Painting Worth?
Ep 2: Could Brand Name Watches Capture Eternity?
Ep 3: What is ‘Untitled’ About?
The Viki titled is subbed as “What did he paint for ‘Untitled’?” Like in Episode 2, the subbers have different translations.
Let me answer the Viki question first.
1. What did he paint for “Untitled”?
Why, the Tiger, of course.
Tattoos may be viewed as a form of body art, and MooHak painted – or rather, he applied a humongous Tiger sticker on his skin.
The answer is hinted at in the opening scene. The painting behind the title depicted MooHak unbuttoning his shirt.
See that? Literally, this painting was untitled, and he had a Tiger painted on his chest.
Then, in the end of the episode, we see the temporary Tiger tattoo again when Moohak’s shirt was accidentally ripped, and his chest was exposed.
The Tiger tattoo was “untitled” because he didn’t really want to show it to the world.
But he also created another untitled “work of art” which he laid it out on the museum floor.
Prior to his 10:00 appearance at Dali’s gallery, he ascertained from his assistant that the right personnel were hired to do the job.
MH: Did you pick the ones with the right description?
Assistant: First, I focused on the 2XLs.
Meaning, she hired on men who are DOUBLE extra-large in size.
Assistant: They’re rough.
The men are shouting, “Ill crush him.” “Then he should go into the ground!”
Assistant: They’re cruel. We selected them based on mean standards.
A sidenote on names of paintings: In the olden days (e.g., the Italian Renaissance), most paintings did not have a title because they were work commissioned by a patron. This meant that the viewers who got to see the artist’s finished work would be able to recognize the portrait, landscape, still life, fresco or mural.
For instance, Francesco del Giocondo commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to paint a portrait of his wife, Lisa. When the portrait was finished, it didn’t need a title since Signore del Giocondo recognized his wife. However, it was da Leonardo’s biographer (I forgot the name! Vasari??) who christened the iconic painting, “Mona Lisa.”
Same thing with Leonardo’s “The Last Supper.” It was a mural commissioned by the Duke of Milan for a church. Anybody who walked by it should know what the painting was all about, so the title was redundant.
From what I understand, the titles of paintings became necessary when the artwork began circulating outside the palaces, churches, and personal collections they were originally created for. When these paintings were collected in a museum, lent to another gallery, exhibited with other paintings, or sold to another art enthusiast, putting names on the paintings allowed them to be easily identified and tracked.
Kinda like people, right? Just imagine if we’re all named anonymous here on the blog. How are we going to know which poster we’re talking to?
That’s how many of these titles of painting came to be. They were given by an art collector, art dealer or curator for ease of identification. And often the titles were descriptive. They indicated what the viewers would see right away.
For example, if MooHak’s assistant were to name the performance art that MooHak created on the museum floor, she would have named it, “Double XL, Rough and Cruel” after the gangsters that she hired.
But the netizens had a different idea. When they saw the photos of the protest uploaded on the internet, the netizens gave Moohak’s handiwork a title of their own.
To name a few —
“Gangsters at the Art Museum.”
“Is it a performance or violence?”
#Cheongsongartmuseum.
#Seolleongtangrestaurant
(seolleongtang is apparently slang for gangsters, according to the translator’s note)
“Who are the black suits at the Cheongsong Art Museum?”
#I’llsaveyou
#It’sanewworld
#Thefloor’sdesignisfancierthanthecanvas
#Zoonexttotheartmuseum
#Safari
“Zoo inside the Art Museum?”
“Taken over by tigers, dragons, carps, and snakes!”
These hashtags are a form of a title too. The netizens were speculating on the purpose and intent of the performance art. And since it was “untitled, they gave it creative names.
Thus, to answer the Viki question, “What did he paint for ‘Untitled’?” I say that:
one, Moohak painted a tiger on his body, and
two, he painted a performance art by “Double XL, Rough and Cruel” men pretending to be tigers, dragons, carps, and snakes.
🙂
Now, let me try to answer the Dramacool/Kissasian subbers’ question.
2. “What is ‘Untitled’ about?”
This one is trickier because there are several levels of understanding — at least from MY perspective.
On one level, the title is strictly referring to art.
