*THIS POST CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS*
Please watch the movie before reading,
it looses so much impact if you already know what's coming.
it looses so much impact if you already know what's coming.
"Eat drink, man woman.Food & sex
Basic human desires. Can't avoid them!"- Mr. Chu
'Eat Drink Man Woman' [飲食男女]
It's been roughly a week & this film still has me speechless, not because there is nothing to pick & emphasize on, but the fact that there are just too many things to talk about. The story starts off gradually & seems very unassuming, but as it progresses suddenly you realize you were actually sitting on a raft going down a rapid river with twists, turns and whirls you did not expect and cannot see coming. Some of the plot twists are bigger than others but either way if you had your guard down (like I did), & expected this to be another typical movie about family, you'd be left reeling and in disbelief at the end of it (I'm still in awe of Ang Lee's brilliant storytelling).
Upon rewatching the movie, there were actually signs that Mr. Chu & Jin-Rong were secretly seeing each other. Though very brief, certain lines said hinted towards more.
CLUE #1:
Mr. Chu is preparing the usual Sunday dinner when someone calls him. He instructs the person on how to prepare a fish, & advises not to roast it. Who is the person on the other end of the line?
"If we don't talk about it today, then when will we wait until to talk about it?"
- Mr. Chu
It was actually Jin-Rong, which also explains why she and her daughter showed up at the house after dinner. And guess what? She burned the fish they were suppose to eat. Mr. Chu & Jin-Rong might have planned on talking about their relationship that night because she asks where he is. |
Jin-Rong & Shan Shan arrive at the Chu family home after Mr. Chu has to leave because of an emergency at work.
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CLUE #2:
Mr. Chu's care & concern towards Shan Shan.He goes out of his way to make her lunch and walks her to school. When her mother makes her lunch, he will finish all the food that Jin-Rong makes, which cannot be easy, since it is established that she is a bad cook.
This "secret" agreement that Mr. Chu has with Shan Shan then leads up to this moment":
CLUE #3:
Jin-Rong informing Mr. Chu that Shan Shan isn't feeling well & would not be going to school
"Is something wrong? Is the detective...?"- Mr. Chu
Look how they seem to glance around nervously a few times as though they're being watched, & how their interaction seems more bashful than normal. Jin-Rong's soon-to-be ex-husband hired a private detective to follow her in order to get custody over Shan Shan, but why would they need to be concerned over this unless they had something to hide?
The biggest clue of all for me would have to be the fact that:
CLUE #4:
He puts up with the dreadful in-law from hell, the person that everyone else avoids and/or tolerates: Mrs. Liang. |
| "Do you mind if I smoke?" - Mrs. Liang |
If that isn't love then I don't know what is.
 |
|
"...what a nightmare she is."- Jia-Chien
& I couldn't agree more 🙄
*shudders*
*shudders*
Here are a few things that I liked about the movie:
Communicating Through Food
Food seems to be the main way Mr. Chu communicates his love to his daughters, besides insisting on doing their laundry for them. Every Sunday he will cook an extravagant family dinner, & it serves as a platform for them make 'announcements' about major events in each of their lives."We communicate through eating."
- Jia-Chien
Though seemingly small at first, the story starts to take it's twists & turns with each announcement made, living viewers completely thrown as Jia-Ning's shotgun marriage & Jia-Jen's rushed marriage act as the one-two punch, with Mr. Chu's relationship with Jia-Rong as the knock out punch.
 |
| Though probably not as dramatic as Mrs. Liang's reaction or the same choice of words, her reaction mirrors what I imagined was everyone else's reactions |
Jia-Chien's Selflessness
Out of the 3 sisters, she is the one who actually cares for her father the most. Despite being the first to declare that she'll move out, in the end she is the last to do so. |
| Jia-Chien finally being able to cook in her own house now that she is the only one living in it. |
You can imagine the heartbreak she must have felt when her worries were for nothing, & that she could've proceeded with her plan to go to Amsterdam instead of staying behind for her father who did not need her."Whoosh, suddenly everything's gone."
- Jia-Chien
She reflects my experience as the middle child, always having to be responsible & to have to work for what you want while the oldest acts willfully & the youngest is pampered. Hence, I can definitely empathize with her.
In the end she does proceed to Amsterdam, so I guess she's gotten her own happy ending.
Mr. Chu & Jia-Chien
I quite enjoyed their dynamics. Despite having what seems to be a distant relationship, Jia-Chien is definitely the closest to her father. |
| Jia-Chien accompanying Mr. Chu upon Uncle Wen's passing |
A reversal of roles, comparing their first and last interaction in the movie.
They still banter and argue with each other, but it lacks the underlying discontent that it used to.
 |
| The movie ends with the two of them |
I still don't full understand the meaning behind this anti-climatic & odd ending though. Is this what Ang Lee's original idea was, to tell the story between this father-daughter duo, & that everything else that occurred were just sub-plots to make things interesting?
Jia-Chien does resemble her mother the most, so is this some form of "reunion"?
Uncle Wen's Passing
In the beginning we find out that his sense of taste is deteriorating. As a result, his cooking is affected, but he is only willing to admit it to his good old friend Uncle Wen.
 |
"My sense of taste is getting worse & worse,
- Mr. Chuevery time I cook I have to judge my food based on your facial expressions." |
Mr. Chu's words are like a metaphor for the death of his dear friend and probably his career as well, as he relies heavily on Uncle Wen to cook . Subsequently, he feels indifferent towards what he eats or drinks, be it his favourite tea or plain water, as everything would only be bland to him. Losing Uncle Wen is akin to losing his passion for life."My sense of taste is dead."
- Mr. Chu
Though in the end, his sense of taste did return after drinking the soup Jia-Chien made following her mother's recipe. Miracle maybe?
- Extras -
Takeaways:
Don't go for your friend's boyfriend. Just don't.
 |
| Jia-Ning feeling guilty as her friend cries over her "heartbreak" |
If you push a women too far, she's gonna push back harder & with a more dramatic flare
Jia-Jen's epic makeover
The one thing that distinguishes people living together & a family, is that family members worry about each other.
"Family members who live under the same roof can still lead their own lives,
but worry that comes from the heart is what makes a family."- Mr. Chu
And though life may get you down sometimes & things may not go your way, just grab a good friend & you'll be able to laugh & stumble your way through any obstacle that comes your way 😏
*Fade to Black*
References
Hsu, L. K., & Hsu, K. (Producers), & Lee, A. (Director). (1994). Eat drink man woman [Motion picture]. Taiwan: The Samuel Goldwyn Company.
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