Based on an adaptation of Kusumi Masayuki and Jiro Taniguchi's manga, 'Kodoku no Gourmet'.
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The foodie winner for the first round is: Tuohuang Tiaozhanzhe.
Timing and subtitle brought to you by Lonely Gourmet Team @viki
Dihua Street,
an 800-meter road, is the flourishing history of Taipei 150 years ago.
[ Dihua Street, Taipei - It is the oldest street that is still existent in Taipei. ]
[ Not only is it the hub for Taipei's Chinese medicinal ingredients, groceries, and a distribution centre for textiles and tea leaves, ]
[ but also it is a gathering place for the mysterious and wealthy citizens of Taipei! ]
Qing Liang Chinese Medicine
♫ Oh! Let it be. Oh! Let it be
♫ There's a lot of words that cannot be said clearly ♫
♫ It's up to here. It's up to here ♫
♫ Leave behind those secrets I don't have the courage to speak out ♫
♫ Our story lies in the food ♫
♫ Oh! Let it be. Let it be ♫
♫ Breathe, breathe ♫
♫ Attentively listen. Attentively listen ♫
♫ Cherish, cherish ♫
♫ The story lies in the food ♫
Qian Jian Fang
This is the place.
The smell of Chinese medicine... Just smelling it gives off the feeling of being cured by it.
It makes the body relax.
But the moment one relaxes, one can easily get hungry.
Had I known earlier, when I passed by the eateries at the Yongle Textile Market,
I would have gotten something to eat.
What are you after?
I'm Wu Lang from the store Wu Lang. May I ask if your boss is here?
- I had an appointment with him for 2 o'clock.- Oh!
Sorry. My boss had a matter to tend to temporarily and went out.
Please take a seat and wait for a moment.
Excuse me. Can I ask if you were given a prescription?
Could you allow me to have a look at the prescription?
It's a mysterious prescription.
What sort of an illness is this?
I'm not going to believe I'm not able to find it!
Why hasn't the boss returned yet?
My stomach is getting hungrier.
But my hunger feels a little strange today.
Why is it her again? This lady is much too troublesome.
I'm telling you, don't worry! I'm very close to their boss.
Alright then. I'm going to see how this rascal handles her.
I'm looking for your boss.
Boss!
Hey, is your boss not here?
Can I help you with something?
I am Xiang Kou Beauty Salon's lady boss.
We had a customer come here before to see an old practitioner
who gave a weight loss and beauty prescription.
It was at this store that I got the prescription from.
But that old Chinese medicine practitioner isn't here for the appointment presently.
But I'm thinking you should have copies of the prescription, right?
Are you able to supply a few prescriptions for my customer to use?
We do help customers keep a record of their prescriptions.
I said that they had copies of the prescription.
You can relax now.
Then help prepare a few sets of the same prescription for me.
Obaasan (old woman in Japanese), can you let me finish speaking first?
Who are you calling Obaasan?
If you wish to obtain a similar prescription as someone else,
you need to have the consent of the owner of the prescription. Okay?
If you get the owner of the prescription to come in person then I will allow you to collect it.
You need to be clear.
People who come to my store are all VIPs!
How do I have them make time to come to this broken little store?!
What's more, even if I get the person over here,
are you able to determine it is the owner of the prescription?
Obaasan, I'm sorry. Our boss has a particularly good memory.
The memory of the boss' wife is even better.
Over two months, you've come five times.
Last month, you came on the 15th and 20th.
The last time you came was last weekend.
You—
I really do need it.
If you think the money's too little then name a price.
If you can get the consent of the owner, we can supply it to you free of charge.
But to speak of another matter, medicine shouldn't be taken carelessly.
I'm telling you, don't you talk nonsense.
Let me tell you, there's nothing in this town I can't settle!
What are you? Scared?
Go and call the boss out here!
Don't you think if the boss came out here the moment you call for him, it'd be losing too much face?
Boss. Look at him. He's bullying us.
Madam, looking at your complexion,
you probably take quite a bit of weight loss drugs.
This drug is a Class 3 drug.
Our store doesn't have the kind of medicine you're after. You should understand.
Shu Yuan, let's go.
There's money to be made and you don't want it.
Next month the landlord is raising your rent. Let's see if you can continue doing business.
You—
- Boss. - Yes.- I'm Wu Lang from the store Wu Lang.
The prescription is here. It's very urgent.
