When it comes to street food, it will come to mind, eaten many times but still want to continue to eat pancake fruit, kebabs, fried skewers, oil dunzi (deep-fried shredded radish cake, but seldom see it), soup dumplings, spring rolls ......

And we can not always resist the stories about food: Wang Zengqi, Lu Wenfu writing about food, Chen Xiao shooting the Tongue Tip of China" series, Yutaka Matsu Shigetoshi playing Goro Inokashira as a lone gourmet, and Baek Jong-won as a street food fighter ...... This time Netflix has also released a food documentary, with the first season picking nine cities in Asia and featuring the most iconic local street food.

Each episode is structured in a rather patterned way, with an introduction by a local foodie + an interview with a food stall owner (primary + secondary) + a simple production process + a close-up of the food + a view of the city, in a rather compact time of 20 minutes or so, and the viewing process doesn't become tedious in the alternation between the food and the scenery.

In a sense, this is not a pure food documentary, and despite the title, the focus is definitely not on the food, but on the chefs who make that food, and whose stories are the main focus of this documentary.

On camera, they are not just street food cooks, but street fighters, artists, magicians, reformers, givers rather than takers, bringing people together with food and representing a spirit that does not succumb to hardship, in short, the life force, that breaks out of the barrenness of life and blossoms into something epic in the unassuming streets, battles, revolutions, or grand performances.

Bangkok, Thailand - Mole

Mole, 73, has been working for 40 years and is the queen of street food. When she was young, she was forced to work as a sewing-machine maid. Suddenly, one day, her home caught fire and she was left with nothing and had to help out at a street stall. Faced with the drudgery of the street stalls, her mother suspected that she would not be able to cope, but with perseverance and passion she created one dish after another of her own, and has accumulated more than 100 dishes to date. 40 years, the only day off was to go and receive the Michelin one-star award.

Osaka, Japan - Toyoji Chikumoto

Always full of philosophical statements, reminiscent of Takeshi Kitano, feels more like a comedian, a speaker, but in any case, not a street chef, this old man called Toyoji Chikumoto is always full of energy, and he calls himself a "swindler", which means that he turns ingredients that are not used by others into delicious food. He calls himself a "swindler," meaning he "swindles" people out of money by turning their unwanted ingredients into delicious food, and people are happy to line up in front of his Oriental izakaya, waiting for his food, listening to his words, and even accepting his teasing.

After a long struggle, he finally became an izakaya owner, but he still can't help but sigh when he looks back on his life. His mother died early, his father was an alcoholic, his childhood was filled with violence from his father, and the happiest thing he did was to eat a nutritious

meal with his classmates, only to be told by his father that he couldn't afford to pay for the nutritious meal. He went digging up picnics to fry for dinner and slept on rooftops or docks just to stay alive.

Once fantasizing about a life where he became an izakaya owner, with a house of his own, a wife and children, he is now the owner, making the izakaya his home, treating his employees as his own children, and admonishing them at the end of the day, "You are responsible for your own health!"

Delhi, India - Dhachan

Delhi, India is a very complex city, crowded, different ethnic groups, full of diverse civilizations, and therefore has a very diverse food culture, and Dhachan, who specializes in making chaat, is undoubtedly one of the best in street food. In his food concept, "family" is an indispensable element, his childhood was unfortunate, his father was addicted to various drugs, in order to better life, he had to take to the streets.

His sisters secretly bought jewelry to help him, his brother is now his helper, his children are involved, his career has been a failure, but he has started again, and with the support of his family, it seems that everything can start again.

Yogyakarta, Indonesia - Grandma Shatinan

At 90 years old, Shatinan is still active on the streets, and her market snacks (supposedly a sweet made of glutinous rice, caramel, and coconut flour), made in the traditional way, are still a favorite. She didn't go back to school after sixth grade, first learning to sell the treats from her mother and then learning how to make them. As a teenager, her mother was devastated by her father's infidelity and died soon after, leaving Shatinam in a state of emotional loss. But life went on, and without thinking about giving up, she returned to the streets to sell her traditional craft, where she met her husband.

"He wasn't handsome, he was ordinary, and I was an ordinary girl." Such a love affair has lasted from the last century to the present, with the two, hunched over and holding hands, preparing for their daily sales together, while people are happy to stand in long lines in front of her stall and listen to the sound of her laughter.

Chiayi, Taiwan - Lin Chia-Huei

When she was in school, Lin Chia-Huei hated being called a nickname by her classmates, and her nickname was "Fish Head" because her family had been selling fish heads in casseroles on the street since her grandfather's generation.

The fish heads are coated in flour and deep-fried in a frying pan until golden and crispy, while in the casserole, fungus, pork, onions, garlic, chili peppers, tofu, fried soybean skins, and lots of Chinese cabbage are simmered together in a rich, flavorful, and traditional dish that is a favorite among diners. Lin Jiahui under the influence of her father, graduated from college and came home to help, in order to improve efficiency she was determined to reform, increase the POS machine, dishwasher, network orders, but also as a result of a small contradiction with their parents, so they took advantage of their trip abroad, all to get it done, so that their parents come back to the habit of change.

Now, she doesn't hate the nickname "Fish Head", but rather finds it a compliment.

Besides the street food gods above, there are Ms. Cho Yoon Sun, who sells knife-cut noodles in Seoul, South Korea; Chua Kim Fong, who sells conch meat in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Aisha Hashim, who runs Steam Mee Gow Shop and Company in Singapore; and Florencio Escabas, who hawks eel soup in Cebu, the Philippines. Food and chefs, Hainanese chicken rice, wonton noodles, Chinese spring rolls, roast suckling pig, turkey rice, lo mein, takoyaki, okonomiyaki ......

All of them have different cultural backgrounds and experiences, but they are all ordinary people, born on the streets, encountering problems of one kind or another, benefiting from the creation of street food, while Fulfilled their dreams, got a stable life, love and so on. Ordinary life and food born out of the extraordinary light, precisely because of those who have hope and love of life, than empty slogans of positive energy, this food documentary looks more inspirational and hot blooded.

What touched me the most was the unintentional words, the big sister who sells soy sauce crabs in Seoul suddenly said, "...... but wonderful stories, in the beginning there will be failures," as if it was a summary of the whole season in general, in the street to sell snacks, but also into a Jedi fightback against life!

Note: This image is from the documentary "Street Food"

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