MooHak’s gangsters were talking about the art they saw at the gallery. Here’s the convo according to Viki:
Man1: I like art museums, but this was really good.
Man2: What bullshit! It wasn’t good. I didn’t know what anything was.
Man1: You’re so ignorant. Not knowing what is, is the art. Get it?
In the dramacool version, the Man1 said, “You’re not supposed to understand art. Got that?”
Either way, Man1 suggested that art was something esoteric, abstract, and cryptic.
When they returned to the museum the following day, Dali gave them a short lecture on art. They wanted to know what an untitled painting was all about.
Note the reference to the title, “What is ‘Untitled’ about?” The painting had no labels to list the artist, the name and date of the work, and the year completed.
Man1: What did they paint here?
Dali: What do you see in it?
Man2: Overall, it’s red and sometimes I see dark blue, too. Isn’t it spicy dakgalbi? With seaweed flakes on top.
Dali: You can indeed see it like that too.
Man1: Isn’t it a flower though? No matter how I see it, I think it’s a flower.
Dali: Now that I see it, that’s true, too. So long then. (leaves them)
Man3: It kind of looks like a pizza, too.
Man1: What was that? Did she look down on us? (getting agitated)
But another man calmed him down, saying that Dali herself didn’t also know what the painting was all about. He asked the gang, “What does it matter even if we don’t know? It’s just beautiful to look at.”
Tadaaa!! That’s the meaning of the “untitled” in a nutshell.
A painting isn’t given a title in order to allow the viewers the freedom to see what they want to see. The viewers can enjoy the painting in any which way they prefer, without being pre-conditioned to interpret the painting by its title. You see, titles often pressure the viewers to create a connection between title and the artwork. For instance, if I see a wall painting with the title, “dogs,” I expect to see multiple dogs in the painting.
However, when the titles are removed, then the viewers can just enjoy the art simply because it’s “nice to look at.”
Personally, though, I’d want to be given hints when I’m viewing art, especially abstract art. I must be able to understand what I’m looking at to fall in love with it. I don’t go with “feels.”
Now, that’s one way of understanding the title, “What’s ‘Untitled’ about?”
Another way of understanding the title is to look at the famous “Untitled” work by Basquiat. Why Basquiat? Basquiat was mentioned in this episode.
This was Basquiat.
source: wiki
Dali: (seeing the 2million won loan from Dondon F&B)
Curator: It was probably preparation fees for the Basquiat Exhibition. It’s such a popular exhibition that the competition as intense, so the costs of the event would have been enormous.
Dali: A Basquiat Exhibition?
Curator: We need to frequently hold quality exhibitions domestically to draw people to the art museum. The director put a lot of work into this exhibit.
Dali: When does it take place?
Curator: It’s planned for the first week of October next year.
Basquiat created many works named “Untitled” but the famous “Untitled” was the painting of a skull. It sold for $110.5 million in 2017 to a Japanese collector.
This collector also has another Basquiat painting called “Untitled” featuring a devil. Basquiat had his roots in graffiti art. He had a meteoric rise to fame in the 1980s and an equally meteoric crash to death when he overdosed on heroin at the age of 27? 28? (I can’t remember anymore).
This is the “Untitled.” What this is all about is up to you to figure out.
source: Wikipedia
The third level of interpreting “What’s ‘Untitled’ about?” is to connect it to the history of Dali and Jang TaeJin together. If we were to paint their past, present, and future relationship on a blank, canvas, then the suitable name for it would be “Untitled” since their feelings (or remnants of feelings) are largely obscured at this time.
She definitely didn’t like it when TaeJin stepped in with his card to pay for Dali’s shoe purchase. When he ordered the sales attendant to grab a couple of outfits with matching shoes and a bag, she protested.
Dali: No. Don’t do that. What are you doing?
TJ: You probably didn’t even pack properly because you were in a rush to return home. (talking to attendant) Please prepare it.
Dali: No. Please don’t. This is none of your business and we don’t have that kind of relationship. (then she called MooHak) Mr. Jin, what are you doing? We have to pay. (and she begged him with her eyes to help her out)
Moohak: Right. I was distracted by the products. Let’s pay.
Too bad that Moohad just had to bring out his coupon. Lol.
