Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

Eat, Drink, Man, Woman (1994), a family dramedy directed by Ang Lee, centres on the lives of the Chu family and begins with Master Chef Chu cooking a Sunday dinner for his three unmarried daughters Jia Jen, Jia Chien, and Jia Ning. While the movie does show us the everyday lives of the Chu family, much focus was given to the elaborate preparations of the Sunday dinner feasts, and we as the audience begin to look forward to the Sunday dinner ritual which reveals to be the setting for the revealing of many hilarious and unexpected announcements that would ultimately change their lives and interactions as a family.  

Oh, the horror.

Ang Lee’s portrayal of the family and his manner of storytelling is unique and ingenious as audiences were left undoubtedly in shock and amazement by the end of the film. After watching the movie the second time, I could not help but applaud the tiny hints and clues heralding the build up of the ultimate plot twist, that while is relatively obvious, was easily looked over the first time. However, his brilliance does not end there. Sparsely scattered throughout the film were little scenes that while seemingly irrelevant to the plot, feeds an unconscious message to the minds of the audience and in this blog, I am going to address a couple of symbolisms in the film that I found.

To Adorn and Enrich: Symbolisms 

Moving Traffic

Intriguingly, the movie starts with a scene of moving traffic. I believe that the moving traffic is worth noticing as scenes of traffic plays in different variations throughout the movie, the last couple of times even including the almost graceful motions of a traffic conductor.

Life is almost like traffic; sometimes, it goes on smoothly, sometimes we have to stop and sometimes we have to slow down. But in terms of this movie, in which each member of the Chu family suddenly faces many challenges and changes in their lives, such as a failed investment, marriages, pregnancy, a death of a family friend and loss of a family home, the few traffic scenes that are shown after some of these novel moments could probably be a reminder that even when things seem in chaos and ruins and out of our control, life around us still carries on.

Another thing to take note on is the appearance of the traffic conductor in the second half of the movie. In the initial scenes, the drivers on the road moved according to their judgments and was slightly chaotic and maybe a little dangerous. Even as we find the conductor’s motions to be calming to watch and that traffic is running more smoothly and orderly, it may symbolize how each member of the Chu family come into their own and find the direction and order that was previously missing in their lives. It gives us a sense of comfort that we may be able to take control of our own lives and choose our own happiness.

Food, Glorious Food

The title of the movie is based on the Confucius teaching that basic human desires such as food and sex are natural and should be accepted, but as we learn early on, food is not just sustenance for this family. It symbolizes much more than that, and it affirms what we already know- that it is not enough to just attain our basic human desires, but of achieving happiness in the bonds we form and how we connect to each other as humans.

It was evident that the Chu family hardly had any good communication and the Sunday dinners were often awkward and strained, yet it was their means of communicating with each other and the period in which each member made announcements. More so for Master Chu, who claimed that he did not understand his daughters and refused any help from them, cooking was a way for him to express his love. 

I believe that it is common for Asian families to not be overly vocal in their affections but in their actions instead. This also seen in his new habit of cooking meals for Shan Shan and maybe even suffering through the meals prepared by Jin Rong; albeit mistakenly perceived as fatherly and grandfatherly love, it was still an obvious expression of his affections for them.

Sense of Taste: Twas Lost and Now is Found

The last thing I would like to highlight is Master Chu’s loss of his sense of taste. He continues to cook but we have hardly notice any daughter complimenting his meals; thus possibly a reason for his loss of sense of taste as he may feel that his love was not recognized and accepted and so there is no longer a point to it and loses the enjoyment of it altogether.

In the final scene in which Jia Chien serves her father an elaborate meal, Master Chu drinks her soup and after complimenting it, gently critiques her soup which led to a short, fiery argument between father and daughter when he comes to a remarkable realization- he could taste her soup. It may be due to the fact that the recipe was that of his late wife, reminding him of his first love, made even more profound by the fact that Jia Chien carries a strong resemblance to her mother in both looks and personality.

Reverently asking for more soup and happily obliging, the very last scene captures a rare moment between Master Chu and his second daughter. I believe that his regaining of taste symbolized his recognition of his daughter’s love and loyalty to him. He has honoured her culinary skills and she achieves a sense of fulfillment in her father’s recognition, respect and love.