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sid_guardian2019-04-16 11:27 am
forestofglory) wrote in sid_guardian2019-04-16 11:27 am
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All the Food and Drink in Guardian
One thing I really enjoy in Guardian is how the show uses food. I adore food in fiction and while food isn’t a focus of Guardian there are lot of food based moments that I love. I’ve been trying to write something about this but mostly I just want to squee. There is some fierce feeding people going on! And some lovely meals as a found family!
So instead of an essay here’s a list of all the meal scenes in the drama. I usedgalaxysoup’s episode guide and various rewatches posted here in the community as a starting point as well as my own notes/memory. Thanks everyone!
These are listed chronologically as they appear in the drama. I’m not counting all of Zhao Yunlan lollipops -- sorry there’s just too many. However, I do count when other people have lollipops. I also didn't include all the decorative fruit bowls, or unused cups and tea pots. I've included notes and questions I have about some of the scenes.
The format here is:
Envent (Timestamp) Notes/comments
Old Li is cooking as Xiao Guo enters SID headquarters for the first time (18:22) He got a whole little station set up in the entry way.
Zhu Hong feeds Lin Jing Da Qing’s dried fish (27:48) Is dried fish a normal snack in China? Or is this like eating cat food? ETA: This a normal snack. The fish is called 小黄鱼(xiao3 huang2 yu2) or croakers. h/tin_the_bottle, more detail here.
Li Qian cooks has food flashbacks about her grandma (29:45) In the 1st one Li Qian is cooking and crying while her grandmother lies in bed. In the second one her grandmother tried to put a dumpling in her bowl and misses, and Li Qian tells her to eat it herself. h/tgoodgriefcharlie
Zhao Yunlan agrees to let Shen Wei buy him lunch after the case is closed (11:00) Zhao Yunlan says he’ll take Shen Wei to lunch but Shen Wei insists on paying. I don’t think we ever see their lunch date on screen though.
Shen Wei shows up at Li Qian’s hospital room with food (14:18 set up 15:29 -- unboxing) Includes picked tofu like Li Qian’s grandma made, she eats with her fingers and cries.
Shen Wei caries a box of cake across campus(7:00) Zhang Ruonan stops him to ask about the cake.
Cake stealing! (8:00) So shameless! The cake is green, I wonder what flavor it is?
Zhu Hong gives Zhao Yunlan hot medicine in a bowl(15:50)
Da Qing eats dried fish and falls asleep on the job(18:40)
Eng 4 students give Zhang Ruonan cake in a flash back(22:10)
Liu Yadong brings Zhang Ruonan something in a simile face mug (coffee?) and begs for his life (24:10)
Zhang Danni and Jia Hui drink water together (17:30)
Wang Xiangyang gives Zhao Yunlan some apples (24:50) he latter gives them to Lin Yusen
Water picture seen again as SID searches the Dixingians' apartment (27:00)
Chancellor pours tea for himself and Shen Wei (3:40) Rather pretty black tea set, make a nice contrast to the white set Shen Wei keeps in his apartment. More about this style of tea in this comment
Lin Jing makes popcorn in his weird contraption (4:53) Lin Jing makes a mad scientist speech before reveling the popcorn. The whole team shows up to eat some. h/triventhorn
Zhu Hong snacks while on stake out(13:25)
Butler Wu returns home with food for his son in a flashback (21:55)
Huang Chaoyang sips tea while Wu Xiaojun receives a beating from his servant (28:53)
Lao Chu drinks beer with Ji Xiaobai (6:00)
Ji Xiaobai brings Zhou Weiwei milk at bedtime (12:15)
Zhou Wei Wei brings Zhao Yunlan a cup of tea (22:50) He does not drink it.
Flash back to Zhou Weiwei asking to be brought milk every night (13:45)
Zhao Yunlan proposes a feast to celebrate the recent quite spell (10:10)Wang Zheng immediately tells him there is a new case.
Da Qing smells a beer can in the web novel writer, Lai Su's, house (26:35) The room also features, a pile of bowl, and empty screw top wine bottle and and electric kettle -- not sure what this says about our writers habits other than he’s not very tidy. The mantle in his study is full of instant noodle cups and beer, which does not suggest a healthy diet.
Lai Su eats chips at his computer in a flashback (31:23) There’s also beer and what I think are instant noodle cups (they are a bit out of focus) on the other side his computer.
Lai Su drinks a glass of wine while reading news articles about a murder (32:19) you can also briefly see a box of the same chips next to him.
Returning with the letter he showed to Wang Zheng Old Li notices that his dried fish is on fire and rushes to take care of it(12:57)
Zhu Hong plans to prepare ginseng tea for Zhao Yunlan (14:13) why? he’s not even there?
Shen Wei helps drunk Professor Zhou into a car(22:45)
Shen Wei opens Zhao Yunlan’s fridge for the first time (26:00)
Shen Wei makes congee for a recovering Zhao Yunlan (34:40)
Lao Chu drinks form a blue striped mug while GCC talks to him(3:05)
Jia Jia gives Shen Wei water he takes the top off and hands it to Zhao Yunlan (10:30)Shen Wei waits until Jia Jia isn't looking to do this because he's polite.