TaeJin met her outside and requested her company. She declined saying she was with Moohak. Then, she hooked her hand on Moohak’s elbow and walked away with Moohak.
Then, on the way home, she recalled the rainy night she ran after Taejin. That time she had desperately clung to him.
Dali: Oppa. Why are you suddenly saying let’s pretend none of this happened? One week. Our wedding is in one week. Why are you doing this? I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I’ll fix everything. I’ll do everything you want. Don’t do this, Oppa. Oppa, look at me. I’m begging you. Please…please…please.
TJ: Can you really do what I want?
Dali: (nodding) I can.
TJ: Anything?
Dali: Anything.
TJ: Then…(hinting that she should let go of him)
Note: this is why hooking her hand on Moohak’s elbow earlier at the mall is significant. It’s to show that she had changed. She was no longer the same girl who clung to his wrist; she had Moohak to cling to now.
He threw the umbrella away. Although he let her stand in the rain while they were talking, I think he threw the umbrella so she would take it.
Somehow, I’m getting the impression that Taejin didn’t like to break up with her, but he was forced to do it.
At his end, Taejin was thinking of her too.
Assistant: This may be presumptuous but can I say one thing? Taking care of the funeral may be all right because there is a connection between your families, but anything more than that can cause gossip. Especially today. There were a lot of people who were watching.
TJ: If I was afraid of that, then I would have never started to begin with. I’m not the person I was five years ago. The reason I could endure after hurting Dali like that, was because I believed I could get her back. I will get Dali back.
So given their inner thoughts and unfinished story, the portrait of their relationship could be suitably named “Untitled” or unknown.
So these are my interpretations of the episode title, “What’s ‘Untitled’ about?”
Next up… Episode 4 Can You Tell If Someone is Rich by How They Eat Yogurt?
Thanks again @pkml3 for taking the trouble to elucidate on the titles and what they could refer to! (Where do you find the time!!??) So interesting though, and thanks for the info on Basquiat.
Thank you, @packmule3. I liked the paintings of Basquiat – to me they are stunning and I was hoping that Dali would be able to hold that exposition.
I thought that Tae-Jin may have been asked to break off with Dali because he was abruptly expected to marry someone with better business connections. Once the business was finished, he divorced?
Thank you, @packmul3 for this post 🙂 I was a bit confused about this episode title. I think I had thought about the first interpretation but not the second and third interpretations. Thanks also for the info on Basquiat (I had missed that reference).
Leonardo da Vinci’s biographer was indeed Giorgio Vasari 🙂
@Fern: I like that theory on why Tae Jin broke off with Da Li and then divorced. Sounds like typical chaebol marriage for business deals!
So what are we supposed to think of someone who denies his own heart and turns his back on someone he truly loves, to comply with someone else’s wishes and goals? Is he a victim too? Or did he have a choice, made a bad one, and bears responsibility for the fallout? Do we pity him, or judge him guilty?
Even if TJ believes he never stopped loving Dali, he’s proven he’s not on the same wavelength as she is. Dali leads with her heart, and will sacrifice much to stay true in her love. Dali deeply loved her father, loved his commitment to the museum and art in general, and is willing to sacrifice greatly to keep his legacy alive. If TJ was true to his love for Dali, he would have fought to protect it, rather than wordlessly abandoning it. Was he under pressure because of his family’s business? He should have at least talked it out with Dali instead of leaving her in the dark as to why he walked away from their marriage.
“Do we pity him, or judge him guilty?”
It’s too early to tell, @Welmaris. I don’t have all the facts yet since I’m only at Ep 3, and you are all ahead of me. I’ll get to Ep 8 soon.
Usually, giving the girl up is a noble idiocy trope reserved for the hero. We’ve seen this, right? Hurting the heroine for her “own good.” Making himself appear so bad that she’d leave him. Saying hurtful things so she wouldn’t think twice about him. And so on.
I was thrown for a loop when I learned that TJ’s abominable treatment of her could *possibly* have a selfless (not selfish) motive. He’s the second male lead.
I just hope the kdrama doesn’t go full makjang on me. I’d prefer the spotlight to remain on Dali, and Dali+Moohak. Not on TJ’s family business issues and his struggles to reach the top. We already have THAT angle from Moohak’s family business, and it’s redundant to view in a second time around with TJ’s business empire.
