Part 1 is here: Bon Appetite, Your Majesty: Ep 5 On Snowflakes Schnitzel, part 1

Where were we? Oh! I was about to tell you how I think the “snowflake schnitzel” reveals the theme of the show.

If you watched the English-dubbed version on Netflix, you wouldn’t have spotted the “snowflake” reference since it only appeared in the English-subbed version. Because breadcrumbs and panko aren’t available in Joseon, our intrepid chef JiYeong makes her own crunchy coating with fried loose batter which she then calls snowflakes. I guess, in texture, her improvised panko feels like snow for her. It’s light, crisp, and flakey. It also makes a crunching sound like when you step on virgin snow.

Visually, JiYeong plates her dish with a winter theme. Instead of the usual ceramic, she uses a wooden plate to suggest a tree trunk. She artfully decorates it with two sprigs of pine and a pinecone. She folds paper to look like a dried leaf and assembles the burdock in it. The tartar sauce on the schnitzel resembles a clump of snow, and the berries imitate the red berries on a holly tree. Given this whimsical winter theme, it’s okay to play with the name of the entrée and call it “snowflake schnitzel.”

For me, however, the image of Julie Andrews singing “My Favorite Things” comes to mind with the name of the food. You see, “schnitzel with noodles” and “snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes” are two of Maria Von Trapp’s favorite things.

And that, my dears, is how the food reveals the theme(s) of the show.

The subject of the show is “favorite things” and in order to apologize sincerely after the kiss faux pas, King YiHeon must discover JiYeon’s favorite things and gift them to her.

Theme #1: Sincerity entails a personalized – not generic – approach.

[And I hinted at this in the previous write-up, didn’t I? I said Mokju sounded fake in her description of her cool chicken soup for the king. She paid no attention to his fasting and she was only intent on delivering a rebuke on chasing other women. In contrast, JiYeong prepared hot chicken soup for him to soothe his tummy and afterwards, snowflake schnitzel to help him recover his energy after skipping meals. JiYeong even told her kitchen staff that “even a shoe tastes good when it’s fried.” Meaning, anything deep-fried is sure to be liked by everybody, including the nitpicky king]

It’s the King’s Royal Secretary Im who suggests giving JiYeong a gift as an apology for the kiss. The King protests because, in his mind, his kiss already constitutes a “favor” — meaning, a privilege not given to any woman – therefore, no gift can top that. So, Secretary Im couches his suggestion in comical reverse psychology.

Im: If her unattractive face were to become even more unattractive, it would torment you to have to look at it every day, would it not?
King: It would indeed. What should I give someone like here to make her feel better? Silk? A binyeo [hairpin]? Or a ring?
Im: (tsk-tsking) No, not those things. You cannot gift a woman just anything, Your Majesty!
King: Then what?
Im: What is most important is that you find out what she likes and give her that.
King: How am I to know what she likes?
Im: That is why women are hard to grasp. The Grand Royal Queen Dowager prefers books to jewels. Her Grace Consort Kang prefers jewels to books. They are both women, and yet they like different things. I respectfully advise you to ponder this carefully, Your Majesty. (smirking)

My comments:

1. To “ponder this carefully” means to fathom. Remember what his late mother told the young crown prince. “A king is one who fathoms. He must fathom his family, the heavens, and the hearts of others.” Sec. Im is advising him to do the same with his women. At the moment, the king is so far from being a king who fathoms when he can’t even fathom women close to him. Lol.

2. Sec. Im’s opinion on women differs from Mokju’s. Mokju says that women are basically all the same. “all female things may look different on the outside, but they are the same on the inside.” Sec. Im says however that women are distinct from each other and thus, unpredictable and complicated.

3. Hence, at the end of this episode, we see the king gifting JiYeong with the royal greenhouse, Jangwonseo, and her long-lost bag. The whole point of the episode is to find her “favorite things,” or things that she likes, so he can apologize for his transgression with them, and make her happy again.

Theme #2: It’s just like the Julie Andrews song.

“When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad.”

The King finds out about JiYeong’s favorite things from unexpected sources.

First, Prince JeSeon. He suggests that the king rewards the ladies for preparing his natgeotsang or lunch. Jiyeong wisely doesn’t mention her handbag, so she says instead that seeing fresh, new ingredients makes her happy and excited. Prince JeSeon, who’s also the superintendent of the Saongwon [where the food tributes were gathered and collected], Then offers to bring her all the vegetables in stock. But the king goes up one level when he thinks of giving her the greenhouse.

