“Jinny’s Kitchen” Viewers Defend Actress Jung Yu Mi After She Faces Online Backlash
Following the first few episodes of Jinny’s Kitchen (also known as Seo Jin’s), actress Jung Yu Mi received unwarranted backlash from some Korean viewers via online communities like Nate Pann.
The malicious comments attacked the actress for her “lack of kitchen skills” in the episodes.
Some of the most upvoted comments blamed Jung Yu Mi for not making the gimbap rolls faster and slowing down the service for the whole team. One comment blamed her for making the whole show “frustrating” to watch.
[TBH, Isn’t Jinny’s Kitchen A Bit Frustrating?]
March 11, 2023I think the members are making mistakes because none of them have ever done work like that before. But… watching them mess up all the time frustrates me. It’s not like the place is getting a lot of orders.
— Nate Pann Post
- “YES. This goes to show how easy it is for celebrities to make money. Regular people could never… Haha. We slave away 10 to 12 hours to get by making ₩2.00 million KRW (about $1,510 USD) to ₩3.00 million KRW (about $2,270 USD). But these celebrities make so much per episode. I mean, I’m envious. Of course. But I find it hard to relate to programs like these so I don’t find them entertaining.”
- “I found it hilarious that the members decided to break for 60-90 minutes after working a two-hour shift. Had this been their real workplace and their own business, that would not have been possible at all. I was told not to take the show too seriously, though.”
- “TBH, I find Jung Yu Mi so frustrating. She made a single roll of gimbap when the order said two rolls. She had customers waiting for their orders, so she should’ve focused on getting the late orders out. Instead, she tried to pull tricks? And then she ended up popping one of the rolls. She said she wanted to use her brains, but how was that using brain power at all? She didn’t even know how to push out the food in the order received.”
- “It’s all the same shows, all the same people. I stopped watching because there’s nothing new. No effort.”
- “I think the Seo Joon dude is the most efficient in the kitchen. And I’m not sure if the rest are pretending to suck at working or something… But I found it so frustrating to watch—especially Jung Yu Mi. What takes her so long to make the damn gimbap rolls? It’s not like she preps the ingredients either. The other dudes do it for her. I wish someone quicker and smarter would replace her. She’s slow-AF, too. I like it when I’m watching Seo Joon and the other dudes use teamwork, but I get so irritated when she comes on. I’d rather the show find someone better or train her better so that the show can focus on capturing customer interactions more.”
While the original post trended for a while, other Korean viewers soon flocked to the internet to defend the actress. Pointing out how Jung Yu Mi was able to turn her gimbap station around after the initial hiccup…
seojoon came to yumi just to encourage her not to panic and said she can take her time 🥺 “noona slow is better than messing up” #JinnysKitchen #박서준 #정유미 #서진이네 pic.twitter.com/QArGH1gtXw
— odie (@ttojunie) March 5, 2023
…viewers sided with the actress and dismissed the unneeded criticism toward her.
One theqoo post even detailed how Jung Yu Mi stepped her game up throughout the episodes—explaining that she “messed up once in the span of three episodes.”
People… It’s a TV show. Don’t forget these footages are edited in parts. And the restaurant has been open THREE DAYS. I get that we have our preferences when it comes to what we find entertaining or not. But I don’t think it’d be fair to her for people to be like, ‘She messes up all the time’ based on some hate post. Also, to be clear, Jung Yu Mi got her sh*t back together and brought her A game on after making the mistake once. Even in the latest episode, she pushed out all of the orders without messing up.
— Netizen on theqoo
Viewers also called out the “haters” for bringing such negative perspectives to an entertainment program.
- “There’s nothing else to talk sh*t about, huh? No wonder people are nitpicking on stuff like this. If a master gimbap chef is what you’re looking for, watch a cooking channel. This is a TV show. What more do you want?”
- “It’s not like this show is following you around, forcing you to watch. Just stop watching if you don’t like it. And I’m not sure if you’re trying to belittle restaurant workers or celebrities… But nothing is easy. No one is perfect on the first try. Even the customers didn’t have problems. LMAO. The real problem is people like you who can’t take a TV show as a TV show.”
- “I can’t believe this post exists. How are people going to watch ‘Jinny’s Kitchen’ like it’s some cooking documentary?”
- “Cut it out for f*ck’s sake.”
- “Even her gimbap rolls are gorgeous. Can we focus on that instead? Just take it easy.”
- “What is there to be pressed about, though? Some people are so problematic for no reason. It’s a damn TV show… Stop getting all worked up over it. Just watch. Or don’t. What’s the point in being upset about it when the show has been filmed and there’s nothing to be done?”
- “What’s the issue again…?”
- “Remember… Jung Yu Mi is an actress. She’s not a gimbap maker at the local Korean restaurant. LMAO.”
- “This reminds me of when people got PRESSED about Youn Yeo Jung cooking with her gloves on. Can we stop taking a TV show so seriously? And if you don’t like it, don’t watch it. I find ‘Jinny’s Kitchen’ super entertaining. I love watching the re-runs while I eat.”
- “This feels like forced backlash, though. Stop picking on Jung Yu Mi.”
- “Yes, sometimes these programs can be frustrating. But that’s all a part of watching TV shows. Isn’t that included in the fun? Haha. I love watching this while I eat, too.”
- “And I was out here thinking how difficult it must be to make the gimbap because it’s using uncooked veggies. I think there’s fun and entertainment in watching the cast struggle. Isn’t that what makes these episodes fun? The unexpected bits? It’s supposed to be ENTERTAINMENT. Stop treating it like it’s a cooking competition or something. I doubt the trolls have ever rolled a gimbap in their lives, ever.”
- “You know… Koreans can be so exhausting.”
The Nate Pann post has since been deleted, but the discussion over the perspective from the post remains heated online.