On a shallow note, the TJ actor’s hair bugs me. I wish he’d get the sides trimmed, and his big forehead covered a bit. I don’t know if his receding hairline part of the character get-up. For a CEO, he doesn’t look particularly well-groomed so Moohak, even with flamboyant style, is out-shining him.
Gotta run. Meeting in an hour.
@Packmule3, wishing you success in your meeting (including short duration as part of that success). I hope you work with a more enlightened group than the Supreme Court of the United States. I just read an article about a study done which showed the female justices were interrupted significantly more often than their male counterparts. New rules of speaking have been implemented following the study’s release, and Justice Sotomayor notices the difference already.
As for the actor playing TJ, I agree there’s something lacking about his looks. That’s why I call him handsomely bland. He’s got a measure of charm and good looks, but something is slightly off. I thought so when I first watched him in Let’s Eat 2, where he also played the second male lead who was a corporate head. He looked okay as Lee Gon’s father, the King who was assassinated, but I think his royal garb added gravitas. But there’s something weak about his eyes and mouth. And the clothing he’s wearing in D&CP isn’t fitted to him well. That mud brown suit he wore to the art exhibit opening swam on him. The sleeves looked baggy, and when he lifted one arm to guide Dali, his vest was so loose it flapped.
I was thinking the same thing @pkml3 and @wWlmaris, but held back comment on it. Not only does Kwon Yool’s hair and styling bother me (not very chaebol like at all) but he is one of those actors who just rubs me the wrong way, in every show I’ve seen him. There’s something artificially plastic about the sheen of his face. Something about the way he looks at people or his expressions or lack thereof that creep me out. So for no good reason at all, I’m prejudiced against him from the start. Even if he’s not an out-and-out black villain, I do not believe that he’s a better guy than Moo Hak.
I agree (with another commenter) that the way TJ uses money and the way Moo Hak does, is different. Moo Hak is more selfless in his giving, with less of his own agenda intertwined in his generosity. And we know that he finds it very hard to be ‘generous’ because he’s pretty frugal or outright stingy. Therefore all his giving is that much more significant.
@packmule3 Love a good Basquiat reference. Now I only wish to see some featured in a drama one day. It’s crazy how enduring his legacy is. There are so many Basquiat copycats out there who make a living out of mimicking his art style. I can’t blame the demand – his works are so wonderful, yet so out of reach for most buyers looking to bring such an aesthetic into their homes.
Thanks for the analysis! I love how this show offers considerations of art in its many formal and informal forms. So far we’ve seen oil paintings, sculptures, installations, unintentional performance art, ceramics, print, classical and contemporary…
Good morning, all. Regarding TJ, he seems tarnished somehow. I think it’s deliberate casting. He is 39 to KMJ’s 24, so KMJ’s face naturally shines in comparison. I didn’t notice TJs clothing, but it must add to that slightly less-than-fresh vibe. I don’t think it’s supposed to be a deliberately ‘shabby-chic’ wardrobe.
What I don’t like so far about his character is the way he physically shoves and pushes Dali around and manipulates her emotionally. In ep. 9, she finally pulls out of his grasp and tells him to leave – that she would meet up with him later. But when they meet, he takes her to a Dondon restaurant to ‘teach her a lesson’. He lectures her about gamjatang emphasizing that the name comes from the bones that poor people scavenged from American G.I. waste – trash in his point of view. Then he reveals mid-meal what he has learned about the Dondon purchases of the property. I found it unbelievably patronising and cruel. He may want to win her over, but he fights dirty.
I’ve only noticed, but some of Moo-hak’s shirts are art-inspired. He wears an op-art type of printed shirt at the cooking demonstration and his shirt at the pre-visit meetings, about 1.02.20 looks like a Mondrian painting. There are probably more but I didn’t notice.
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/piet-mondrian-1651/mondrian-guide-life
@Fern, I love the Tate! I spent many hours there as a college student during my semester abroad in London. My favorite course I took while in London was art history.
Yes, I think MooHak has an artist’s sensibility when assembling his outfits. He’s drawn to bold color and patterns, but his clothing never overwhelms him.