Xiao Guo offers to share snacks with Wang Zheng, but Zhu Hong is eating them (13:05)
We see Zhu Hong eating more snacks as the SID crew gossips about Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan's relationship(14:45)
Zhu Hong pours hot water before Wang Zheng tells her story(28:15)
Wang Zheng dips her finger in the hot water and uses it to drawn a mask on the table(29:15)
SID and DCU teams toast with hot water(39:30) Shen smells the water but doesn't drink any
Xiao Guo offers beef jerky to Lao Chu and Zhao Yunlan while they search for Wang Zheng (12:20) When we cut back to them it appears that Zhao Yunlan is chewing something
Shen Wei and Zhu Hong have tea (12:30)
Gelan feeds Sang Zan something from a wooden bowl (32:55)
Sang Zan gives an elder poisoned wine(3:23)
Drinking in the mountains with the Village Chief (15:55) They drink out of bowls not cups here, Shen Wei has a cup presumably its got tea or something else non-alcoholic in it. His cup matches the tea cups from last episode.There’s food on the table as well so the drinking is with a meal.
Shen Wei and Zhu Hong have tea once more with clarity (19:50)
Da Qing eats noodles at SID headquarters(28:03)
Meal with Fourth Uncle (39:25)
meal continues (2:08) Zhu Hong is drugged
Shen Wei serves tea to Zhao Yunlan but he doesn’t drink it (4:40) Shen Wei continues to refuse to confirm his identity.
Zhu Hong forces Fourth Uncle to drink the snake knocking out wine (13:16)
Lin Jing snacks on something out of a can (20:44)
Start of wedding scene (38:35) A few shots of very fancy food, bride and friends are drinking orange bubbly drinks while they get ready.
Da Qing’s eyes turn golden and he smashes the produce stand (41:50)
Old Li clams Da Qing down with dried fish (2:07)
Wine glasses shattering at the wedding(5:50)
Lin Jing offers to take Cong Bo back to the station to have coffee and make a record (15:50)
Forth Uncle sips wine then gives some to Xiao Guo (22:10)
Xiao Guo offers Tan Xiao tea(33:13)
Flashback to Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi making dumplings together(5:30)
Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan drink tea(6:55) Shen Wei pours then gives Zhao Yunlan cup, then pours himself a cup. Love the contrast between this and the tea in episode 12. They are more comfortable with each other after the identity revel. Tea set used here was on Shen Wei’s coffee table when Shen Wei tended Zhao Yunlan's wounds.
Ya Qing bites an apple while talking to Zhu Jiu (11:10) He’s hold a bottle of water. She very dramatically leaves the apple, with few bites taken out of it, on the weiqi board before walking out.
Flashback to rest of tea drinking scene (21:24)
Dinner with Minister Guo (33:25) there’s only the four of them a very large table with lazy susan with lot of food on it. Folded napkins look like birds. I feel like maybe I’m missing some cultural context here. How fancy is this meal supposed to be? Why are there birthday decorations? Everyone has wine but Shen Wei who has tea. I like how consistently Shen Wei is shown not drinking alcohol. ETA More about the room in this comment
Xiao Guo and his uncle continue to talk alone in the restaurant (36:14)
Mr. Zhang and briber drink wine western style together (26:22) The money for the bribe also comes in a wine box
Fruit Stall reopens(26:40) The new sign reads:" Bing Cheng (Ice City??) Apple 3.2; Lu Dao (Deer Island) Pears 5.1; Feng Cheng (Phoenix City) Watermelon 10.3; Ping Cheng (Peace City?) Sweet... something," Translation byin_the_bottle in this comment
Minister Guo runs after Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei to invite them to dinner (29:25)
The SID team open a recently delivered box of snacks (29:50)
Zhao Yunlan explains Xu Tan to Shen Wei (37:50)
Street food meal at SID (40:22) SID team is eating food on skewers, Zhu Hong calls food “dirty.” Shen Wei is not eating, hands on knees ETA: These are called numb and spicy skewers -- more detail in this comment
Mr. Zhang and briber drink western style wine together once more with clarity (10:38)
Zhao Yunlan offers Cong Bo a lollipop (11:38)
Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan are drinking a clear beverage together (13:45) Zhao Yunlan remarks that it's not as good as wine so presumably something non-alcoholic. (Maybe just water?) Zhao Yunlan has lot of bottles of alcohol in his apartment including his coffee table which is full of bottles.
Zhao Yunlan offers the buy Shen Wei late night dinner (18:30) Shen Wei replys that he doesn’t drink, and Zhao Yunlan accepts that.
Zhu Hong drinks too much beer and cries over her crush on Zhao Yunlan (18:58)
As Xiao Guo explains to Lao Chu why he’s late the Regent examines produce in the background(24:00)
Wang Zheng brings the Regent a glass of tea (25:20)
Xiao Guo reads Zhao Yunlan’s advice about lollipops before raiding his drawer for one(41:44)
Daqing dangles dried fish on a string for local kittens(17:35)
Zhao Yunlan visits Dixingren bar for the first time (25:14)
Thugs come looking for Zhao Yunlan in bar (27:39)
Flashback to Bao Laosan stealing food (2:40)
Shen Wei looks for Zhao Yunlan in bar (5:55) The bar snacks seem to have got progressively messier as the evening went on.