Second, Sec. Im. He gives the King that bag that he’s been hiding from her. He hopes that in giving his secret stash to the king, the king and JiYeong will become closer. Upon seeing it, the king remembers that it’s the bag that she was searching for when she claimed to be from the future. Hmph! How conveniently he’s forgotten that he was the reason she lost the bag (twice!).

With his insights into her favorite things, he plans an event for her. He orders his eunuch to bring her the greenhouse, and he appears from the greenery to surprise her.

I find it interesting that he tries to act cool and he pooh-poohs his gift.

King: Why are you making a fuss over nothing?
JY: It’s because I’ve never seen anything like it.
King: You may feel free to use this place.
JY: Pardon?
King: You need fresh ingredients to cook more delicious food.
JY: Is this like a free pass?
King: Well, I guess you could say so.

No, it isn’t just a “free pass.” What he means is he’s giving her the royal greenhouse, not just a “free pass.” At first, he sounds reticent about saying so directly because it may sound over-the-top. But he quickly changes his mind because he doesn’t want her to misunderstand.

King: (pausing) It’s a gift.
JY: A gift?
King: Yes. Take a look around.

Then, she explores the greenhouse. She points out the almond tree to him, and explains that the seed is edible, although the fruit is astringent as the King said. [Note: there is a variety of almonds, the bitter ones, that produces cynanide. It shouldn’t be eaten.]

The King leads her to an area where poisonous plants are kept for research. He warns her not to go close. Yes, yes, I know. He wouldn’t be this protective of her in the past. When she sees the chili plants, she ignores him and hops over the barrier.

King: Oho! I told you they were poisonous. (grasping her wrist) Do not touch them!
JY: Your Majesty, these are gochu, chili peppers!
King: Gochu?
JY: I can make gochugaru now!

She takes a bite and asks him where they came from. He tells her that they have saved a shipwrecked westerner and were given the gochu plant as a token of gratitude. But the plant was found too spicy and potent that some even died from eating them.

King: They are grown here to use as poison.
JY: I heard they used this as a weapon a long time ago.

You know what terrifies me more? What if those individuals who they thought “died” from eating the chilis actually just passed out and regained consciousness later, after they’ve been buried 6 feet in the ground? Ugh.

She becomes so excited that she whacks his arm. [Seriously, if I were a guy, I’d break up with a girl who does this uncontrolled arm-whacking when excited. It’s so childish.]

King: Are you that pleased?
JY: Absolutely!
King: Then, what about this?
JY: (confused) What’s this?
King: I found it on the way here.

He’s downplaying it again. He seems to be uncomfortable about showing her that he had put in a lot of thought into his gifts. Because this is kdrama, he’s most likely minimizing his efforts out of fear of demonstrating vulnerability and weakness. He doesn’t want to be laughed at by his cook.

JY: What? What is it?
King: It is what you have been desperately looking for. The ka-bang-ngi.

She’s ecstatic to see her handbag again that she forgets herself and hugs him. He’s obviously shocked. She asks him again where he found it and he repeats that he found it on the way there. She begins to tear up in happiness.

King: Are you no longer angry then? About what happened at Unyeongjeong, (looking away) I am sorry.
JY: Are you apologizing to me now? Then was this gift to make me feel better?
King: Yes. That’s right.
JY: Why?
King: Why, you ask?

He then steps closer and grasps her right shoulder. Lol. I don’t think he’s aware that this is the same motion that he did when he kissed her that night. He had placed a hand on her right shoulder and told her to stay where she was for a little while. Then, he pushed her back with his hand on her right shoulder and kissed her. If I were her then, my right shoulder would have retained “muscle memory” and tingle at the touch of his hand.

King: It is because…
JY: (thinking to herself) Is he…?

This is too funny. I think she’s expecting him to kiss her again. I said it’s all about “muscle memory.” Lips have muscles, too.

King: (thinking to himself) I have begun to see you as a woman.

But then, he suddenly turns and walks away from her. He’s like me, I guess; I too can’t bear to hear the cheesiness of his line. But I understand the “glitch” in his brain. Only a few days ago, he was telling her that he only viewed her as his cook; nothing more. She had told him that he wasn’t her type so, in a fit of pique, he retaliated and said, “You are my chief royal cook. That means I do not see you as a woman.” So, he isn’t ready to admit that his perspective has changed, and he sees her differently now.

King: (collecting himself) It is because I am pleased with the food you prepare for me.
JY: What? Why did you turn away from me to say that?

Take a guess, girl!

She approaches and he nervously steps back.

King: (stuttering) Because I…
JY: Why are you walking away from me?

I said to take a guess, girl!

King: Because I…
JY: Why…

And they both fall down.

There you have it, folks. Theme #3. His favorite thing to keep him from feeling sad and bad is his cook.