Expert: Mel - 6/3/2011

Question
I saw a Japanese or Chinese film in 2008 that concerned a chef that worked in a banquet hall or large hotel.  He was an expert catering chef and the plot revolved around him, his work and his daughters and their friends.  If I remember correctly the name of the film had something to do with gourmet cooking or the name of a particular dish. . . .does this ring a bell?  It was very good material, and I think it was made in the last 15 years.  Thanks!

Answer
Hello Eric,

The one that comes to mind is "Eat Drink Man Woman" from 1994. (Hollywood re-made this film as "Tortilla Soup" in 2001.)

STORY OUTLINE: The well-traveled metaphor of food as communication is given a tender, appealing treatment in Ang Lee's finely observed film about a widower whose aging and loneliness have caused him to lose touch with his three grown daughters, each of whom is looking for love in modern-day Taiwan. The father is a master chef who has begun to lose his sense of taste while attempting to come to grips with his daughters' increasing independence and the failing health of his best friend; he begins to question the basis of existence, namely love and food. The daughters, meanwhile, feeling cramped by their father's distance, begin to explore notions of freedom from their cramped quarters.

Have a look here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yicBx-okC3k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN3WS_2LM0Y&NR=1


Glad to be of help. Cheers..........Mel.