Da Tang Xiao Chi Huo (2021)

Silly but funny

This "Gourmet in Tang Dynasty", as far as I'm concerned, was the very definition of "guilty pleasure"...^_^;
With a quite absurd but funny premise, mostly nicely developed thanks to the histrionic skills of the hilarious FL (Li Zi Xuan), it was at the same time totally silly but also pretty entertaining, filled with anachronisms but also one of the very few (if not the only?) costume drama that had the courage to be honest about the period's beauty standards; incidentally: whereas other productions seem to fit in the occasional "stocky" character just so as to comply to the politically correct "overweight quota" (which imho should actually come off as offensive to overweight people, coming to think about it...but that's another story...), in this drama the overweight character (the FL's sister) not only makes a whole lot of sense, but it's really a well-rounded (pun unintended!) and full-fledged character (I personally found the subplot about the sisters' relation one of the best moments of the drama, so beautifully scripted and acted it was! ^____^)
Why don't I give this a higher grade then?
Well, honestly, I think it got a bit too confused here and there, particularly towards the end: the obscure plots and machinations of a coupla characters weren't really to my liking and felt pretty much out of place in a drama whose strong point had been, until then, that it hadn't taken itself seriously...

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Gourmet & Tang can Tango!

This speedy historical romcom attracted my attention with favorite tropes like time travel, body swap, food, unlikely romance. Soon I was drawn into the story.

Story

In the first episode we meet a modern plus size heroine, Xiao Xiao, who curses the social norm to be lean and mean; she loves her food and longs to live in a tv drama set in the Tang Dynasty, where voluptuous women seemed to be the rage. One day she chokes on her food and her soul is swapped with a girl in the Tang Dynasty, Yuan Wan' er, making her wish come true.
At first Xiao Xiao is delighted, but soon trouble is ahead. Wan'er isn't voluptuous at all, even ugly in the eyes of people from her era. Her older sister, a big dominating woman who manages a tavern and a slender husband, positively hates her; Wan'er seems to be engaged herself to a good-looking fiancé, Bai Yi Ming, but he's angry too, demanding the return of his bride price; and her brother-in-law is worried about some object she seems to have stolen from him. Xiao Xiao realizes there's work to be done. She puts all her positive energy into her new ancient life. Will she succeed in getting her memory back, giving people the things they want, while enjoying her stay with cooking, eating and real life drama adventures?

Acting/Cast

The whole cast seems to enjoy this production, and it pays off. All actors have good chemistry; the result is very agreeable, light-hearted comedy in an un-Chinese fast pace. I only knew Li Zixuan as Wang Yibo's heartthrob, but she deserves making a name for herself. She's perfect for the role of Wan'er that demands a quick silver attitude, light footing and cutie-pie insta-pouts in close-up camera. Liu Run Nan nails it as her grumpy fiancé who knowingly lets himself led by the nose, because he's already head over heels for her. The scenes between the older sister and her husband are a story on their own, just watch episode 13 to know what I mean. In short, I laughed out loud, a lot.

Music

The OST is easy to the ear, following the pace of the series.

Rewatch Value

The choice for 10 minute episodes is a risky one. I wonder if people stay tuned if they aren’t paying for a streaming service. This influences the rewatch value as well.

Overall

Gourmet in Tang Dynasty has an interesting theme that pays homage to the ideal of enjoying food and accepting whatever body size. It's a modern day dilemma. On one hand, there's the abundance of deli food, but on the other hand, there's this development of body ideals over time; and we all know, It Takes Two To Tango.

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Can you cook modern food during historic times?

This is a relatively short series: 4.5 hours total. So if you are looking for something quick and light-hearted, this is the one. This drama centers on a modern chubby girl (Xiao Xiao) trapped in a historic thin girl (Yuan Wan Er). Unfortunately for her, during the Tang dynasty, big women were considered beautiful. It's a good thing she loves food (she was a food blogger in modern times).

Upon awakening in history, she doesn't know who her new identity is (now she is Yuan Wan Er), but decides to go with it, see where life takes her, and hopefully accomplish her dream. The body she's now possessing had a terrible reputation, and owes her ex-fiancé Bai Yi Ming the bride price. Wan Er had spent it and now she has to return it since they are no longer getting married. Adjusting to her new life, she is super optimistic and loves food, so she decides to open a restaurant to make money. However, she has a terrible relationship with her sister (Yuan Luo Nu) and their restaurants compete for most of the drama. Wan Er navigates the ups and downs of running a business while cooking modern food during a historic period. Bai Yi Ming and Yuan Wan Er end up falling in love once he realizes that she's no longer the same girl she used to be, and he consistently helps her out with her problems. Wan Er befriends many people with her food and optimism, and they help her along on her journey.

If I go on, I'll pretty much summarize the entire drama since it's so short. It was a fun drama to watch and it was interesting to see what Wan Er does next, especially since she's a modern girl. I hope there's a second season because I like dramas with a definite end. Towards the end, it just started getting mysterious and I had more questions that needed to be answered. I'm okay with it ending the way it did, but it's obvious that there has to be more to it. Overall, its a fast-paced, short, romantic drama that's about food. I love food so I won't say no to this one.