Dali is also drawn to color, pattern, and shape in her clothing. She donned her own version of a f**k you outfit with what she wore to the press conference. She was a walking, boldly waving battle flag. I think she and MooHak are closely aligned in their thinking about clothing being more than fashion, but artistic expression.
I was interested to read in that Tate article about Mondrian that he was an avid dancer. It reminded me of the imitation of the painting The Country Dance that featured Moo-hak and Dali. I wonder if we’ll actually see those two dancing together.
I agree with you about Dali’s clothing. You can tell her mood by what she is wearing. while rewatching episode 9, I was made more aware of Tae-Jin’s clothing. It seems not to be well tailored to his shape although it is probably very expensive. The collar on his shirt, when he asked Dali to leave with him, was strangely rumpled over his tie as though the shirt were a very fragile cotton or silk blend. Maybe it’s a fashion?
@Fern, I’d somehow missed seeing MooHak and Dali recreating Renoir’s A Dance in the Country. It is delightful, and the poster takes on more meaning with TJ standing sullenly next to the artwork.
I hope the actors in this drama are given copies of their posters so they can display them in their homes.
I’m taking another look at one of the D&CP posters.
Here’s MooHak and Dali, with TaeJin registering his disapproval. Scroll down the page of this link to see the full poster.
https://www.soompi.com/article/1487377wpp/kwon-yool-cant-bear-to-watch-kim-min-jae-and-park-gyu-young-together-in-dali-and-cocky-prince-poster
Here’s the Renoir painting that was being recreated: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_in_the_Country
The background of the recreation differs from the original painting. To my eye, the style of the background seems an homage to Kehinde Wiley. It reminds me of Wiley’s portrait of President Barak Obama. https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.2018.16
Here’s a link to Kehinde Wiley’s website for those interested in viewing more of his work. I believe the backgrounds Kehinde Wiley often uses carries on the aesthetics of William Morris wallpaper. https://kehindewiley.com/works/
More about William Morris: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Morris_wallpaper_designs
And I also think the suit coat we see MooHak putting on in Episode 1, the one he’s wearing when he first meets Dali and goes with her to the party, is reminiscent of William Morris wallpaper. Here’s MooHak wearing the suit jacket. Scroll down to see a better view. No! Don’t scroll that far…that’s not the better view I mean. The suit jacket! You’re supposed to be concentrating on the suit jacket! https://www.soompi.com/article/1490871wpp/3-reasons-to-tune-in-to-park-gyu-young-and-kim-min-jaes-hilarious-new-rom-com-dali-and-cocky-prince
William Morris was one of the founders of the Arts and Crafts Movement that went on to influence Art Nouveau. The Arts and Crafts Movement turned away from factory and machine production, critical of industrialization. It espoused the ideal of the simple life. https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/arts-and-crafts-an-introduction
We also see MooHak, during the tasting in Episode 1, proudly embrace the simple beginnings of his company’s signature food. He reminds other participants to not stray from their ideals: tasty food, filling food, for a good price. MooHak firmly rejects moving his company into fine dining.
Crafted vs. industrialized. Simple vs. complex. These are tensions that are highlighted when invoking the Arts and Crafts Movement. And there’s another tension this show is openly presenting: vulgar vs. noble. Kim Dali and the family from which she comes are called noble. Noble families are seen as having culture, education, and influence; their wealth affords them exclusivity in many aspects of their lives. MooHak and his family are called vulgar by TaeJin’s secretary, despite their wealth. Their manners are common (not refined), knowledge practical (not esoteric). They’ve made a lot of money, but it hasn’t elevated their sensibilities above the mindset of the masses. Seeking a display of exclusivity is what drives Ki-Cheol to prod MooHak to loan money to Cheongsong Museum.
The behavior of MooHak and his family is pictured as clownish, and we’re led to think of them as clueless. But Show is being subversive. Who has money? Dali or MooHak? Cheongsong Art Museum or Dondon F & B? Whose knowledge is more likely to save Cheongsong Art Museum from bankruptcy: MooHak’s or Dali’s? Who operates from higher moral values? MooHak or Kim Shi Hyeong (Dali’s cousin)? Whose benevolence supports Dali, and whose undermines her? Who respects Dali more: MooHak or TaeJin? Does a noble background necessarily lead to noble ideals and actions? Are people from humble backgrounds the only ones who can be rude, boorish, unsavory?
