The only TCS drama serial that I really like is "Wok of Life" (a.k.a Fu2 Man3 Ren2 Jian1), starring Chor Chew Meng & Ann Kok, which first aired in 1999, I think.
Chow Chew Meng was a zest-less apprentice chef who accidentally fell into his teacher's water urn (used for storing duck sauce) and was plunged back in time to the the 1960s, when his teacher was himself a clumsy & quiet apprentice who often cut himself while chopping up ingredients. Through Chew Meng's eyes, we followed the history of the restaurant "Fu2 Man3 Lou2", which ran in parallel with Singapore's early history. Chew Meng easily blended in with the restaurant's patrons and employees due to his resemblance to his father, who was then a playboy and often disappeared to Brunei / Malaysia to avoid his many girlfriends. During his father's absence, Chew Meng took his place and became witness to the early life of his teacher and the people around him.
Since this was a serial about a restaurant and chefs, there were cooking challenges and introductions of dishes & cooking techniques, which was quite interesting. Chew Meng's witty narrations reminded me of Louis Koo teaching his ancient friends the English birthday song, foot reflexology and about batteries in "A Step into the Past". Introducing characters who really existed (e.g. the duo Wang Sha & Ye Feng) into the story also made it more "real" and believable. While the serial followed the hardships and struggles of our forebears, it was saved from been constantly tragic by many funny moments, making it a very enjoyable serial (at least for me)
It would probably be the ONLY TCS drama serial that I will want to keep (VCD / DVD). It would be nice to have the soundtrack too, but I don't seem to see them (VCD / soundtrack) on sale anywhere. Just for information, this serial
- won the Most Popular Drama in Taiwan award
- gave Chew Meng the Most Popular Male Artiste in Taiwan award
- gave Yang Libing (as Chew Meng's mother) the Best Supporting Actress award
in Star Awards 1999
Another serial worthy of mention is The Unbeatables I (only I, not II & III !!!!!)
P.S. Anyone know where to get the soundtrack and VCD ? And sorry for being long-winded ...