Can I borrow your toilet?
It's in there. Go ahead, please.
Oh, thank you. Thank you.
Taipei Xiahai City Temple
Citrus...
Mr. Wu Lang, I really must trouble you this time.
I'll have to make you go to Fujian to find this prescription. It'll take up quite a bit of your time.
I should.
Except that this Traditional Chinese medicine practitioner appears to be a con artist.
Should I tell the boss honestly about this?
This prescription is pretty good.
I hear that the practitioner who wrote this prescription,
after reaching Fujian, no one was able to find the person anymore.
What I'm thinking is that, in my remaining years of my life, if I'm unable to find this person,
then I would have my son continue looking.
I'm grateful that this time I don't have to go find it, Uncle.
Alright. The cost for the time to find this prescription, I will deduct it from your pay.
I'll see if you dare to lose it next time!
Dad, you have so many mysterious prescriptions in that treasure chest of yours.
I was just curious, so I took it out and studied it. Who knew this one would get lost.
Cut the nonsense. Go get the treasure chest.
Mr. Wu Lang, please wait a little while.
Mr. Wu Lang, this is the last reward. Please accept it first.
Thank you.
There's something I'd like to ask you.
I don't know this Fujian practitioner's address. Are you able to give it to me?
- I can.- Great. Thank you, thank you.
No. 29 Tongpan Road, Fushou City, FuJian Province
Boss, I have a question, but I don't know if it's convenient to ask you.
Please, go ahead.
You spent so much thought on this prescription.
What illness are you trying to treat?
I'm very curious about this prescription.
The secret prescription inside the treasure chest, I've already examined it
and yet I still don't know what illness it's treating.
You don't have the knowledge or skill to examine it. You talk too much as well.
This matter, it seems
the boss intentionally avoided talking about it.
Dad, I don't need you to tell me. I'll put it back right away.
Don't be a busybody. There's someone here to pick up their prescription.
Is the boss here?
Hello, that would be me.
Hi, I am Zheng Xiu Fen's daughter.
My mother said she gave you a call.
We want to buy the prescription you have been selling to her.
- Okay, come with me.- Okay, thank you.
Here. This is your mother's prescription.
My mother also said, you're willing to sell it to us at the price it was 30 years ago. Is that really true?
Yes, of course.
Boss, please check it.
Okay.
Okay. This prescription is now yours.
My mother said this prescription can treat every illness.
If she had told me to buy this for her sooner,
maybe she could have been saved.
In this world, there is no medicine that can cure every illness.
Close your mouth!
Really?
My mother said that as long as I buy this prescription, everything will become better.
What is it, dear?
I'm hungry.When can we eat?
Okay. Just wait a little longer, okay? Mommy will take you to eat some yummy food in a while.
Then I want to eat a lot, a lot.
Boss, I thought this was extremely valuable.
If I need to return it to you right now, well...
If you agree, you can sell this prescription back to me.
Really?
Wait a moment.
Here, have a look.
Coming out with such a stack of notes so suddenly,
it seems the boss had intended to buy back this prescription.
How can it be worth so much?
To you, this prescription most likely has no use to you at all. It doesn't have much value.
But to me, it's extremely valuable!
Okay, thank you!Thank you!
Little sister, we'll go eat, shall we?
Thank you! Thank you!
No need to thank me. Take care.
Let's go.
Be careful.
Boss, I can't accept this reward.
The practitioner who wrote this prescription, I feel he is...
Mr. Wu Lang, the things you want to say, I'm aware of it.
Accept it. It's okay.
Well, thank you then. I'll be taking my leave then.
Okay, I'll see you out.
Thank you. Take care.
Dad, I finally know what this mysterious prescription is!
What's that?
It's a collection of all the deadly prescriptions from quack doctors.
That's why I couldn't find these prescriptions in the book.
It's because these prescriptions don't treat people in the first place.
You, there, are finally making some progress.
Dad, why do you buy so many prescriptions?
What do you think?
I'm thinking it must be that one of our ancestors wrote a fake prescription and caused harm to someone.
That's why you vowed to buy every one of these harmful fake prescriptions.
You watch too many prime-time dramas.
Our family, starting from your grandfather's grandfather, ever since we began treating people,
we've been doing this our whole life.
Of course, when this medicine shop becomes yours to run,
whether you want to continue this tradition, it's for you to decide.
Then I better think it over well.
