A Taste of Home in the Harem: I Cook Up a Storm in the Imperial Palace

A food and beverage director transmigrates into a lowly worker in the Imperial Kitchen. With a spatula in hand, the world is his. Li Yongan, former food and beverage director at an international hotel, has tasted food from around the globe and fought his way to the top at work. After one drunken night, he is tricked by the promise of a “high salary” into the Imperial Kitchen, a place deep in the palace where people are devoured without a trace. From director to menial, he seems destined to die on the job. Instead, he serves up a bowl of “Memories of Jiangnan” spring noodles, sending the aroma straight before the emperor and making the sovereign, who had refused to eat, lick the bowl clean. Palace intrigue? He’s busy standardizing a chain of snack shops. Political scheming? His performance reviews have the eunuchs working themselves to the bone. While others compete for favor and power, he opens a “royally certified” snack stall in the harem. When his rivals try to poison and frame him, he turns the tables with food safety regulations and sends them off to work the sewing machines. Thermometers and electronic scales are his secret weapons; brand marketing and supply chains are his unbeatable strategies. From one bowl of noodles to a snack empire, from an Imperial Kitchen menial to the “Duke of the Food Realm,” who holds sway over all under heaven. He discovers by chance that an even more powerful weapon than delicacies is emotional connection. A bowl of soup can carry an emperor’s old dreams, and a dish can soothe a consort’s homesickness. He becomes the indispensable “chief experience officer” of the palace. With one wok, Li Yongan not only breathes life into the stagnant palace, but also cooks up a world where everyone has enough to eat and wear. As corn and potatoes spread across the land thanks to his efforts, and “Imperial Snack Carts” appear all over the capital, the male and female leads join forces. A transformation that began with pots and pans ultimately ushers in a golden age that benefits all under heaven. #Food #Transmigration #Business #Feel-Good #Farming #Lighthearted #Comedy #OneHeroine #SubvertingExpectations #Workplace #TechnicalExpertise