Choo Sung-hoon, Kwak Jun-bin, and Lee Eun-ji truly felt the harsh reality of earning for food in Egypt.
In the 8th episode of ENA and EBS's co-produced show “We Gotta Earn for Food,” which aired on the 13th, Choo Sung-hoon, Kwak Jun-bin, and Lee Eun-ji experienced extreme labor at a garbage dump in Egypt, leaving them with intense memories.
Choo Sung-hoon, with his entire fortune of 1300 won, bought 3 apples for 600 won and a bag of bread for 300 won to have dinner with his siblings. With the remaining money, he could only buy 2 small packs of tomato sauce, but he managed to persuade the store owner to give him 3. Although it was a simple meal, Lee Eun-ji remarked that the combination of bread and tomato sauce “tastes like pizza from a wood-fired oven,” and when she ate the bread with tomato sauce and apples, she said it tasted like Hawaiian pizza, keeping a positive mindset.
While the 'food earners' hoped for part-time jobs with high wages, Kwak Jun-bin reminisced about the days when he wanted to travel but had to save money for food. In response, Lee Eun-ji commented, “It seems like a program for people who need to find their original intentions.” Choo Sung-hoon, who visited the pyramids he had long wanted to see, appeared to have no regrets, eliciting laughter.
The next day, the 'food earners' moved to start the hardest labor ever at a landfill in the Mokattam village, where they continued their livelihoods by recycling garbage, earning a wage of 500 won per hour. The 'food earners' endured the stench and flying insects while sorting through piles of garbage, moving trash bags, and operating cranes to earn their food money.
Kwak Jun-bin bonded with seniors over their common interest in soccer, including Egyptian player Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min, while Lee Eun-ji added fun with her contrasting chemistry with a T-type (thinking type) senior, despite being an F-type (feeling type). After talking with a mature 19-year-old senior, Kwak Jun-bin said, “He seemed like a really bright and happy person. He enjoyed being with me and talking,” and expressed, “I need to learn the attitude of life.”
After finishing work, the 'food earners' recharged their energy with a traditional Egyptian meal, thanks to the generosity of the landfill owner, without worrying about food costs. They tasted Egyptian-style falafel made with fava beans, tahini sauce, a refreshing salad called salata baladi, and egg salad, with Lee Eun-ji expressing satisfaction, saying, “I think this is the most delicious food I've eaten in Egypt.”
It was not easy for the three to have dinner even with the money they earned. Desperate for protein, they borrowed 20,000 won from the production team to taste Choo Sung-hoon's steak, promising to pay back 500 won in interest. After their free time, the 'food earners' went shopping and found that the price for 1 kg of rib meat was 417 pounds (about 13,000 won), planning to buy 1 kg of rib meat and other ingredients. However, the price tag they received showed 486.4 pounds, raising curiosity about whether they would be able to eat steak.