Chancellor and Shen Wei have tea again (37:05)
Ye Huo tells younger fighter not to drink soda gives him (drugged) water instead (9:30)
Ye Huo gives younger fighter water once more with clarity (17:50)
Shen Wei and Zhu Hong vist Fourth Uncle at dinner time (24:26) -- no actual dinner appears
Fourth Uncle offers Ya Qing a cup of wine (31:58)
We can glimpse a notice board advertising food as Zhu Jiu dramatically walks through Dragon City (34:30)starriewolf identified the food advertised as abalone and double boiled soup. More details including pictures here.
Yashou elders are having a meal together (40:00) I can’t make out much here. There are four dishes in the middle of the table, and bowl in front of each person, plus some wine jugs.
Reunion Night dinner at SID (18:20) Dumplings! So many dumplings! This is a very nice found family moment. Old Li makes fresh dumplings for everyone, plus there are a lot of little cakes, and a ton of different kinds of fruit.
Xiao Guo offers Zhu Jiu water and leftover dumplings (23:50)
SID team meeting with soup and dumplings (2:18) Everyone watches as Zhao Yunlan eats messily
Da Qing and Zhao Yunlan have snacks while waiting at the hospital (6:20)
Forth Uncle and Zhu Hong drink tea (19:00) -- scene begins with Forth Uncle trying to make a match for Zhu Hong.
Shen Wei unpacking groceries in Zhao Yunlan’s kitchen (20:10)
Zhao Yunlan offers Ying Chun a lollipop (29:50)
Candle light dinner (35:49)
Daqing bets ten packs of anchovies that the miracle doctor is a quack (39:12)
Feng Qubing pours himself tea (40:05)
Zhao Yunlan asks Da Qing to pour him tea (5:28) He comes back with a tall glass half full.
Aging victim is on a date drinking something fancy (9:20)
Miracle doctor has tea before Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei show up to ask questions (17:58)
Shen Wei cooks for a meal for Zhao Yunlan after his eyes are healed (34:20) I love this bit of domesticity. (ETA pictures and identification of some of the food here)
Daqing gets very excited about the fish in Cheng's visualization (30:38)
Dixingren bar after hours (37:22)
Zhao Yunlan takes a swig of beer (39:50) -- his glass is maybe a third full so he’s been drinking for a bit
An Bai in Dixing Bar(15:55) -- we can see various drinks and snacks.
Execution of An Bai and friends -- several onlookers are holding baskets of produce (18:13) One of the baskets is full of carrots. This seems like an odd thing to be holding while watching an execution.
Shen Wei starts to cook dinner (set up at 31:00 start to open fridge at 31:40) Shen Wei claims that this last time he’s going to cook dinner for Zhao Yunlan, but Zhao Yunlan looks extremely skeptical. Right before the fight about Shen Wei cutting himself. Why is the fridge so far from the rest of the kitchen? Does Zhao Yunlan just not care because he clearly never cooks?
Xiao Guo brings his Grandmas favorite yogurt to Li Qian’s grandma’s grave (ep 23 38:51)
Xiao Guo finds someone eating Grandma Li’s yogurt (5:40)
Dr Cheng gets up to pour coffee(13:22) (Note zebra mug which we’ve seen on her desk before.) She gives Zhao Yunlan some it a paper cup. The coffee appears to have milk in it straight out of the coffee maker which apparently is fairly normal thing in Asian countries. The coffee is drugged and puts Zhao Yunlan to sleep.
Final stage of game featuring two glasses of water one of which has poison (25:50)
Li Qian brings Prof Ouyang a glass of water (35:38)
SID eating street food again (2:50) Da Qing bought the food near the scene of the crime to try and get information. Lao Chu is once again not actually eating the spicy food.
Zhao Xinci stops by Minister Gao’s office for some tea (10:09) But he has to leave before any tea can be made or drunk.
Personality changed Lao Chu prepared breakfast for Zhao Yunlan(12:28) The breakfast is in a gray and white box. Lao Chu takes the lid off but we never see inside
Da Qing tosses a container of fish away with great force (17:30)
Zhao Yunlan uses a lollipop as clue: He takes in out of his pocket at 23:48 and Xiao Guo finds it at 24:05. Xiao just kind of tosses it away which is very disappointing.
Dong Nan request that Xiao Guo bring her nice food once a month after she is dead (38:20) She mentions Gradma Li’s yogurt, Lai Su’s cup noodles, and Zu Ma’s Chocolate
Shen Wei cuts an orange for Zhao Yunlan (5:40) He’s probably planning to leaving in near Zhao Yunlan so he will eat it absentmindedly -- gotta make sure Zhao Yunlan eats. Note there were cut up orange peels in Zhao Yunlans kitchen before Shen Wei cleaned it up. So oranges might be a food Zhao Yunlan particularly likes.
Lin Jing and Sha Ya have a coffee date (7:45)
Daji's husband poisons the wine and serves a fancy meal (9:50)
Da Ji comes home with bags of groceries finds the table set and covered in rose petals (10:16) food on the plate appears to be a piece of meat, a small piece of corn on the cob, a piece of broccoli, and something red maybe a tomato?
Lin Jing and Zhu Hong are in a bar listing to Sha Ya play(12:32) -- not much food here but you can see they have drinks in front of them
Lao Chu and Xiao Guo question ice cream seller (16:30) This little ice cream stand shows up in the background several more times as we revisit the scene of the crime many times but I haven't listed then all.
