Jewel in the Palace

I am not crazy for telenovelas and moreso of Koreanovelas until I accidentally bumped into Jang Geum, the lead character in Jewel in the Palace. I originally bought it as a gift for my mother's birthday since she's crazy over these things. She already started watching it, when at the same time, at work, my colleagues talk about the "cooking competition" in the said show. When I went home that day, I caught my mom watching the 10th episode and I decided to sit down and watch with her out of curiousity. It was 7:00 pm then. Mom gave me a brief background of the story and I immediately got hooked on it. I promised myself that I'd sleep at 10, but I found myself watching until 1:00 am!

What attracted me to it was the good-natured and mild-mannered Jang Geum. Virtues are indeed attractive. Man's natural attraction to what is true, good and beautiful comes out when watching Dae Jang Geum (The Great Jang Geum - The original Korean title). She embodies a woman of refinement, grace, perseverance, justice, loyalty, fidelity, sincerity, professional ethics, unselfishness, child-like attitude, and reflection. In the beginning, she aspired for the top position, but it did not do her good. Through her mentor/foster mother, she learns to work not for the position but for the sincere purpose of her job: to cook in order to keep the people she feeds healthy. She applies the same princple when after being banished from the palace, she returns as a doctor. Though she had revenge in her heart, and was quite evident, what was noble was that she did not use her talents in order to hold power. She never used her talents and skills in order to do something evil.

(If Jang Geum were Catholic, she'd be a saint!)

What I also liked about the telenovela was that Jang Geum did not physically love Min jung Ho, the officer in the Palace. She struggled against her feelings. She did not throw herself all over Officer Min nor did Min. Their love developed through constant meetings, and from the viewer's point of view, I could see the sincerity in each other's love.

Jewel in the Palace is a telenovela that teaches values and virtues. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this telenovela to everyone. Just make sure that you don't neglect your more important duties just because of watching the shows. It wouldn't be Jang Geum-like.