There’s so much more to this Kdrama than the opposites attract trope. Viewers are being led to consider value and worth, whether it comes from within or is applied.
@welmaris Brilliant analysis and I love the questions you raised at the end. There is a lot to ponder. This is a gem of a show in so many ways. It is so well written both in plotting and the dialogue. I also think the editor/director (not sure who gets the credit) is very good. Unlike HP there is no bloat and the way the story is told and how the flashbacks unfold is really well done.
@Welmaris, well said. Thank you for the links. MH’s loyal assistant Yeo obviously thinks as you do. I loved her explanation to Dali. I am glad that, although she disagreed with MH about the transactions she still did as he asked, rather than betraying him. I really like Hwang Bo Ra in this role.
Thanks @Welmaris, I agree.
I was wondering which art inspired which fabric or suit jacket design. I enjoyed looking at all MH’s suits. He gave Dali’s fashion more than a run for its money. I applaud the stylists of Dali and MH, and imagine that the deliberate lack of style in TJ is making a statement, rather like what you say about the show being subversive.
Even Assemblyman An, Gong Ju, Shi Heong, Chak Hee, Moo Hak’s dad and overdressed step-mum, plus his hopeless step-brother were styled very nicely, although they were the secondary characters and the puppets. But the most influential string puller was the least aesthetically pleasing and looked the least classy. Even the bare bodied cooks with their tattoos had some style about them LOL.
@Welmaris, I had another take on MH’s first suit. To me it looked like a Renaissance brocade, such as might have been worn by a de’ Medici.
“The Medici were originally of Tuscan peasant origin, from the village of Cafaggiolo in the Mugello, the valley of the Sieve, north of Florence. Some of these villagers, in the 12th century perhaps, became aware of the new opportunities afforded by commerce and emigrated to Florence. There, by the following century, the Medici were counted among the wealthy notables…” from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Medici-family
👍 Good points, @Welmaris and @GB.
So TJ’s styling, e.g., his haircut and suits, is deliberate to show his lack of connection with Dali. We weren’t being harsh when we criticized his styling because it is a fashion statement. He’s like a tired depressing Old Master painting. A Tintoretto portrait? This Venetian artist always depressed me.
Same with Dutch paintings of still life. They’re depressing too because somehow, somewhere, there’s bound to be a reminder of death incorporated in the still life. Like a dead flower in an otherwise blooming bouquet, a skull among the books, a pocket watch on the table, or a rotting fruit in the middle of buffet. These are called “memento mori.”
The Latin phrase means “Remember you must die.” The Dutch artist would incorporate a symbol or imagery of death in the painting to remind the rich, powerful patrons (many of them earned wealth through trading, so they’re like TJ) of the follies of vanity. Death is inevitable so enjoy this sumptuous life.
Lol. If ever you go to a Dutch Old Master painting exhibit, you can play an “I spy” game and look for a memento mori. ☠️
On the other hand, Moohak, despite his outlandish styling, has the panache to wear his suits like a model on a runway, even in his crocs. He and Dali are avant-garde.
@pkml3 Thanks for the info on Dutch paintings. I want to play the ‘I spy’ game now!
The added incongruity in TJ’s dress, is that TJ owns that mega store with high end fashion. He seems to pop in there often to check on the displays and employees, but he himself is so unfashionable, it’s laughable. Even his driver’s suit fits better than his.
Yes, Moo Hak and Dali’s style fit better together. He’s more flamboyant with print and colour while she’s more staid in neutrals but goes for texture and fine details. They complement each other quite nicely.
That’s so true! He does own the store that MooHak and Dali went to for her shoes. I loved the Dali’s actress’ eye signals to MooHak when she wanted MooHak to settle the bill.
I’m sure her action shocked TJ because Dali wasn’t the type to make a man pay her clothing. She looked like the “I’ll-pay-my-own-way” and “I’m-not-beholden-to-anyone” type of woman. But asking MooHak to pay for the shoes suddenly made her look like a Gangnam princess going “Oppa! Buy me this!” lol.
I was going to ask @Welmaris because she’s doing all the research for this drama if she found out anything about the business names.
TJ’s “Segi” means Century.