Da Qing sips form a mug while looking at pictures of Daji on Cong Bo’s screens (18:11)
Cats go on a date (19:06) Da Qing’s suit sure is something. I can't make out any of the dishes but there are five of them a lazy susan. Da Qing has wine in his glass, Da Ji has water in hers. There is also a pot of tea on the table.
Da Qing leaves offering of dried fish with Daji’s dead body (30:25)
Blurry sign with pictures of food in the background as Da Qing tells other members of SID about Da Ji(34:26)
Old Li ask Zhao Yunlan to buy some fish bones for Da Qing if he’s going out (35:27)
Flash back to Old Li feeding cat form Da Qing(37:18)
Flashback to Old Li hitting Da Qing as he prepares food, then to Old Li offering Da Qing dried fish at SID (2:20)
Lin Jing hands Sha Ya the guitar and runs off to get “something you won’t eat where you come from” (20:38)
Lin Jing brings Sha Ya stinky tofu (21:20) the way it's served kinda looks like ice cream. Is this normal food to share with a date or is Jin Ling being odd?
Xiao Guo carries two bags of groceries as he walks with Lao Chu (28:39) one is paper and one is plastic. They get dropped when Xiao Guo draws his weapon to defend his aunt an uncle but somehow nothing falls out.
Zhao Yunlan stumbles upon Shen Wei having tea with his dad (31:20)
Bar for Sha Ya’s final live show in bar (38:15)We see quite few customers with drinks
Lin Jing brings Sha Ya a mug of something steaming hot (3:52)
Wang Xiangyang mentions closing his fruit shall early because Xiao Guo bought all the fruit (18:10)
People shopping at fruit stall at night as Wang Xiangyang talks on the phone to his wife. A bunch of people come and start smashing his stall!(22:23)
Close up of the ice cream both owner as she rushes to try to help Bai Suxia(24:18)
Zhao Yunlan uses lollipop to help him distract someone outside the secret lab (11:26)
Da Qing wants to know who will make the popcorn if Lin Jing leaves the SID (15:42)
Lao Chu hands Xiao Guo a magic potion to take if Zhao Yunlan and Zhu Hong don’t wake up in five minutes (26:46)
Zhu Hong dreams about eating human snack food(28:09)
Xiao Guo drinks the potion(30:40)
Zhu Hong discusses how she suppressed her desire for raw meat in order to be more ladylike (35:08)
Xiao Guo comes into the office with snacks (4:49)
Da Qing snacking on something (a dried fish?) (5:50)
Lao Chu claims to be a cannibal (21:00) This was really creepy!
Xiao Guo gives Lao Chu food (34:10) It's in a gray oblong box
Flashback where Chu Nianzhi brings Chu Shuzhi some bread (34:59) It's a small round piece that's in a cardboard takeout box.
We learn that Lao Chu used to cook for his brother (7:14) I’m pretty sure this still a dream but most of the stuff Lao Chu says about his relationship with his brother I think can be taken at face value. Lao Chu is drinking out of small black bowl during this conversion.
Lao Chu confirms his suspicions that dream Xiao Guo is not the real Xiao Guo because the real Xiao Guo would know that he doesn’t like spicy food (10:44) This was a cute detail. It's so sweet that Xiao Guo knows what Lao Chu eats.
Zhao Yunlan hands Da Qing his sucked on lollipop before he heads of to Dixing(24:55)
When asked what he contributed to the SID Lin Jing’s first thought is the popcorn machine(41:18)
Xiao Guo tells Lao Chu his reaction to cannibalism claim (5:52)
Shen Wei’s first lollipop (40:00) !!!
Shen Wei picks up the lollipop wrapper (12:36)
Tea shop and possibly other food service places in the background (35:00)
Zhao Yunlan tells Da Qing he’ll get dried fish if he wakes up (37:08)
Old Li’s dying wish to cook fish for Da Qing one more time (3:11)
Coffee shop in the background, and sign that reads “White Rabbit Restaurant” (14:28)
Getting the branch to sprout using wine (30:20) Flashing between past and present for a bit here. We learn Zhao Yunlan taught Ma Gui about wine.
Da Qing thinks on of the symbols on the wall looks like a dried fish (4:30)
Ye Zun serves Zhao Yunlan drinks (11:10) poor distraught Zhao Yunlan just guzzles wine out of the serving bottle.
Zhao Yunlan sneaks back to the bar (25:45) Brief view of other people in the bar drinking
Zhao Yunlan retrieves the Guardian lantern from the Dixing bar, Ye Zun follows him there (27:56)
Xiao Guo’s date (26:50) They both drink tea
Brief shots of the Dixing bar as light comes to Dixing(21:37, 22:06)
An apple, a pear and some plastic containers of food are sitting on the table next to Cong Bo's hospital bed (24:23)
Zhu Hong works on reforming the Yashou (29:00) It looks like the elders are drinking tea here.
I haven't done a project like this in a long time. There are some great character building details here that I enjoyed rewatching. This was fun! I hope people find this useful or at least entertaining. I almost certainly missed things though so feel free to point out anything that I missed and I will edit to include it. Can anyone identify any of the food more precisely? Or have anything to add about cultural details I’m missing? What are your favorite food and drink moments in the drama?
