A Time of Taste Episode Rating Graph

YEEN starts courting YIN and they fall for each other. Seeing this, PO feels greatly hurt and thinks of leaving YUK family. Unknown to the others, YIN spends a night out with YEEN who in fact wins both her heart and her body. However, YEEN deserts her afterwards saying that is interested in her because me has been an imperial concubine. CHEUK feels in furious about this and beat YEEN fiercely while YIN, greatly hurt, tries to commit suicide. Master YUK's second son, HUNG JIM, has not yet grown up. He gets along very well with SO. Once they go out together and JIM gets lost. SO feels very frightened and with the help of MUN, she finally finds JIM. After this, the relationship between SO and MUN gets better.

YIN's attempt to kill her fails. Though she is saved, she loses all her interest in living and is very depressed. Seeing this, PO decides to stay on in YUK family and keeps trying to cheer YIN up. YIN gradually gets better and is touched by PO's sincerity. The two grow more intimate but YIN is ~ill not sure whether she should join hands with PO. With the help of General CHEUNG, PO YEE again ascends the throne and calls back his former servants. PO does not want to leave YIN and asks for her hands. Facing separation, YIN knows that she is in fact in love with PO. The two get united and leave for distant villages to live in peace. CHEUK is a patriotic young man and he cannot bear to see the revival of Ching Dynasty. Being ready to sacrifice his life for a worthy cause, he attempts to assassinate General CHEUNG. In the end, he lost his life and his family are also persecuted. The members run for their lives.… ...

Twenty years later, MUN has grown up and runs a food stall in Shanghai. On the other hand, SO has become a social butterfly and a mistress of a Japanese investor, LAM YAT SANG. As for JIM, he has been to France and has just come back to China on business as a correspondent with a foreign news agency. In order to get a better feel of the common life in Shanghai, JIM rents a bed space from MUN and the two of them develops to be friends. SO and MUN runs into each other many times as SO lives one floor beneath MUN's. However, they cannot recognize each other. Same .as years ago, conflicts arise between them. SO is in fact living with. a Korean lady KAM YIN SHUN who comes to Shanghai with a dance troupe to look for her boyfriend, YUNG.

MUN is attracted by SO's beauty but misunderstanding between them drives them apart and SO does not have a favourable impression of MUN. Learning of the relationship between SO and SANG, MUN grows envious. Meanwhile, MUN runs into heavy debts and is forced to close his food stall. This is a great blow to him and he gets very depressed. seeing this, SHUN offers him consolation and support. JIM learns of MON's plight and decides to give him a hand. He writes an article in the newspaper about MW and praises highly his cooking skills. SANG is impressed by the article and asks MUN to be his collaborator, financing MUN to start a new restaurant. MUN is greatly delighted by this invitation. Since SANG and JIM have come to know each other while they are travelling on the same train, SO gets a chance to meet JIM. Yet they cannot recognize each other but SO has fond feeling of JIM because of his resemblance with CHEUK.

In fact, YUNG is hiding away from the chase of Japanese soldiers as he once tries to assassinate a Japanese general. He finally finds SHUN and seeks help from her. With the assistance of MUN and SO, SHUN succeeds in escorting YUNG to the railway station. Yet, while he is boarding, the Japanese soldiers rush in and kill him on the spot. Knowing that SHUN is greatly affected by the death of YUNG, MUN takes good care of her and gives her much comfort. One day, SHUN recalls from her dream that SANG is in fact a Japanese general and her whole family are killed by SANG. Even though she tells MUN about that, MUN refuses to believe her. SO is greatly hurt when she learns that JIM has no special affection for her but treats her merely as his sister. Besides, MUN also treats her coldly and with indifference. Faced with such blows, she grows very depressed. On the other hand, MUN is caught in a dilemma.… ...

By chance, JIM learns of SANG's plan to invade Shanghai. JIM writes an article to the newspaper trying to disclose SANG's Identity and evil plots. However, before he can get his article published, he is arrested but he manages to hand the article to MUN, who is very afraid of getting into trouble with the military officers. In the end, NUN destroys the article and JIM is forced to write a letter of remorse admitting his own mistakes. Such is the condition for his release. SO has tried to help JIM but is ridiculed by SANG. Unable to face up with harsh treatments, JIM finally gives in. His letter of remorse is widely publicized and he loses all his supporters who now look upon him with discern. Feeling ashamed of his cowardice, JIM hides from his friends. Later, when he learns that SHUN falls into the hands of the Japanese, he even feels too scared to help her. In fact, SHUN tries to assassinate SANG who has raped her.… ...

SO and SAM feel a certain closeness to each other and they two get along very well with each other. SHUN gets pregnant and this delights MUN greatly. Besides, he also learns that SO has once got a child and he is eager to know whether the child is his or not. SO refuses to answer him and urges him to take good care of SHUN. A wave of nationalization of business becomes prevalent in the country. MUN feels much resistance over that for fear of his restaurant being turned into a cant.eh for factory workers and his power being weakened. MUN and JIM hold different opinion and the two fall out with each other. Later they reconcile under the help of SO. FUNG and SAM grow fond of each other. SO learns of their relationship and promises to keep that secret for them. It is at SAM's birthday party when SO finds out that SAM is in fact her lost daughter.

There is a call from the central government for metal ware from the general public as a support for the national steelmaking campaign. CHOI quickly responds to the appeal and submit all the cooking utensils and window frames of the restaurant. This maddens MUN because CHOI has even taken away the only chopper PO has left MUN. Feeling helpless and depressed, MUN goes to see SO who offers him comfort. Out of their passion for each other, they embrace and kiss each other. SHUN sees all these and her heart breaks. She runs out of the family but MUN finally succeeds in finding her. However, she has a miscarriage and MUN feels very guilty of that. SAM's family are taken as counter-revolutionaries. SO asks JIM for his help and even tells him that SAM is his daughter. In the end, with the assistance of JIM, SAM and her parents manages to escape from Shanghai.… ...

Eight years later, MUN has already retired and FUNG becomes the chef of the restaurant. FUNG and SAM has got married and SAM misses SO very much. During the Cultural Revolution, MUN, SO and JIM all suffer a lot. MUN is accused as a capitalist and is locked up undergoing great torture both physically and mentally. Even worse, CHOI, MUN's adopted child, is among his persecutors but much to his consolation, FUNG refuses to ally with the persecutors and stand on MUN's side. SAM's father also suffers from the same plight and kills himself. SAM grieves over that and she learns that SO is also persecuted by the Red Armies and is banished. One day, when SHUN goes to visit MUN in the jail, she suffers from a heart attack and dies on her way.

FUNG has totally lost faith in the future of China and he decides to smuggle into Hong Kong with SAM, hoping to emigrate to the states later. Though SO is worried about them, she does not oppose to their decision but asks them to take care of themselves. As FUNG and SAM are struggling his way to the border. It is only on their way that SAM tells FUNG that she is pregnant. At the Lo Wu border, they are discovered by the guards and they run separately for lives. Years passed and in 1990, SAM has become a ballerina and brought-up her child independently. One evening, SAM's son brings her to the restaurant, where there is a group of chefs from mainland China performing their skills. Among the chefs, SAM sees FUNG again. However, after years of separation, they seem to be living in two totally different worlds. Their son is eager to bring them together again but SAM: seems to have reservation about reuniting with FUNG.