From Cabbage stalls to peas and rice: When Life Gives You Tangerines takes over South Korea

On April 3, 2025, Onmanorama staff reported that the Netflix series When Life Gives You Tangerines has indirectly inspired a culinary interest among its viewers as netizens are posting about cooking rice with peas and sharing snapshots online.

In one poignant scene, Ae-sun prepares a meal of rice mixed with peas. This dish, often consumed by poorer families who couldn't afford pure white rice, reflects the economic hardships faced by many during that period. Families would mix rice with wheat, peas, and lentils to stretch meals and add nutritional value.

When Life Gives You Tangerines shows Ae-sun cooking the rice with peas for her family, but she and her daughter aren't allowed to savour it. The rice with peas would dominantly get served to the males of the household—Ae-sun's husband Gwan-sik and his father.

Meanwhile, Gwan-sik and Ae-sun's daughter Geum-myeong loved peas. Hence, in episode 4, Gwan-sik sits with his wife and gives Geum-myeong the peas from his rice bowl. The scene highlighted how Gwan-sik shattered the centuries-old tradition of his village by sitting at the same table as his wife and children, and also by feeding them from his plate. Many interpreted this as a socioeconomic and traditional shift.

Food bloggers and fans started making the rice and peas recipe and shared it on social media platforms like Instagram and X. Culturally, the dish also stretches to Japan, where it is called Mame Gohan (Green Pea Rice). The Japanese make the dish with "dashi", a Japanese-style broth that is used as a base of the dish.

Korea Economic Daily reported that in the 1950s, the number of men born was lower compared to women and hence were treated as royalty. Only men were allowed to eat croaker fish, peas, and barley beans at the dining table as they were considered a culinary delight, especially on Jeju Island.

The rice with peas, croaker, and other dishes were added to the high school cafeterias in South Korea after the series started airing. On April 3, Korea Economic Daily reported that high school cafeterias have been serving Bokssak Sokkaessuda fixed meal set, which consists of fried croaker fish, steamed cabbage, squid soup, rice with peas, and kimchi.

Furthermore, some convenience stores also placed Gwan-sik's cabbage-selling dialogue from the series in front of the cabbage section for the customers to see.

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Bittersweet farewell: When Life Gives You Tangerines concludes with poignant finale

When Life Gives You Tangerines and the show's title itself is deeply rooted in Jeju's culture. The original Korean title, "Pokssak Sogatsuda," is a phrase from the Jeju dialect meaning "you've worked hard." This expression encapsulates the show's central theme of perseverance and gratitude through life's challenges.

Tangerines, emblematic of Jeju Island, serve as a poignant symbol throughout the series. Jeju is renowned as Korea's citrus capital, with varieties like hallabong and gamgyul defining the island's landscape. The tangerine becomes a metaphor for the characters' lives—sweet yet tinged with the bitterness of hardship.

The story chronicles the life of Oh Ae-sun, played by IU, a spunky and resourceful young lady living in the 1960s on Jeju Island. Ae-sun has aspirations of going to college and becoming a poet, hopes that defy the conventions of the time.

Her life is interwoven with that of Yang Gwan-sik, acted by Park Bo-gum, a loyal and dedicated man who has loved Ae-sun since childhood. Their love has to face various kinds of adversity, such as opposition from their families, financial struggles, and the changing political climate of Korea.

In the climax of When Life Gives You Tangerines, audience members are treated to the peaceful but sorrowful goodbye of Yang Gwan-sik, who is played by Park Hae-joon in his older age.

Having been diagnosed with a terminal condition, Gwan-sik decides to spend his final days at home on Jeju Island with the love of his family. His death is handled with a subtle nobility, highlighting the depth of his lifelong dedication to his wife, Oh Ae-sun, and his children.

After Gwan-sik's untimely death, Ae-sun, played by Moon So-ri in her older age, begins a journey of self-reflection and healing. She writes poetry, completing a lifelong dream that had been relegated to the background by life's necessities.

When Life Gives You Tangerines, episode 16 moves ahead as Ae-sun's writing becomes both a form of therapy as well as a way to relate to others, especially the aged patients of a nearby nursing home whom she tutors to read and write.

The story of When Life Gives You Tangerines continues to present the lives of the children of Ae-sun and Gwan-sik, particularly their daughter Geum-myeong. Geum-myeong becomes a successful technology entrepreneur, representing the connection between modern advancement and traditional values. She represents the changing society of South Korea that reflects the accomplishments of their parents' sacrifices.

Throughout the last episode of When Life Gives You Tangerines, the series utilizes recurring symbols that deeply affect the audience. The use of imagery of Jeju's scenery, the symbolic deployment of Ae-sun's hairpins, and the use of local traditions all help to enhance the story, placing the personal experiences of the characters against the backdrop of a larger cultural whole.

When Life Gives You Tangerines also provides a glimpse of the revolutionary decades of Korea's contemporary past. From the 1960s to the current times, it stages the country's speeded-up industrialization, the changing roles of women, and the long-lasting influence of traditional norms.

Ae-sun's mother is shown as a haenyeo, one of Jeju's world-renowned female divers, showcasing the island's distinctive matriarchal culture and the important function the women had in their communities.

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When Life Gives You Tangerines is available on Netflix and stars IU, Park Bo-gum, Moon So-ri, and Park Hae-joon. Special appearances by Kim Seon-ho, Lee Jun-young, and Kim Dae-young also adorn the series.