ETA: I wrote up a short coda of with bit more food related meta here
ETA2: This now available on AO3
So instead of an essay here’s a list of all the meal scenes in the drama. I used
galaxysoup’s episode guide and various rewatches posted here in the community as a starting point as well as my own notes/memory. Thanks everyone! These are listed chronologically as they appear in the drama. I’m not counting all of Zhao Yunlan lollipops -- sorry there’s just too many. However, I do count when other people have lollipops. I also didn't include all the decorative fruit bowls, or unused cups and tea pots. I've included notes and questions I have about some of the scenes.
The format here is:
Envent (Timestamp) Notes/comments
Episode 1
Old Li is cooking as Xiao Guo enters SID headquarters for the first time (18:22) He got a whole little station set up in the entry way.
Zhu Hong feeds Lin Jing Da Qing’s dried fish (27:48) Is dried fish a normal snack in China? Or is this like eating cat food? ETA: This a normal snack. The fish is called 小黄鱼(xiao3 huang2 yu2) or croakers. h/t
in_the_bottle, more detail here. Li Qian cooks has food flashbacks about her grandma (29:45) In the 1st one Li Qian is cooking and crying while her grandmother lies in bed. In the second one her grandmother tried to put a dumpling in her bowl and misses, and Li Qian tells her to eat it herself. h/t
goodgriefcharlieEpisode 2
Zhao Yunlan agrees to let Shen Wei buy him lunch after the case is closed (11:00) Zhao Yunlan says he’ll take Shen Wei to lunch but Shen Wei insists on paying. I don’t think we ever see their lunch date on screen though.
Shen Wei shows up at Li Qian’s hospital room with food (14:18 set up 15:29 -- unboxing) Includes picked tofu like Li Qian’s grandma made, she eats with her fingers and cries.
Episode 3
Shen Wei caries a box of cake across campus(7:00) Zhang Ruonan stops him to ask about the cake.
Cake stealing! (8:00) So shameless! The cake is green, I wonder what flavor it is?
Zhu Hong gives Zhao Yunlan hot medicine in a bowl(15:50)
Da Qing eats dried fish and falls asleep on the job(18:40)
Eng 4 students give Zhang Ruonan cake in a flash back(22:10)
Liu Yadong brings Zhang Ruonan something in a simile face mug (coffee?) and begs for his life (24:10)
Episode 4
Zhang Danni and Jia Hui drink water together (17:30)
Wang Xiangyang gives Zhao Yunlan some apples (24:50) he latter gives them to Lin Yusen
Water picture seen again as SID searches the Dixingians' apartment (27:00)
Episode 5
Chancellor pours tea for himself and Shen Wei (3:40) Rather pretty black tea set, make a nice contrast to the white set Shen Wei keeps in his apartment. More about this style of tea in this comment
Lin Jing makes popcorn in his weird contraption (4:53) Lin Jing makes a mad scientist speech before reveling the popcorn. The whole team shows up to eat some. h/t
riventhorn Zhu Hong snacks while on stake out(13:25)
Butler Wu returns home with food for his son in a flashback (21:55)
Huang Chaoyang sips tea while Wu Xiaojun receives a beating from his servant (28:53)
Episode 6
Lao Chu drinks beer with Ji Xiaobai (6:00)
Ji Xiaobai brings Zhou Weiwei milk at bedtime (12:15)
Zhou Wei Wei brings Zhao Yunlan a cup of tea (22:50) He does not drink it.
Flash back to Zhou Weiwei asking to be brought milk every night (13:45)
Episode 7
Zhao Yunlan proposes a feast to celebrate the recent quite spell (10:10)Wang Zheng immediately tells him there is a new case.
Da Qing smells a beer can in the web novel writer, Lai Su's, house (26:35) The room also features, a pile of bowl, and empty screw top wine bottle and and electric kettle -- not sure what this says about our writers habits other than he’s not very tidy. The mantle in his study is full of instant noodle cups and beer, which does not suggest a healthy diet.
Lai Su eats chips at his computer in a flashback (31:23) There’s also beer and what I think are instant noodle cups (they are a bit out of focus) on the other side his computer.
Lai Su drinks a glass of wine while reading news articles about a murder (32:19) you can also briefly see a box of the same chips next to him.
Episode 8
Returning with the letter he showed to Wang Zheng Old Li notices that his dried fish is on fire and rushes to take care of it(12:57)
Zhu Hong plans to prepare ginseng tea for Zhao Yunlan (14:13) why? he’s not even there?
Shen Wei helps drunk Professor Zhou into a car(22:45)
Shen Wei opens Zhao Yunlan’s fridge for the first time (26:00)
Shen Wei makes congee for a recovering Zhao Yunlan (34:40)
Episode 9
Lao Chu drinks form a blue striped mug while GCC talks to him(3:05)
Jia Jia gives Shen Wei water he takes the top off and hands it to Zhao Yunlan (10:30)Shen Wei waits until Jia Jia isn't looking to do this because he's polite.