Think it over, my foot!
Here, look at this.
This here is that Mr. Wu Lang.
He went to Fujian and found the address to that Chinese medicine practitioner.
Go and call the authorities and report this case.
Immediately have that Chinese medicine pratitioner detained
and stop him from harming any more people. Understand?
I must say, this Mr. Wu Lang is really amazing.
This Chinese medicine practitioner would go as far as escaping to Fujian
and he manages to find him.
Dad, I think you're amazing.
You would waste money buying a fake prescription twice. You really have a heart of gold.
Don't think because you flatter me I won't dare flick you with my hands.
[ Xiahai City God Temple - It is world famous due to its effectiveness in praying for marriage here. ]
[ Within the temple lies Lord Cheng Huang and over 600 other various statues. Among them all, Yuelao is quite popular. ]
[ Ever since the construction of the temple in 1859, not only in Taipei, but also in Asia and as far wide as Europe and America, there were many followers and believers. ]
Don't cry. It's only a mistress and not a little prince.
At least your husband is still there. You're husband is still there!
We've come here to cut, cut, cut the peach blossoms
before going to my salon to use a secret beauty method.
Your husband will definitely come back to you!
This upper-class woman decorated in jewelry seems to be quite delicate and charming.
This is quite a different person from the commanding person she was a moment ago.
What is she praying to the gods for?
What is the medicine for her?
Let's go burn some joss sticks. Go, go, go!
Can't see me. She can't see me.
I don't know if the milkfish stomach soup from that place is here or not.
I long for the taste of Tainan.
The more people get hungry to the point of not being able to take it anymore,
the more they don't want to just eat anything.
[ Ningxia Night Market - Night markets are all over Taipei, but Ningxia Night Market can be said to have existed since the rise of Taipei City. Compared to the night markets of Shilin and Raohe that are quite popular with tourists, ]
[ spanning over 400 meters in length, Ningxia Market possesses more historical charm and is evidence of Taipei's historical stories. It is also the destination locals frequently visit for great food. ]
So that's spare ribs stewed in medicinal herbs.
I'll have a bowl.
I feel like I caught a cold, today and even had diarrhea.
I'll eat a bowl of spare ribs stewed in medicinal herbs to replenish the body. Warm the stomach a bit.
Get ready to eat!
By the looks of it, it appears tasty.
That's the taste.
My stomach has warmed up all of a sudden.
When I was young drinking the soup, the elders said the best part was in the soup water.
But this spare rib isn't something ordinary, either.
Tastes great.
Although the meat carries the herbal aroma,
but when you bite into it, it's still very authentic.
I really can't waste a single bit of this.
I must eat up every piece to be fair to the people who make this stewed spareribs.
This has been cleaned off well.
If medicine cures illnesses and food cures the stomach
then medicine and food is a combination to heal people and hearts.
I'm all healed. Next stall: milkfish.
Lady boss, bill, please!
There's no milkfish.
But, there's stinky tofu here.
Eat!
- Hello, hello.- Boss, could I have a Stinky Tofu?
Okay, please have a seat there.
Hello.
Sure enough, golden-colored food
greatly increases a person's appetite.
The taste of stinky tofuwill make you think of durian[a fruit].
It can be something you like so much you can't stop eating it
or something you hate you steer well clear of it.
For me, this taste is what I like.
Delicious! Delicious!
There's even the good old friend of the stinky tofu, the Taiwanese-style pickled cabbages.
Inside my five-organ temple, you will be together.
The texture is silky and delicate.
I will clean up every bit of it.
The milkfish should be nearby.
Next stall: milkfish.
and it's golden in color.
Give me the cheese flavor.
Okay, no problem.
The Korokke (Croquette), originally from France, was improved on by Japan,
and now by Taiwan.
What is the taste of the Taiwanese version like?
It's a bit plain.
It stretches. How fun.
It feels like the food has become a toy.
With it like this, it becomes even more delicious.
The cheese flavor is strong.
But the main focus is that it's stretchy.
How far can I stretch it?
Stretch. Stretch. It's so much fun!
I find the flavor as a whole became super awesome because the cheese stretches.
Boss, may I get another one in a curry flavor?
- A curry one?- Yes.
I just finished eating fried food. Next, I need a drink to wash away the grease.
Best to go with the blood-cholesterol-controlling tea, Wolfberry Root Bark Tea.
