| Native Name: | 飲食男女 |
| Genre: | Documentary |
| Creator: | Peoples Production |
| Country: | Hong Kong |
| Language: | Cantonese & Mandarin with Chinese or English subtitles |
| Num Seasons: | 2 (Season 2 in production) |
| Num Episodes: | 52 (Season 1, 2011–2012) |
| Camera: | Canon EOS 5D Mark II SLR cameras |
| Location: | Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan |
| Runtime: | 24 minutes |
| Company: | Peoples Production |
| Channel: | Next TV, Taiwan |
May Food Keep Us Together (Chinese: 飲食男女) is a television documentary series on food and people in Hong Kong. The first season contains 52 self-contained episodes, each of which tells the story of a restaurant or eatery.
May food Keep Us Together is a documentary series that captures the lives of ordinary people who cook and serve food as a profession in Hong Kong. There is no celebrity chefs, presenters or voice-over in the series. Through their own voices and accounts, every episode tells a story of these men and women within and beyond the walls of the kitchen.[1]
Apart from telling the human story of these food heroes, the series is also a collection of Hong Kong cuisine. The distinct food culture of Hong Kong is illustrated in the programs.(e.g. Dai Pai Dong, eating dim sum as breakfast, dining together as the ties of family, etc.).
May food Keep Us Together is a production of Peoples Production Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Next Media Limited.
There are a total of 52 half-hour (24 minutes) episodes in the first season. The following table summarises the cuisines featured.
| Episodes | Titles (original titles in Chinese) | Featured cuisine / food | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tango with Snakes (與蛇共舞) | Snake soup and snake feast | |
| 2 | Al Fresco Dining, Hong Kong-style (食在路邊) | Hong Kong styled seafood | |
| 3 | Boiling Water Hot Tea (水滾茶靚) | ||
| 4 | The Coffee Man (咖啡人生) | Coffee | |
| 5 | The Dim Sum Masters (叄去壹) | ||
| 6 | Sweet Troubles (老實糖水) | ||
| 7 | More than Enough (盆滿缽滿) | Pooh Choi / Big Bowl Feast | |
| 8 | There's No Place like Home (回家百利好) | Cha Chaan Teng / Hong Kong-style Teahouse | |
| 9 | Kung Fu Kitchen (百轉紅廚房) | Chinese home cuisine | |
| 10 | No Door to be Closed (麵店不關門) | Cantonese styled noodles | |
| 11 | Roast Goose on Fire (火鳳凰) | ||
| 12 | Call me Mr. To-fu (豆腐佬係我) | ||
| 13 | Love Spins on Beef Offal (牛雜大佬) | Beef offal and brisket noodles | |
| 14 | Mooncakes for All (大同人月圓) | ||
| 15 | Five-storied Roast Belly Pork (炭燒五層樓) | Siu yuk / Roast Pig | |
| 16 | Inside Mr. Bii's Dumplings (老畢的故事) | ||
| 17 | Farewell, Dream Team (拍檔再見) | Teochew Cuisine | |
| 18 | Buns Let Us Live in Peace (總會平安) | Traditional Ping on Buns | |
| 19 | Chicken Intestines for the Soul (緣繫蘭香) | Beef Omasum and Chicken intestine noodles | |
| 20 | Swiss-sweet Chicken Wings (黑色幽默) | Soy-sauce Western | |
| 21 | A Time to Cook (造麵有時) | Taiwan beef noodles | |
| 22 | Father and Son on a Bamboo Ride (剛柔竹昇麵) | ||
| 23 | The Vietnamese Way to Feel Full (越南式溫飽與幸福) | ||
| 24 | When Times Taste Bittersweet (奶茶回甘時) | ||
| 25 | Old flavours, New Times (回鍋懷舊菜) | Traditional Chinese cuisine | |
| 26 | Hot Pot Rock'n Roll (滾滾樂手) | ||
| 27 | What Makes Us A Couple (無冤不成夫妻檔) | ||
| 28 | The Tie of a Teochew Family (情暖潮州冷) | Teochew cuisine | |
| 29 | Jamming Tears and Smiles (Jam出百味人生) | Handmade jam | |
| 30 | The Banquet Must Go On (不散筵席) | Banquet catering | |
| 31 | Going with the Ebb and Flow (順流逆流) | Typhoon shelter styled seafood | |
| 32 | Growing Old with Chinese Pastries (夕陽餅香) | Traditional Chinese Pastries | |
| 33 | Happy Chef, Happy Restaurant (法式開心大廚) | ||
| 34 | The Grassland Seahopper (塔門遊子) | Congee and seafood | |
| 35 | Making Sushi, Making Friends (和味･喜八) | ||
| 36 | Brothers and Bothers (難為車仔麵) | ||
| 37 | Little Egg Tarts Made by My Great Parents (小城蛋撻) | Egg tarts | |
| 38 | Off the Stage, On the Pan (後生仔煎包) | Shanghai-styled meat bun | |
| 39 | Fish Balls on the Road (手打魚蛋腳踏車) | Fish balls | |
| 40 | Congees for Three (食粥三代) | Cantonese styled congee | |
| 41 | The Women in Our Family (廚房半邊天) | Seafood and Hong Kong stir-fry | |
| 42 | The Pride of a Hangzhou Cook (味出杭州) | Hangzhou cuisine | |
| 43 | A Colorful Organic Taste (種出美味色彩) | Organic vegetable | |
| 44 | French Chef in a Chinese Village (法國大廚回小鄉) | French home cuisine | |
| 45 | Last Stall Standing (圍村街坊味) | ||
| 46 | The Burnings of Brotherhood (兄弟不怕洪爐火) | Steak | |
| 47 | The Chef with the Dragon Tattoo (左青龍 右大廚) | Hong Kong stir-fry | |
| 48 | Nyonya Mother Cooks Best (家香娘惹菜) | ||
| 49 | Best Before (此日期前最佳) | Yunnan wild mushroom | |
| 50 | My Grandma from Thailand (泰菜傳香) | Thai cuisine | |
| 51 | Fresh Chef, Fresh Seafood (流浮海上鮮) | Seafood | |
| 52 | Bugs and Noodles, Yunnan Delicacies (情牽米線) | Yunnan cuisine |
May Food Keep Us Together was premiered on Next TV in Taiwan on 4 June 2011. Subsequently, the series has been broadcast in San Francisco, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.
| Territories | Network/Channel | Premiere date | Timeslot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taiwan | Next TV (Variety) | 4 Jun 2011 | 1100 and 1500 on Sat (Re-run) | |
| San Francisco | KTSF 26 | 29 Oct 2011 | 1730 on Sat | |
| Hong Kong | 19 Feb 2012 29 May 2012 | 1755 on Sun 2130 on Tue[7] | ||
| Singapore | Mio TV (Jia Le) | 5 Sep 2012 | 1830 on Wed | |
| Malaysia | Astro (Quan Jia HD) | 21 Oct 2012 | 1830 on Sun |