1984: A Gourmet's Journey Begins at a Bankrupt Noodle Shop

Chen Jun brings a gourmet System back to 1984, a golden age of scarcity, when opportunities were everywhere. That year, he saves his family’s noodle shop from bankruptcy with toppings so delicious they make your mouth water, makes his name with heritage dishes even more authentic than those from their places of origin, and casually takes on several nationally renowned chefs as apprentices. Braised, steamed, stir-fried, pan-fried, marinated… Sichuan, Shandong, Cantonese, Huaiyang… Chen Jun humbly says he only knows a tiny bit about each… A wealthy beauty from another province makes the first move, several lovely women in the county want him to keep them company, and even his ex-girlfriend, who had vanished without a trace, is crying and begging to come back. At a regional food championship, a master on the judges’ panel sees Chen Jun competing, shakily rises to his feet, and gives him a bitter smile. “Master, why are you competing? I might as well just hand you the prize…”