Xiao Guo offers to share snacks with Wang Zheng, but Zhu Hong is eating them (13:05)
We see Zhu Hong eating more snacks as the SID crew gossips about Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan's relationship(14:45)
Zhu Hong pours hot water before Wang Zheng tells her story(28:15)
Wang Zheng dips her finger in the hot water and uses it to drawn a mask on the table(29:15)
SID and DCU teams toast with hot water(39:30) Shen smells the water but doesn't drink any
Episode 10
Xiao Guo offers beef jerky to Lao Chu and Zhao Yunlan while they search for Wang Zheng (12:20) When we cut back to them it appears that Zhao Yunlan is chewing something
Shen Wei and Zhu Hong have tea (12:30)
Gelan feeds Sang Zan something from a wooden bowl (32:55)
Episode 11
Sang Zan gives an elder poisoned wine(3:23)
Drinking in the mountains with the Village Chief (15:55) They drink out of bowls not cups here, Shen Wei has a cup presumably its got tea or something else non-alcoholic in it. His cup matches the tea cups from last episode.There’s food on the table as well so the drinking is with a meal.
Shen Wei and Zhu Hong have tea once more with clarity (19:50)
Da Qing eats noodles at SID headquarters(28:03)
Meal with Fourth Uncle (39:25)
Episode 12
meal continues (2:08) Zhu Hong is drugged
Shen Wei serves tea to Zhao Yunlan but he doesn’t drink it (4:40) Shen Wei continues to refuse to confirm his identity.
Zhu Hong forces Fourth Uncle to drink the snake knocking out wine (13:16)
Lin Jing snacks on something out of a can (20:44)
Start of wedding scene (38:35) A few shots of very fancy food, bride and friends are drinking orange bubbly drinks while they get ready.
Da Qing’s eyes turn golden and he smashes the produce stand (41:50)
Episode 13
Old Li clams Da Qing down with dried fish (2:07)
Wine glasses shattering at the wedding(5:50)
Lin Jing offers to take Cong Bo back to the station to have coffee and make a record (15:50)
Forth Uncle sips wine then gives some to Xiao Guo (22:10)
Xiao Guo offers Tan Xiao tea(33:13)
Episode 14
Flashback to Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi making dumplings together(5:30)
Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan drink tea(6:55) Shen Wei pours then gives Zhao Yunlan cup, then pours himself a cup. Love the contrast between this and the tea in episode 12. They are more comfortable with each other after the identity revel. Tea set used here was on Shen Wei’s coffee table when Shen Wei tended Zhao Yunlan's wounds.
Ya Qing bites an apple while talking to Zhu Jiu (11:10) He’s hold a bottle of water. She very dramatically leaves the apple, with few bites taken out of it, on the weiqi board before walking out.
Flashback to rest of tea drinking scene (21:24)
Dinner with Minister Guo (33:25) there’s only the four of them a very large table with lazy susan with lot of food on it. Folded napkins look like birds. I feel like maybe I’m missing some cultural context here. How fancy is this meal supposed to be? Why are there birthday decorations? Everyone has wine but Shen Wei who has tea. I like how consistently Shen Wei is shown not drinking alcohol. ETA More about the room in this comment
Xiao Guo and his uncle continue to talk alone in the restaurant (36:14)
Mr. Zhang and briber drink wine western style together (26:22) The money for the bribe also comes in a wine box
Fruit Stall reopens(26:40) The new sign reads:" Bing Cheng (Ice City??) Apple 3.2; Lu Dao (Deer Island) Pears 5.1; Feng Cheng (Phoenix City) Watermelon 10.3; Ping Cheng (Peace City?) Sweet... something," Translation by
in_the_bottle in this commentMinister Guo runs after Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei to invite them to dinner (29:25)
The SID team open a recently delivered box of snacks (29:50)
Zhao Yunlan explains Xu Tan to Shen Wei (37:50)
Street food meal at SID (40:22) SID team is eating food on skewers, Zhu Hong calls food “dirty.” Shen Wei is not eating, hands on knees ETA: These are called numb and spicy skewers -- more detail in this comment
Episode 15
Mr. Zhang and briber drink western style wine together once more with clarity (10:38)
Zhao Yunlan offers Cong Bo a lollipop (11:38)
Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan are drinking a clear beverage together (13:45) Zhao Yunlan remarks that it's not as good as wine so presumably something non-alcoholic. (Maybe just water?) Zhao Yunlan has lot of bottles of alcohol in his apartment including his coffee table which is full of bottles.
Zhao Yunlan offers the buy Shen Wei late night dinner (18:30) Shen Wei replys that he doesn’t drink, and Zhao Yunlan accepts that.
Zhu Hong drinks too much beer and cries over her crush on Zhao Yunlan (18:58)
As Xiao Guo explains to Lao Chu why he’s late the Regent examines produce in the background(24:00)
Wang Zheng brings the Regent a glass of tea (25:20)
Xiao Guo reads Zhao Yunlan’s advice about lollipops before raiding his drawer for one(41:44)
Episode 16
Daqing dangles dried fish on a string for local kittens(17:35)
Zhao Yunlan visits Dixingren bar for the first time (25:14)
Thugs come looking for Zhao Yunlan in bar (27:39)
Episode 17
Flashback to Bao Laosan stealing food (2:40)
Shen Wei looks for Zhao Yunlan in bar (5:55) The bar snacks seem to have got progressively messier as the evening went on.
Chancellor and Shen Wei have tea again (37:05)
Episode 18
Ye Huo tells younger fighter not to drink soda gives him (drugged) water instead (9:30)
Ye Huo gives younger fighter water once more with clarity (17:50)
Episode 19
Shen Wei and Zhu Hong vist Fourth Uncle at dinner time (24:26) -- no actual dinner appears
Fourth Uncle offers Ya Qing a cup of wine (31:58)
We can glimpse a notice board advertising food as Zhu Jiu dramatically walks through Dragon City (34:30)
starriewolf identified the food advertised as abalone and double boiled soup. More details including pictures here. Yashou elders are having a meal together (40:00) I can’t make out much here. There are four dishes in the middle of the table, and bowl in front of each person, plus some wine jugs.
