PSY 317 "Eat Drink Man Woman"

     

      A movie of cooking and family relationships. To be fair, Asian, in this case Chinese cultures, always have banquets for social gatherings often more than a Western. It has always been in the tradition to serve food at every single event. That was why every eating scene in this movie was used as the main setting for the characters to have a little chitchat or a heart-to-heart confession.

     The father, Mr. Chu, started off as a typical Chinese man and father. But, as the story developed he was not as traditional as every other traditional Chinese father in classical Chinese movies. This can be seen by how he faced with his first and third daughters' relationship. Jia-Jen and Jia-Ning told the news out of the blue during their usual Sunday banquet dinner. After they confessed having a baby and already married, he calmly sees them off to their new life with their new partner. A typical Chinese father would forbid their daughters even for having a relationship with another unknown person. Mr. Chu's reaction was portrayed as silently accepting + giving his blessings to them.

      It has been a generational culture for the typical Chinese, maybe Asians, without exposed of much Western culture to be all lovey-dovey to each other. The Chinese would usually express themselves through body language, facial emotions, and the action of concern to each other which makes us behavioral interdependence instead of affective interdependence. Therefore, we usually take for granted for what has been there without much interest until one expresses what was really inside their hearts. One of these were shown by the interaction with the first and second daughter while washing plates. Biologically a male, it would be harder for a man to read the emotions of a woman (proven by research <http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0060278#s1>). Yet, Mr. Chu pulls it off by being able to read his daughters' emotions about his food and every other day. Not many fathers would help do their daughters' laundry as well.



      Being the youngest, Jia-Ning had not much interaction with her father. So to my opinion, there was not many changes between her and Mr. Chu. She still loves him and wants the best for him. Towards the end of the movie, she expressed that she was sorry for what she had done to him and doesn't want him to get married to Mrs. Liang. The only change similar among all daughters was that the Sunday dinner was a more welcoming event than before.


     The most interesting father to daughter relationship scene in the film was how he wakes every daughter up before and maybe after his morning jogs. I believe after seeing all his daughters settled down and having their own family and goals, he, himself decided to pursue his own future by announcing his unexpected relationship with Jin-Rong. Knowing about the Holland project (Jia-Chien's Amsterdam promotion), he made up his mind to sell the house and led a new life where I believe it is to make Jia-Chien less obliged to him and strive for a better future.

     As all of the daughters became more open and true to themselves together with their father, their relationships deepen within each other. Their relationships stopped developing further after the mother's death or the disapproval of career option for Jia-Chien's case. Following the social penetration theory, their usual conversation was simple and small, or at least sharing an issue. Whereas, deeper statement and private issues were discussed at the dinner table. Finally, the daughters now shares their own believes and values after some climax and arguments.




Conclusion -----> The movie was an inspiring Chinese familial conflict and relationship development with a combination of food events. The title actually explains the basic needs of human which was mentioned in the drunk scene of Mr. Chu and Old Wen. The movie was surprising and unexpected that made it funny. A nice movie to watch when hungry...