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Isekai simpatico, ha una seconda stagione

Carino e simpatico, ovviamente over the top. Un Isekai senza pretese, con diversi colpi di scena, non ultimo quello finale, che ha il terribile difetto di lasciarci in sospeso in attesa di una seconda stagione che oggi, aprile 2023, ancora non c'è e chissà se mai si farà. (E invece, a Ottobre 2023 l'hanno fatta!)
Attori adatti al tipo di commedia, costumi e ambientazioni chiaramente adeguati ad un lavoro a basso budget, ma che si difende molto bene. Non è stato tempo perso, ma avrei voluto sapere come va a finire. Ora potrò saperlo.
Molto carina l'ambientazione nella dinastia Tang, quando la bellezza femminile prediligeva forme abbondanti. Ma, guarda caso, l'attrice principale e le ballerine sono magre... chissà come mai. E, ad ogni modo, le persone in carne hanno parti comunque non troppo simpatiche.

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Super Cute and Enjoyable, Light and Fluffy

I liked all of it except for the ending. The addition of the political scheming in the end felt a little out of place, even if I didn't find it surprising that it was included. Obviously this series is set up for a second season considering how the last episode concludes in an open-ended way. And there's no closure on the female lead's time travel, body swap story arc-- Does she remain Yuan Wan'er, or does she eventually return to her own time? And how did the strange time travel, body swap thing happen in the first place?

All of this, I'm sure will likely be addressed if a second season is being planned.

Finally, I'm glad I decided to wait for all of this series to be completed before watching it. Most of the episodes are highly forgettable, and the series probably would not have held my attention for long if I had to wait a week for the next few 8 to 10 minute episodes to air. It lets you run through all of it at once without having to really think about it.

Overall, this was a highly cute series to pass the time with, if you're looking for something fun and light. Definitely don't look too deep into any of the plot, as most of the series was obviously just for laughs and fun.

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what the heck!!!!!!

Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!! Another cliffhanger... :( :( :(

Crazy a** h******

This is the 3rd drama that I've watch that give me cliffhanger :(.

Give 3 star for the story due to the cliffhanger. Will be changing my star after the season 2 announced.

This drama extracted me with their 10min duration every eps, feel like watching tiktok with that short duration. Better watch it at one go so you don't feel hang with that very short duration every eps.

What I like:
+ Yuan Wan Er (WE) very funny woman. I really like how positive she is.
+ Very short period per eps. This can grab millennial who used with tiktok (short term attention syndrome) attention i guess :p
+ This drama give insight how to make modern food with traditional equipment & material. Like that ice cream for example, she make it with egg instead with cream / milk :)

What could've been better:
* In the synopsis we can read: "Tang Dynasty, where plump women were considered to be the epitome of beauty." At first I really think there will gonna be many plump woman hanging around. But in here we can see, apart from Yuan Luo Nu, WE mom & several woman in the beginning , every other woman are still slim. If you compare the slim & plump woman, even in the background, slim woman still much more.
* The way WE run restaurant at first is really weird. She is the cook, but she can also entertain guess (be a dancer), welcoming guess, etc. Isn't her restaurant supposed to be full with people, how can she manage to do all that...?
* Longer eps but make a complete story

Overall: This is actually quite interesting drama. I really hope they continue this into season 2.

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Time Travel of a Foodie

The drama Gourmet in Tang Dynasty reminds me of the Korean drama "Mr Queen", but sweeter. The reason may be that Yan Xiao Xiao is a woman who entered Yuan Wan Er's body who is also a woman.

While in the Korean drama "Mr Queen", Queen Kim So-Yong was entered by the spirit of Chef Jang Bong-Hwan. Without even a funny scene, the audience's fantasy is already wandering.😀😀

Before the drama "Mr Queen" aired in 2020, the Chinese entertainment industry had produced a similar drama titled "Go Princess, Go! (2015) Showing on the YouTube channel, I only watched a few episodes, then stopped. The drama is bad. Make you feel good.

Although made based on the same novel, "The Promotion Record of a Crown Princess" by Xian Cheng, the drama Go Princess, Go! is made funny, complete with interior design that wants to be witty, but is actually ridiculous.

Unlike the drama "Gourmet in Tang Dynasty". Overall it's okay, even if you make an analogy, the storyline of this drama feels like riding a 4-wheeled vehicle whose drivers are just learning to drive.😢😢

Li Zi Xuan who plays as Yuan Wan Er dominates the story. The acting is sweet, witty and cute. Plus a flirtatious soundtrack, and the duration is not too long / long, the Chinese drama "Gourmet in Tang Dynasty" is really recommended as an entertaining spectacle.

I read the comments on the mydramalist site, many viewers hoped that there would be a continuation of Yuan Wan Er and Bai Yi Ming's romance,

Yes, we'll just have to wait.

I wrote the full review here: https://www.maria-g-soemitro.com/2021/09/gourmet-in-tang-dynasty-review-chinese-drama.html

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