Episode 20
Reunion Night dinner at SID (18:20) Dumplings! So many dumplings! This is a very nice found family moment. Old Li makes fresh dumplings for everyone, plus there are a lot of little cakes, and a ton of different kinds of fruit.
Xiao Guo offers Zhu Jiu water and leftover dumplings (23:50)
Episode 21
SID team meeting with soup and dumplings (2:18) Everyone watches as Zhao Yunlan eats messily
Da Qing and Zhao Yunlan have snacks while waiting at the hospital (6:20)
Forth Uncle and Zhu Hong drink tea (19:00) -- scene begins with Forth Uncle trying to make a match for Zhu Hong.
Shen Wei unpacking groceries in Zhao Yunlan’s kitchen (20:10)
Zhao Yunlan offers Ying Chun a lollipop (29:50)
Candle light dinner (35:49)
Daqing bets ten packs of anchovies that the miracle doctor is a quack (39:12)
Feng Qubing pours himself tea (40:05)
Episode 22
Zhao Yunlan asks Da Qing to pour him tea (5:28) He comes back with a tall glass half full.
Aging victim is on a date drinking something fancy (9:20)
Miracle doctor has tea before Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei show up to ask questions (17:58)
Shen Wei cooks for a meal for Zhao Yunlan after his eyes are healed (34:20) I love this bit of domesticity. (ETA pictures and identification of some of the food here)
Daqing gets very excited about the fish in Cheng's visualization (30:38)
Dixingren bar after hours (37:22)
Zhao Yunlan takes a swig of beer (39:50) -- his glass is maybe a third full so he’s been drinking for a bit
Episode 23
An Bai in Dixing Bar(15:55) -- we can see various drinks and snacks.
Execution of An Bai and friends -- several onlookers are holding baskets of produce (18:13) One of the baskets is full of carrots. This seems like an odd thing to be holding while watching an execution.
Shen Wei starts to cook dinner (set up at 31:00 start to open fridge at 31:40) Shen Wei claims that this last time he’s going to cook dinner for Zhao Yunlan, but Zhao Yunlan looks extremely skeptical. Right before the fight about Shen Wei cutting himself. Why is the fridge so far from the rest of the kitchen? Does Zhao Yunlan just not care because he clearly never cooks?
Xiao Guo brings his Grandmas favorite yogurt to Li Qian’s grandma’s grave (ep 23 38:51)
Episode 24
Xiao Guo finds someone eating Grandma Li’s yogurt (5:40)
Dr Cheng gets up to pour coffee(13:22) (Note zebra mug which we’ve seen on her desk before.) She gives Zhao Yunlan some it a paper cup. The coffee appears to have milk in it straight out of the coffee maker which apparently is fairly normal thing in Asian countries. The coffee is drugged and puts Zhao Yunlan to sleep.
Final stage of game featuring two glasses of water one of which has poison (25:50)
Li Qian brings Prof Ouyang a glass of water (35:38)
Episode 25
SID eating street food again (2:50) Da Qing bought the food near the scene of the crime to try and get information. Lao Chu is once again not actually eating the spicy food.
Zhao Xinci stops by Minister Gao’s office for some tea (10:09) But he has to leave before any tea can be made or drunk.
Personality changed Lao Chu prepared breakfast for Zhao Yunlan(12:28) The breakfast is in a gray and white box. Lao Chu takes the lid off but we never see inside
Da Qing tosses a container of fish away with great force (17:30)
Zhao Yunlan uses a lollipop as clue: He takes in out of his pocket at 23:48 and Xiao Guo finds it at 24:05. Xiao just kind of tosses it away which is very disappointing.
Dong Nan request that Xiao Guo bring her nice food once a month after she is dead (38:20) She mentions Gradma Li’s yogurt, Lai Su’s cup noodles, and Zu Ma’s Chocolate
Episode 26
Shen Wei cuts an orange for Zhao Yunlan (5:40) He’s probably planning to leaving in near Zhao Yunlan so he will eat it absentmindedly -- gotta make sure Zhao Yunlan eats. Note there were cut up orange peels in Zhao Yunlans kitchen before Shen Wei cleaned it up. So oranges might be a food Zhao Yunlan particularly likes.
Lin Jing and Sha Ya have a coffee date (7:45)
Daji's husband poisons the wine and serves a fancy meal (9:50)
Da Ji comes home with bags of groceries finds the table set and covered in rose petals (10:16) food on the plate appears to be a piece of meat, a small piece of corn on the cob, a piece of broccoli, and something red maybe a tomato?
Lin Jing and Zhu Hong are in a bar listing to Sha Ya play(12:32) -- not much food here but you can see they have drinks in front of them
Lao Chu and Xiao Guo question ice cream seller (16:30) This little ice cream stand shows up in the background several more times as we revisit the scene of the crime many times but I haven't listed then all.
Da Qing sips form a mug while looking at pictures of Daji on Cong Bo’s screens (18:11)
Cats go on a date (19:06) Da Qing’s suit sure is something. I can't make out any of the dishes but there are five of them a lazy susan. Da Qing has wine in his glass, Da Ji has water in hers. There is also a pot of tea on the table.
