Aside from appealing to the taste buds and inspiring wanderlust, the highly-rated show wins over the audience for peppering food with strong human interest by telling stories of the shop owners.

Like the pig soup stand in Shanxi, most breakfast shops and stands featured in the show are owned and run by couples, who get up around 3 am each day and toil for hours before having their own breakfast.

When interviewed, each couple, despite complaining about one another, moved viewers with their deep love and mutual support for each other.

"I'm so impressed with the dedication and perseverance of those shop owners. They are the people who truly know about life," reads part of the comment by Douban user Joyce_Joyce.

"One shop, two people, three meals, and four seasons – those are enough for a good life," reads another comment on the site.