Picture this. A minimal, white-walled room with sun rays rushing through the windows. A woman in white linens draws the curtain while capturing your attention to each detail. She then moves to the kitchen to procure an egg for her simple breakfast. As she cracks open the egg, you can distinctly hear it sizzle in the pan while she fills up a glass with huge cubes of clear ice and room temperature water. You don’t see her face; you don’t hear her talk. All her tasks are meticulously explained in the subtitles, and that is the only medium through which she communicates. From eating a warm, fuzzy breakfast alone in her quiet apartment to cuddling her beguiling pet dog, she takes you through her day until the video finally fades to black.
If deep-diving into a pool of K-dramas wasn’t enough, then it’s time you hit play on these mindful creations by anonymous Korean vloggers. In lieu of upfront ASMRs, these vlogs have mastered the art of calming your nerves even if you’re neck-deep in traffic or, worse, a pool of anxiety.
Sueddu
Bak Hae-ri, who runs the famous Korean vlog Sueddu creates content that feels like meditation. Her vlogs appeal to young women who are rejecting the three pillars of adult life in Korea—courtship, marriage and children. But regardless of your geographic location, her content will make you look at loneliness from the flipside. Bak will show you how to make a quick kimchi bokkeumbap, do your laundry and help you enjoy your breakfast all by yourself. In case you forgot the feeling and sound of ordinary tasks, she will remind you of it by making it seem extraordinary. With her dog Bebe, as a co-star, and a grey-tone aesthetic, one thing is guaranteed—your mood will get an instant uplift.
Haegreendal
With a jaw-dropping following of more than 2 million, Haegreendal will take you on an elaborate journey of 10 to 15 minutes in her kitchen. From showing you how to eat your bread in 15 different ways to upgrading basic noodles in multiple ways, this is the pitstop for it all.
Sarah Le
Imbibing the Japanese philosophy of Wabi Sabi in her videos, Sarah’s content harbours an aesthetic that will calm you even in the deepest of chaos. The sound of a spoon being stirred in a hot coffee cup, the rustle of book pages flipping in the air and the pleasure of picking your own fruit are the kind of feelings to look forward to in her videos. As a philosophy, Wabi Sabi encourages you to focus on the blessings hiding in your daily lives, and celebrating the way things are rather than how they should be.
Jihyunk Kung
If quarantine has got you reminiscing of college days, then here’s a world wide web spot for you. Jihyunk Kung rose to popularity for her vlogs wherein she cooks budget-friendly, college student meals. Whipped cream strawberry sandwiches, ramen, pollack roe rice, corn dogs, dakgalbi, jasmine and boba teas—you name it and she’ll show you how to make it.
Statutory warning: don’t blame us if you slip into a rabbit hole with these Korean vlogs.
Photographs: Instagram