Da Qing leaves offering of dried fish with Daji’s dead body (30:25)
Blurry sign with pictures of food in the background as Da Qing tells other members of SID about Da Ji(34:26)
Old Li ask Zhao Yunlan to buy some fish bones for Da Qing if he’s going out (35:27)
Flash back to Old Li feeding cat form Da Qing(37:18)
Episode 27
Flashback to Old Li hitting Da Qing as he prepares food, then to Old Li offering Da Qing dried fish at SID (2:20)
Lin Jing hands Sha Ya the guitar and runs off to get “something you won’t eat where you come from” (20:38)
Lin Jing brings Sha Ya stinky tofu (21:20) the way it's served kinda looks like ice cream. Is this normal food to share with a date or is Jin Ling being odd?
Xiao Guo carries two bags of groceries as he walks with Lao Chu (28:39) one is paper and one is plastic. They get dropped when Xiao Guo draws his weapon to defend his aunt an uncle but somehow nothing falls out.
Zhao Yunlan stumbles upon Shen Wei having tea with his dad (31:20)
Bar for Sha Ya’s final live show in bar (38:15)We see quite few customers with drinks
Episode 28
Lin Jing brings Sha Ya a mug of something steaming hot (3:52)
Episode 29
Wang Xiangyang mentions closing his fruit shall early because Xiao Guo bought all the fruit (18:10)
People shopping at fruit stall at night as Wang Xiangyang talks on the phone to his wife. A bunch of people come and start smashing his stall!(22:23)
Close up of the ice cream both owner as she rushes to try to help Bai Suxia(24:18)
Episode 30
Zhao Yunlan uses lollipop to help him distract someone outside the secret lab (11:26)
Da Qing wants to know who will make the popcorn if Lin Jing leaves the SID (15:42)
Episode 31
Lao Chu hands Xiao Guo a magic potion to take if Zhao Yunlan and Zhu Hong don’t wake up in five minutes (26:46)
Zhu Hong dreams about eating human snack food(28:09)
Xiao Guo drinks the potion(30:40)
Zhu Hong discusses how she suppressed her desire for raw meat in order to be more ladylike (35:08)
Episode 32
Xiao Guo comes into the office with snacks (4:49)
Da Qing snacking on something (a dried fish?) (5:50)
Lao Chu claims to be a cannibal (21:00) This was really creepy!
Xiao Guo gives Lao Chu food (34:10) It's in a gray oblong box
Flashback where Chu Nianzhi brings Chu Shuzhi some bread (34:59) It's a small round piece that's in a cardboard takeout box.
Episode 33
We learn that Lao Chu used to cook for his brother (7:14) I’m pretty sure this still a dream but most of the stuff Lao Chu says about his relationship with his brother I think can be taken at face value. Lao Chu is drinking out of small black bowl during this conversion.
Lao Chu confirms his suspicions that dream Xiao Guo is not the real Xiao Guo because the real Xiao Guo would know that he doesn’t like spicy food (10:44) This was a cute detail. It's so sweet that Xiao Guo knows what Lao Chu eats.
Zhao Yunlan hands Da Qing his sucked on lollipop before he heads of to Dixing(24:55)
When asked what he contributed to the SID Lin Jing’s first thought is the popcorn machine(41:18)
Episode 34
Xiao Guo tells Lao Chu his reaction to cannibalism claim (5:52)
Shen Wei’s first lollipop (40:00) !!!
Episode 35
Shen Wei picks up the lollipop wrapper (12:36)
Episode 36
Tea shop and possibly other food service places in the background (35:00)
Zhao Yunlan tells Da Qing he’ll get dried fish if he wakes up (37:08)
Episode 37
Old Li’s dying wish to cook fish for Da Qing one more time (3:11)
Coffee shop in the background, and sign that reads “White Rabbit Restaurant” (14:28)
Getting the branch to sprout using wine (30:20) Flashing between past and present for a bit here. We learn Zhao Yunlan taught Ma Gui about wine.
Episode 38
Da Qing thinks on of the symbols on the wall looks like a dried fish (4:30)
Episode 39
Ye Zun serves Zhao Yunlan drinks (11:10) poor distraught Zhao Yunlan just guzzles wine out of the serving bottle.
Zhao Yunlan sneaks back to the bar (25:45) Brief view of other people in the bar drinking
Zhao Yunlan retrieves the Guardian lantern from the Dixing bar, Ye Zun follows him there (27:56)
Episode 40
Xiao Guo’s date (26:50) They both drink tea
Brief shots of the Dixing bar as light comes to Dixing(21:37, 22:06)
An apple, a pear and some plastic containers of food are sitting on the table next to Cong Bo's hospital bed (24:23)
Zhu Hong works on reforming the Yashou (29:00) It looks like the elders are drinking tea here.
I haven't done a project like this in a long time. There are some great character building details here that I enjoyed rewatching. This was fun! I hope people find this useful or at least entertaining. I almost certainly missed things though so feel free to point out anything that I missed and I will edit to include it. Can anyone identify any of the food more precisely? Or have anything to add about cultural details I’m missing? What are your favorite food and drink moments in the drama?
ETA: I wrote up a short coda of with bit more food related meta here
ETA2: This now available on AO3