84-year-old man tells Lee Young Ja she is "unappetizing" to her face

A unique scene unfolded when entertainer Lee Young Ja received a blunt critique, being called "unappetizing," right to her face from an 84-year-old man who remarked that she looked just like Lee Young Ja.

What made the moment even more amusing was that the senior did not realize Lee Young Ja was sitting right in front of him until the very end. Instead of showing any discomfort, Lee used her own name as a subject for jokes, employing her signature easygoing boldness to turn the situation into laughter.

On the 20th, a video titled "How Lee Young Ja tastes autumn first, a heartwarming outing to Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market" was released on Lee Young Ja's YouTube channel, 'Lee Young-ja TV'. Lee visited the Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market in Seoul with acquaintances and staff to browse seasonal seafood, taste various foods, and even participate in the process of cleaning and slicing fish.

While walking through the market, Lee stopped at an outdoor cafe. While ordering coffee and sitting down, she naturally struck up a conversation with an 84-year-old man. After staring at Lee for a while, the man remarked, "You look exactly like Lee Young Ja."

Lee did not reveal that she was indeed the famous entertainer. She calmly brushed it off, saying, "I hear that a lot," and when the man added, "But you are prettier than Lee Young Ja," she continued the conversation slyly while still hiding her identity.

When Lee subtly asked, "Do you like Lee Young Ja?", the situation took an unexpected turn. Without a moment's hesitation, the man replied, "No, I don't like Lee Young Ja." When asked why, he spoke candidly, saying, "Lee Young Ja is so unappetizing. It's because she acts too boastful." It was a sincere impression delivered without any knowledge that the person sitting right in front of him was the very individual he was evaluating.

Normally, this would have been a moment where the atmosphere could have become awkward. However, Lee instead laughed, saying, "Yeah, you're right," and joked to the cafe owner making the coffee, "Since he said Lee Young Ja is unappetizing, don't make the coffee."

Rather than confronting the man's sharp expression, she defused the tension by making fun of herself.

The senior still did not realize Lee's identity. He even defended himself, saying, "I am 84 years old. When you get old, you lose your wits. You have to understand that," while adding more laughter by saying, "Even her smile looks like her."

From Lee's perspective, it was a rare situation to hear an evaluation regarding her own name right in front of her, but she continued the conversation without actively revealing her identity until the end.

Lee went one step further. She asked, "You wouldn't have disliked Lee Young Ja from the very beginning, right? Since when did you feel that way?" The man gave a specific explanation of his impression, saying, "She acts too boastful when appearing on shows with several people, like Jeon Hyeonmu."

However, not all evaluations were negative. The man acknowledged her culinary skills and eating abilities, saying, "Her food is the best," and noted that "She earns a lot of money too." However, he immediately threw another blunt question, asking, "Then why can't she get married?", which once again caught Lee off guard.

Lee's response was, as expected, humorous. She countered as if marriage is not something decided solely by individual ability or will, saying, "Marriage isn't something you go to alone. If I were going alone, I would have gone at eighteen." She then referred to 'Lee Young Ja' as a third person rather than herself, saying, "That person also has many joys and sorrows. She has scars," leaving a strange lingering impression amidst the laughter.

This scene is interesting not just because of a single citizen's bluntness. It lies in the fact that Lee, an entertainer who has worked in front of the public for a long time, did not turn this into an unpleasant incident but instead converted it into an impromptu variety show moment when she heard an unfavorable evaluation of her image directly from someone who didn't recognize her.

In particular, Lee is an entertainer who is relatively accustomed to making fun of her own name and image. While building a unique character as an 'expert on eating' through food shows and mukbang, she has also actively participated in jokes regarding her appearance and private life. In this situation, her characteristic self-deprecation and quick wit worked perfectly.

Later, the situation took a new turn when another merchant recognized Lee and greeted her warmly. Lee laughed and conveyed the man's evaluation, saying, "He says Lee Young Ja is unappetizing. He says she is arrogant," and only then did the man realize who he had been talking to. The video included captions indicating that the production team later explained the situation to the man to clear up the misunderstanding.

As she left her seat, Lee even made sure to take care of the man by getting him coffee, ensuring the encounter ended on a kind note rather than with any lingering discomfort. She managed to resolve a spontaneous happening with laughter and consideration rather than turning it into a confrontation.

Lee's time at Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market also touched on her personal past. While looking at fish, she recalled how she used to sell salted mackerel during her college years to pay for tuition. At the time, college tuition was 500,000 won, and she recalled traveling to five-day markets to sell fish to cover her expenses.

That experience seems to have meant more to Lee than just a means of livelihood. She reflected that meeting many people at the time taught her how to connect with others. Her way of speaking, which has allowed her to capture the subtle nuances of human interaction and expression over her long career, is rooted in the interpersonal skills she learned through manual labor in the markets.

In fact, Lee interacted freely with market merchants that day, tasting various foods like sea urchin, oysters, and sashimi, and even participating in a class on cleaning and slicing fish. During the process of handling large fish, she demonstrated skillful knife work that earned praise from the instructor. For Lee, the food, the people, and the market space are not just content subjects, but a medium that connects her life to her broadcasting career.

Ultimately, the "unappetizing" comment became another source of laughter rather than an uncomfortable incident. By meeting the honest critique of a citizen who didn't recognize her with laughter, and by weaving in her memories of the market and fish, the video transcends a simple celebrity vlog to show the true character of Lee Young Ja.

No one can be liked by everyone. Especially for an entertainer who has stood before the public for decades, it is difficult to avoid mixed feelings and misunderstandings. Nevertheless, the ability to turn raw evaluations of her own name into laughter is a unique strength born from her long experience in broadcasting.