As I come from a family of three girls ( a doctor, a writer - me - and a dilettante ... OK, a payroll clerk this year), I can't help but be bonded to the Taiwanese movie "Eat Drink Man Woman," directed by that irrepressible, "Brokeback Mountain" guy Ang Lee. FYI, he also penned the screen play. I urge you to rent this gem, not only for its sumptuous display of Chinese food but also its timeless plot concerning an old chef who is losing his taste buds (i.e. flavour for life) and his rambunctious, beautiful daughters who are testing his patience and fatherly virtues. Apparently, this was the first film Lee made in Taiwan, where he was born and raised.
What I love about this 1994 movie is the intersection of food, culture (West and East) and relationships. It's modern and not mired in the traditional films of yore about maidens, mistresses and ancient taboos. There is plenty of comedy and drama about master chef Tao Chu (Sihung Lung) and the tribulations of his three daughters who live with him: the oldest is the unmarried school teacher Jia-Jen in her late twenties, there's the hot-to-trot rising executive middle daughter, Jia-Chen and the carefree baby of the family, Jia-Ning, who works at a Wendy's fast food joint.
Caution: do not rent on an empty stomach
The film progresses as the love lives of the girls evolve. All the while, the widowed and retired Chef Chu is struggling with the meaning of his life as he experiences his daughters maturing before his eyes. Chu keeps making his incredible weekly banquets with his daughters, who are eating less and less. It's heartbreaking to see the food being thrown away. Careful, adoring attention is made when filming Chu as he makes the gourmet Chinese dishes. There are numerous metaphors and symbols as Chu contemplates aging, life and food. Much is made of creation (cooking) and of death (loss of the senses, loss of his daughters to marriage, loss of "mojo"). Any foodie can relate.
"Chinese mothers show they love their children, not through hugs and kisses but with stern offerings of steamed dumplings, duck's gizzard and crab."
(Writer Amy Tan - "The Joy Luck Club," "The Kitchen God's Wife")
What's offered on the plate here is a loving portrayal of the Chinese connection to food. In a culture that does not emphasize communication and expression of emotion, all that love and feeling is put into its food. Chef Chu is providing his love and watching his daughters ingest his food, is the most pleasing experience of all. And it is during these feasts of plenty that his daughters reveal what is really happening in their lives.
Surprises and Salivating Scenes
Chef Chu leads a simple life and he is a quiet man but his lavish Sunday feasts, with dishes like Joy Luck Dragon Phoenix, speak of a passion and spice that belies his tranquil surface.There are twists and shockers that come half-way through this film. I recall one of the lasting moments of the film as the sexy, corporate middle daughter demonstrates just how close to bone she is to her father. Jia-Chen makes a spread for her father and is shown sensuously and delicately spreading a thin layer of dough on a hot plate to make Chinese crepes. Her technique is a marvel to watch and Lee is at his finest here as he allows the moment to breathe, filling the audience with the pleasures and sensations of food and family.
On a culinary celluloid note, fellow Suite 101 food writer Mary Luz Meija spoke with intrepid foodie filmmaker Cheuk Kwan about his "Chinese Restaurants" documentary series, take a sample of her interview, Points to Savour
