Why Kenji from 'What Did You Eat Yesterday?' is the Perfect Partner

'What Did You Eat Yesterday?' is easily in my top 3 favorite dramas.
Season 2 is currently airing, but it's a real shame that my husband shows absolutely no interest in it.
Because this is a drama that the person who 'has meals made for them' should be the one watching and feeling.

The reason is that Kenji behaves perfectly as the person who 'has meals made for them'.
The king of the ideal partner
The top of the 'people who have meals made for them' category

There are three reasons for this.

He actively helps out

Some people might not want their partner in the kitchen, but I don't feel that way at all.
I want them to lend me a hand, even if it's just two or three fingers.

Kenji actively helps Shiro-san.
Even if you can't cook, there are plenty of things you can help with.

・Washing vegetables
・Putting ingredients in the microwave
・Mixing seasonings
・Washing the bowls and colanders that have been used
・Rinsing the rice and setting it in the rice cooker
・Peeling vegetables with a peeler
・Grating daikon radish

Even if each task only takes a few minutes, they surprisingly add up. It's such a huge help when someone assists.

First of all.
Both parties are likely tired from work.
I often swallow the words 'I'm making dinner, and you're playing games? Is that right?' along with a can of beer.
…Shiro-san might not think that, but I certainly do.

It doesn't even have to be helping with the cooking.
Folding the laundry or wiping the table—if they just take some kind of action, it would satisfy me.

Kenji never acts like it's a bother, and he takes initiative without even being asked to 'help.' Marvelous.

He properly communicates 'It's delicious'

Culinary expert Ryuji also says this.
That food tastes better when you say 'It's delicious.'

Kenji doesn't just stop at 'It's delicious.'
'Mmm! This fried chicken is crispy on the outside and the meat is so tender! The seasoning with the garlic and ginger is amazing.'

As a writer, it's a review so perfect it makes me jealous.
Well, of course it is. The script is written by a professional screenwriter.
And I know that they have Kenji say these things because you can't convey taste or texture on TV.

Even subtracting the production's intent, it still makes you feel rewarded when someone puts into words that it's 'delicious' or that 'the seasoning is just right.'

What makes Kenji even more perfect is that he gives feedback on every single side dish.

Something like this happened at my house before.
That day, my husband rarely said, 'This is delicious.'
When I asked which dish he meant, it was just grilled thick fried tofu topped with grated daikon radish.
'Enjoy it with soy sauce or ponzu, whichever you prefer.'

I was disappointed.
After all, I hadn't seasoned it at all.

In that case, wouldn't it be fine to just have vegetable sticks with mayonnaise or rice with spicy cod roe for dinner?
What is the point of me cooking?

If you focus on just one dish being 'delicious,' you run the risk of stepping on a landmine like we do in our house.
I'm not asking for feedback as thoughtful as Kenji's.
Even just saying 'everything is delicious' would change the impression quite a bit.

Ever since I was told that grilled thick fried tofu with grated daikon radish was delicious, my motivation for making dinner has been flying at a low altitude.

He also helps with the cleanup

I don't want to move after eating dinner.
But Kenji properly helps with the dishes too.

Even if you have a dishwasher, a human still has to load the dishes into it for now.
It's even more of a hassle if you're washing them by hand.

Shiro-san washes the dishes, and Kenji dries them.

Shiro-san, who doesn't leave the troublesome dishwashing for the next day, and Kenji, who doesn't leave it all to Shiro-san and pitches in, are both excellent.

Putting it into words and taking action

I finally realized it for real after I started preparing meals myself, but making dinner every day is harder than I thought.

Including planning the menu and shopping, it takes quite a lot of time and effort.

Dinner is laid out on the table when you get home from work.
Dinner is ready while you're lying on the sofa watching YouTube.

It's nothing less than someone using their time and effort to prepare it for you, and it's not something to be taken for granted at all.

Kenji's behavior is perfect for someone who is 'having a meal made for them'.
Friday is coming around again this week.
I'm looking forward to being healed by the ideal partner.

Thank you for reading today as well.
Do you tell your partner that one word, 'delicious'?

Click here for the drama 'What Did You Eat Yesterday?'