Three Meals A Day (ep11, final): Highlights

Ahhh….this is really the end, well, at least for series 1 (Autumn). Am so looking forward to Windy Island Escapades aka Three series 2 (Winter), starring Cha Seung-won, Yoo Hae-jin and Jang Geun-suk. But before that, let’s finish up the little bit of sorghum business left undone in Gangwon-do…

And of course, the flashbacks to prev eps and those scenes that are edited out.

1. Sorghum War, Part II

You thought the deal with the sorghum is done and over with the harvest completion? Nah, there’s still much to be done. For one, Na PD suggests orders the guys to produce sorghum pancakes as a parting shot for Autumn Three‘s closing. Obviously you can’t eat the harvested sorghum on the stalk. (unless you happen to be Jackson)

Firstly, the seeds have to be whacked out from stalks. The crew has oh-so-graciously prepared a few (i’ll explain why more than 1 is needed) implements that look like a swinging clawed-broom which does a pretty effective job of separating the husks — effective, until Taec breaks one. Well, at least he’s consistent. Throughout Three, he’s taken on the role of the hard job labourer…more brawn than brains. The perfect slave.

In contrast, Seo-jinnie effectively uses his street smart-ness to evade nearly all forms of menial duties. Thus, unlike Taec, Seo-jin doesn’t have the motor skills required to swing the sorghum’s claw-broom. Nor does he manage to sift the fluff from the separated husks as well as Taec. (ok, he did help a leetle…by fanning away the fluff vigorously)

When the guys do manage to mill the sorghum floor, they prepared their last meal of sorghum pancakes without much fanfare. Totally unlike ep1, when they struggled to prepare a simple 1 dish dinner.

2. Flashback – The Food

Remember the trailer when we see Taec struggling with a fish? It’s edited out in Three, but we have it here in the editor’s cut. And… it is hilarious. Though bloody — but we don’t see the blood, only Taec’s reaction to it. The catfish (a LIVE, swimming one) is set out to be the guys’ breakfast for the second morning. The same breakfast where they had unpolished sorghum “rice”. The catfish is supposed to be the main ingredient for the spicy fish stew.

Seo-jin, as per his usual cool, detached self, gives some orders to Taec to “wash the fish”…and slips off. In an interview later, he sheepishly excuses himself as being too “old” to be exposed to “bloodlust”. (pffft) So poor (and very clueless) Taec is left to murder the fish on his own. He tries his best to knock the fish unconscious (not easy, given that it’s jumping and slipping all over the place). When he does succeeds, Taec looks absolutely queasy when he realises he has to KILL it next. And given that it is only ep1, Chef Taec persona is still absent, so he wastes a perfectly good fish by cooking it the wrong way. The soup ends up bland, and tastes weird. Something which both guys attest to during their last interview together.

Thankfully, the culinary skill progresses in leaps and bounds with the arrivals of each group of guests. And culminates into the mandoo feast in ep10. A nod to Lee Seung-gi too, for his imaginative ramyun soup base in ep10. Instead of the usual Korean spicy-kimchi soup base, Seung-gi tries out a clear soup broth made from beef stock. He claims to have seen it prepared on TV and wants to try it on his hyungs and the guests. Well, clear soup broth with noodles definitely works, cos it’s a very Chinese way to cook noodles. And the proof is in the praises Seung-gi receives.

3. Flashback – Animal Home Videos

All of our animal guests are featured in this segment devoted to them. (i’ll MISS them! esp Min-ki!!!! T__T)

Min-ki: We have the MTV of little Min-ki when the guys (and we) first see her, squashed in a tiny box. Remember the Min-ki who has difficulties even climbing the 2-steps porch cos she is juz too teeny? The Min-ki now has no issues leaping back and forth (and back again) up and down the stairs. I forgot to mention in ep10, a neighbouring dog (Harlot) invades Min-ki’s territory…and instead of chasing it away, Min-ki ran tail-between-legs to hide behind the sofa.

Well, not this time. Harlot becomes more daring in ep11, and actually peed/ shat in the vegetable plot. He is totally oblivious to Taec’s shooings. Until Min-ki comes bounding along, barking like a mad pooch. The effect would have looked more ferocious if Min-ki hadn’t slipped and tumbled into the icy snow (thrice). But Harlot is probably surprised? scared? by the new Min-ki, cos he backs off and runs. Yay! Or rather, Yay? cos the next dog — a mongrel — had Min-ki repeating her tail-between-legs act again. Taec comes to her rescue this time, chasing off the mongrel with a frying pan. 😛

The hen-girl group: Or should I say “groupie”? Apparently, the reason for the low eggs production is due to 3 hens who have banded together in a Mafia-ish clique and dominated the whole hen house. The Mafian hens are Mathilda, Elizabeth and Sofia. These 3 henpecked poor Grace + Olivia and banish them from the watering hole, the feed tray and even the egg-laying shelter. As expected, the Mafian hens are the only hens who (can) lay eggs — when they wish to.

Jackson: We get her kdrama-ish romance as she was first introduced to Seo-jinnie, who called her “the white thing” in horror. Later, as Seo-jin gets more used to Jackson’s presence, he draws up a daily to-do list and tacks it to her shelter. Jackson also gets her home upgraded several times, with new additions like a roof, and a door. To Seo-jin, Jackson is now that “meek and obedient” nanny goat.

4. Flashback – Go Ara vs. Choi Ji-woo

We have seen how Taec bends over backwards for Go Ara in ep6, and how Seo-jinnie is so impressed and filled with admiration with Choi Ji-woo in eps8/9. We get more proof of the guys’ devotion in the edited clips.

Firstly, Go Ara. Seo-jinnie teases Taec for burning as hot as the furnace when Ara is around. And so he did. Ara is scared of the dark and dinghy toilet, so Taec volunteers to go with her. He lends her the biggest torch he can find — and ignores Seo-jinnie’s question on why he’s taking it — then agrees to stand outside the toilet stall to sing for her so that she won’t feel afraid inside. Awwwww….o_0

Seo-jinnie also teases Taec for giving Ara a fever on the second morning. Cos Taec overstoked the fire for the ondol, for fear that Ara will feel cold the night before. He literally builds a mini pyramid of wood for a campfire.

Then again, Seo-jinnie is no better. Ji-woo complains that she is afraid of cold…and immediately, Seo-jinnie runs over to check on the ondol heater. He builds an even BIGGER pyramid to light a bonfire. Unfortunately, Ji-woo must have a higher heat tolerance than Ara, cos she feedback that the ondol floor is still too cool, and her back hurts from the cold floor. So Seo-jinnie rushes over and spends the entire night chopping wood to build a mega pyramid for the fire. He wakes up the earliest the next morning to ensure that the bonfire continues to burn brightly too. 😛

5. The best thing about Three?

That is the question Na PD posed to Seo-jinnie and Taec. And both hem and haw, and can’t come up with an answer. Until Seo-jinnie says that Three has given him the opportunity to get-together with friends whom he hasn’t had the chance to meet in a long time. But, he is quick to add on that these meet-ups would be better carried out in the city.

I beg to differ though. It is precisely cos the location is so remote and the distractions are far and few in between that Seo-jinnie and Taec can bond well with the guests, and the occasional slaves (aka Sohn Ho-joon and Lee Seung-gi). In Taec’s case, other than a few of the guests who have worked with him and Seo-jinnie on Wonderful Season, it’s the first time he has met them.

Let’s hope Spring’s Three can continue to have more bonding sessions — and cuter animals. Min-ki would have become a big dog by then. 🙂