As for Dali’s “Cheongsong Art Museum,” I googled Cheongsong last night and found out that there’s a national park named Cheongsong.
https://youtu.be/AsUIeRXNSyk
Cheongsong apparently means “pine trees.” Sounds elegant, right?
But for MooHak’s family business “Dondon F&B,” all I know is F&B stands for Food & Beverage. (I’m assuming the abbreviation is the same as the US one.) But I don’t know what Dondon means.
Does it sound like a name for a pig?
“Don” however is the Korean word for “money.” So I wonder if “Dondon” alludes to money and Dondon means something like “Money! Money!” — or “Show me the money!”
lol.
@pkml3 It seems that ‘don don’ could be Japanese どんどん (dondon). Meaning: rapidly; quickly; steadily continuously; one after the other; in succession. (https://jlptsensei.com/learn-japanese-vocabulary/%E3%81%A9%E3%82%93%E3%81%A9%E3%82%93-dondon-meaning/)
However there are Dondon restaurants internationally. I just looked up ‘korea dondon’ and got to this delicious looking page!!! My mouth is watering.
https://klfoodie.com/unique-bbq-meats-dondon-korean-bbq/#:~:text=Dondon%20Korean%20BBQ%20Uses%20Oak%20Wood%20Charcoal%20To%20Add%20More%20Flavour%20To%20Meats&text=The%20meat%20juices%20that%20drips,infused%20into%20the%20cooked%20meat.
So I don’t know what it means actually, but it could be that Show is borrowing the name of a well-loved chain of restaurants. They serve BBQs though, rather than Gamjatang. ‘Money Money’ is as good a guess as any!
@Growing Beautifully, I just saw that there is a restaurant called Dondon in Bristol, UK. One description is a Japanese Donburi food stall – so I guess it started out as a market stall and became a restaurant. The food in the photos looked so tasty. I may have to go and visit my sister-out-law. 😋😉 I shouldn’t read this part of the post before my evening meal, right? That Dondon barbecue link is making me salivate.
Speaking of food, Dali doesn’t seem to have any more problems eating with Moo-hak. But she didn’t finish her meals with TJ. I loved how Moo-hak incorporated the discussions he had about food with Dali into the speech he made to the visiting children.
I’ve still not watched Episode 9, @Fern, so can’t address any of the points you’ve made about Dali’s dinner with TJ. I saw at 2am last night that the English subs were at 100% for Episode 9, but still at 0% for 10. I’ll watch 9 this afternoon after dropping my hubby off at the nightmare known as LAX (Los Angeles International Airport). He’s driving in, and so far traffic’s not too bad, but I have to fight my way home through miles and miles of afternoon commuter traffic.
I’ll look into Dondon. My initial suspicion is that it doesn’t come from Japanese, as the founding family isn’t well educated. MooHak already showed he’s unfamiliar with foreign words that have been incorporated into Korean as loanwords: czar, for instance.
I can’t say this applies in Korean, but in Cantonese when someone is naming a business and wants to imbue it with extra good fortune, they’ll take a positive word and repeat it twice. One of our favorite restaurants we’ve patronized for decades is called TenTen. Ten (as transliterated into English) means heavenly in Cantonese. So the restaurant is double heavenly. For weddings, the characters for double happiness are common. So if the same practice carries into Korean, I’d think it is just like MooHak and his father to name their business Money Money. We all remember MooHak’s favorite painting…
@Welmaris, I think that you and @packmule3 are thinking along the same line. 💰💰
I’m sorry the subs are so slow and I don’t understand it. It should be released in English simultaneously. Have you tried logging into dramacool.uk?
@Packmule3, I finally was able to suss out an English translation of DonDon. In Episode 10 when TJ takes Dali to a DonDon restaurant, I paused my TV and took photos of the restaurant sign. Here’s a link to the full sign:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18SNtKbcGj6YXCYXdJcUYHvGAsb2WZROQ/view?usp=sharing
And here’s a link to a closer look at the characters for DonDon.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g3zfKizHiib1L0sk0A1EyS6SK7HVvljA/view?usp=sharing
I was thrown off because the characters are stylized Hangul, but I’ve finally confirmed that it reads 돈돈…and yes, that’s money money!