(The CEN News / Yang Hyung-ju, reporter) MBC's "Today N" explores everyday people and places, from comforting Jeolla dining tables to offbeat experiential venues.
On May 6, "Today N" highlights memorable people, standout restaurants and market life in segments called "Grandma's Restaurant," "YOU: Unusual Stories," "Korea Market Class," and "Focus on Hot Topics."
A Southern Jeolla Feast — Irresistible Eats
In Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, a restaurant known for its generous Jeolla-style spreads has drawn local fame. Owner Kim Mi-kyung serves a seasonal marinated crab set that uses roe-filled crabs. She enriches the soy sauce by simmering it with shrimp, blanched octopus and abalone marinade.
Kim says she never dilutes the soy sauce. Instead, she simmers it with fruit like banana and apple, along with onion, scallion and radish to build a distinct base. Her braised cutlassfish, cooked in Jeolla-style seasoning with a house-made stock, is another popular offering.
The Jeolla-style table comes with more than 15 side dishes, all homemade, including salted seafood and kimchi. Kim moved to Yeosu from Gyeonggi Province after marriage, learned the regional cooking, and has run the restaurant for 16 years. She says even lifelong Yeosu residents have embraced her food.
A Waterman's Daring Challenge
In "YOU: Unusual Stories," the program profiles Kim Jong-cheol, who set out to build a boat that won't capsize. After witnessing a water-park accident at the Hantan River, he vowed to design a safer craft.
He began building boats from scrap materials and, after more than a decade of trial and error, completed a handcrafted model and secured a patent. The key innovation is plastic-tub "wings" attached to both sides of the hull, which help the boat resist capsizing even when it rocks violently.
Kim has built more than 40 boats, including modular, puzzle-like vessels, foldable travel boats and tent boats. At 77, he still goes to his workshop every day. He hopes his idea will be commercialized and help save lives.
Delicious Alley — Suyu Market
"Korea Market Class" visits the bustling Suyu Market in Seoul's Gangbuk District. One of the city's larger traditional markets, Suyu is packed with food stalls and attractions. Vendors and residents form a pungmul troupe, boosting the atmosphere with Nanta-style percussion and janggu drum performances.
At a fermented-skate shop inside the market, the proprietor, dressed in flamboyant attire, plays the saxophone to entertain customers. Their seasoned skate salad, made with a 12-ingredient sauce that includes licorice, is a crowd favorite.
Market highlights also include twisted doughnuts and regular doughnuts that sell more than 1,000 a day, and a shop famous for thick tteokgalbi. Viewers see a root-vegetable expert deftly peeling lotus root and burdock, a skill that adds to Suyu Market's vivid character.
Experience Spending Rises Amid Economic Slump!
"Focus on Hot Topics" looks at experiential consumption spaces that have grown popular as prices climb. In Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, a café runs an attraction where visitors dig through sand and soil to find hidden gold. Guests use a small excavator to unearth gold and silver bars, a hands-on thrill that appeals to both children and adults.
A ssanghwa-cha (herbal tea) café in Jongno has also gained attention with a palace-themed interior. An herbalist there offers free constitutional assessments and recommends ssanghwa-cha tailored to body types such as Soyangin and Taeumin. These spots have gone viral on social media, drawing Millennials and Gen Z with experience-centered consumption that goes beyond simple buying.
Meanwhile, "Today N" continues to connect with viewers through stories of everyday life and the people who live it.
Photo: MBC
(The CEN News) Yang Hyung-ju, reporter press@mhns.co.kr