- One cup of Wolfberry Root Bark Tea.- Sure.
Drinking from a plastic bag, it's interesting.
It's typical of The Night Market.
Okay, thanks.
Thank you.
Sweet Mochi
Mochi(sticky rice), this is my favorite dessert.
How could I not eat some?
Boss, could I get a serving of warm mochi?
Okay. Do you want both peanut and sesame?
- Yes, both.- Okay.
The soft and chewy texture is amazing.
For the average person, eating a couple of these can basically fill them.
This mochi is very impressive.
It's good that I have a big stomach.
Stomach (pinyin: Da Wei). David (phonetic translation for David is also Da Wei).
If one wants a child to eat lots, I think choosing this English name is a pretty good idea.
Mochi rolled in peanut powder and sesame powder are indeed the most classic.
[Ningxia Night Market Business Info - Addr: Taipei, Ningxia Rd before Nanjing W Rd and Minsheng W Rd; Ph: 0915-692-480; Hrs: 18:00-24:00 daily. Features mainly tradition snacks incl. Oyster Omelettes, Oyster Vermicelli, Tainan-Style Bowl Rice Bowl]
[Pork Liver Soup, Kuo's Fish Soup, Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice, etc. Also has Shandong Red-Meat Dumplings, Mongolian BBQ & Mainland Food. Among them is Herbal Stewed Spareribs with seasonal herbal ingredients, a locals' meal for good health.]
Freshly Made Perch Soup 90
Today, I had clearly come for milkfish stomach soup.
But instead I ate a whole lot of other things!
This is precisely the charm of night markets, isn't it?
However, if I'm not able to eat milkfish stomach soup, I'll feel like something's amiss.
Even though the stomach is already full,
but the heart isn't completely satisfied.[ Milkfish Clear Soup 95Freshly Made Perch Soup 90 ]
This is the place!
Surprisingly, I still remember it so clearly.
- Welcome.- Thank you.
Here you are. Please take a seat.
It hasn't changed a whole lot. That's great.
The menu hasn't changed much, either.
If I only have this bowl, will it seem like I'm stingy?
But I really don't have the stomach capacity for anything more.
I've made up my mind! It will be just this bowl of milkfish stomach soup!
- Enjoy your meal.- Thank you.
The fresh milkfish stomach soup with the thinly shredded ginger underneath the fish stomach
truly has the Tainan touch.
This piece of fat is the juiciest.
It's a pity there's only a little in each fish.
Little fish: aren't you being a bit too stingy?
But, it really is very tasty.
Delicious!
Sure enough, you will only feel full
after eating the taste of home.
As far as I'm concerned, food is the best medicine.
It is a medicine that invariably does well in treating hunger and it can also treat homesickness.
For others, what is food able to treat?
Mommy will bring it up for you to eat. Here you go. Eat while it's still warm.
Be careful.
- Is it delicious?- Yes.
Mommy, have a bite, too.
Mommy is not hungry. You can eat it.
No, you have to eat.
Okay, I'll eat.
It's delicious. You can have the rest. Mommy's full. You can eat.
- Is it delicious?- Yes.
♫ Perhaps you feel my life is a little lonely ♫
♫ But I have someone I call my good friend ♫
♫ I flip through each of life's ordinary emotions ♫
♫ In my heart, I gather my most splendid sky that belongs to myself ♫
♫ Watching the crowd go to and fro, I'm a little curious of their story, ♫
♫ As I'm alone in the corner of the store, slowly tasting delicious food ♫
♫ Sometimes, a lonely person isn't necessarily unhappy ♫
♫ Happy and sad, near and far, possessing is gaining ♫
♫ You and me, a song, unable to chew it without regret ♫
♫ Regarding an individual's love, it's worthy when effort and heart has been put into it ♫
♫ Travelling through streets and alleys, sampling all the great flavors ♫
♫ Eating and drinking till we're satisfied. Everyday is a beautiful day. Hey! Hey! ♫
♫ No little sister to keep company is no big deal ♫
♫ Looking for the next stand. Bandits... ♫
♫ Are you full?♫
♫ Are you full? ♫
♫ Two cups of brown sugar syrup and a big drumstick ♫
♫ Are you full? ♫
♫ I'm not, yet ♫
♫ We'll talk again after we've eaten. Don't worry about your waist ♫
No fees whatsoever were charged for all store information which appeared in this drama. If you have a problem with this, please make a donation.