SUMMARY: Eat, Drink, Man, Woman (1994)
Mr. Chu (famous
retired chef, widowed, with three daughters--all unmarried)
Jia-Ning (youngest daughter) -- still in school, works at Wendy’s
Jia-Chien (middle daughter) an airline executive
Jia-Jen (oldest daughter, teacher)
Uncle Wen, a chef at a famous hotel in Taipei and good friend of Mr. Chu
Jin-Rong, a young single-mother with one daughter
Shan-Shan, Jin-Rong’s daughter
Mrs. Liang, Jin-Rong’s mother, who comes to live with her
Li Kai, an up-and-coming executive for the airline
Raymond, an ex-lover of Jia-Chien’s--they still see each other
ONE * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
1. Mr. Chu, a
retired chef in Taipei, Taiwan, prepares a Sunday meal while credits roll.
2. Scenes
introduce his three daughters, Jia-Jen (oldest daughter, teacher), Jia Chien
(middle daughter, executive) and Jia-Ning (youngest daughter), who works at
Wendy's Restaurant.
3. Time for
Sunday dinner. All have arrived. The table is lush and full. Jia-Chien (middle
daughter, executive) announces she is moving out to a new apartment. She has
sunk all of her savings into that apartment. Then Jia-Chien (middle daughter,
executive) senses that the flavors aren’t right in her father’s food.
4. Crisis.
Mr. Chu is called in to rescue a big dinner at a famous Taipei restaurant. The
chef, his old friend, needs his advice on how to redo the dinner. Mr. Chu
figures out how to change the menu so that the dinner is a great success.
5. Back at
Mr. Chu’s house after dinner. Jin-Rong, a young woman, and single mother, comes
over with her daughter, Shan-Shan. Jin-Rong went through a bad divorce.
Shan-Shan is about seven. Later, Jin-Rong and Jia-Jen (oldest daughter,
teacher) talk. The former shares her sad story. Her mother, Mrs. Liang, is
coming to stay with her.
6. Back at
the restaurant Mr. Chu and the chef finish eating and leave, a bit drunk.
TWO * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
7. Next morning Mr. Chu is up and rousts
his daughters out of bed. Then he runs through the city. He finds Shan-Shan at
a bus stop on her way to school. Clearly he loves the little girl.
8. Jia-Jen (oldest daughter, teacher)
teaching math at her school. She retrieves a volleyball for one of the
coaches--a handsome chap. Then scenes of Jia-Ning (youngest daughter) at
school. Back at Mr. Chu’s, where he is doing laundry--and sorting out panty
house. Then scenes of Jia-Chien (middle daughter, executive) at work at the
airline. She is a manager. Here comes Li Kai, a hot young manager who will
obviously be working with Jia Chien (middle daughter, executive). Another scene
with Jia-Jen (oldest daughter, teacher) at her school. After class Jia-Jen
(oldest daughter, teacher) begins to watch the volleyball team and admires the
young coach.
9. Mr. Chu
brings some food to Shan-Shan at school. He brings enough for all of the
children.
10. People
leaving the school where Jia-Jen (oldest daughter, teacher) teaches. She
listens to religious music when the young coach drives up on his motorbike. He
introduces himself as Chou Ming-Dao. He offers her a ride--but she is going in
the opposite direction. He drives off.
11. Jia-Ning
(youngest daughter) meets Rachel's boyfriend again. Her co-worker at Wendy's,
Rachel, is dumping him and not doing it politely. Jia-Ning (youngest daughter)
and Rachel's former boyfriend share a dinner. Back to the airline. Jia-Chien
(middle daughter, executive) is leaving work, when she spots the new guy on the
block asleep. He is Li Kai.
12.At home
later, Jia-Chien (middle daughter, executive) and Jia-Jen (oldest daughter,
teacher) have a brief encounter and we learn that Jia-Jen (oldest daughter,
teacher) broke up with someone 9 years ago--since then she has not dated.
13. Mr. Chu
walks Shan-Shan to school and tells her he will make her lunch every day.
14.Jia-Chien (middle
daughter, executive) is working late at her office. Her boss comes in and tells
her a
secret. He is going to send her to Amsterdam as a Vice-President of operations.
15. Jia-Chien
(middle daughter, executive ) visits her former lover, because "I feel
like cooking." She wants to share her big story with him and make dinner
for him. She is a great cook--but can’t compete under the shadow of her famous
father.
16. At the
restaurant in Taipei. Old Wen, the chef, suddenly drops from a heart attack. At
the hospital Mr. Chu fills out forms. Old Wen and Jia-Chien (middle daughter,
executive) talk about Jia-Chien’s (Middle daughter, executive) talent as a
chef.
THREE * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
17. Mrs.
Liang arrives to live with her daughter, Jin-Rong. Mrs. Liang seems crabby and
irritable.
18. Jia-Ning
(youngest daughter) working late in the office with Li Kai. They flirt with
each other, share a drink--more to come?
19. Jia-Jen
(oldest daughter, teacher) at her school. The students have formulated a plot
to tease her. She begins to receive letters from an admirer--she thinks the
volleyball coach is interested in her. Then a scene with Jia-Ning (youngest
daughter). She meets her young man again. Later, he takes her to his apartment.
He shares his interest in photography. They hold hands. Then back to the school
scene with Jia-Jen (oldest daughter, teacher). She stares out at the volleyball
coach.
20. Jia-Chien
(middle daughter, executive) visits the site of her future apartment building.
She has her former lover with her. She hears a man say the police have shut
down the site--it’s a toxic waste dump. He drops her off later and tries to
cheer her up. Later, she goes to the hospital to visit Uncle Wen, but he has
been discharged. Suddenly she sees her father with a doctor. She waits for him
to come out of the lab, but she misses him as he leaves. She has a moment of
terror--what if he were to die?
21. Mr. Chu
returns home from his morning run. He wakes up everyone. Later, he is shown
cooking--but something is different. He doesn’t fix the carp as he did in the
opening scene. Later, all are at Sunday dinner, and all look sad. Mr. Chu says
that he read about the apartment fraud in the paper and that Jia-Chien (middle
daughter, executive) can stay with him if she likes. Later, Jin-Rong, the young
single mother, brings her mother Mrs. Liang over. Of course, Shan-Shan comes
too. Mrs. Liang is a non-stop talker. Everyone watches her make her move on Mr.
Chu.
FOUR
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
22. Jia-Jen (oldest daughter, teacher) at
school. She receives another anonymous letter (written by the students). She
wonders who could it be? Later, she goes down to the lounge where--guess
who--the volleyball coach is singing Karaoke. Of course, Jia-Jen (oldest daughter,
teacher) thinks he is singing about her.
23. A montage of Shan-Shan’s sharing her
bountiful lunches, compliments of Mr. Chu.
24. Jia-Chien (middle daughter, executive)
spends some time with Li Kai, who admits that he is married, wants to get divorced,
and has a son. At a store he tells her more of his life story, and she begins
to realize she knows who this man is--but she doesn’t tell him.
25. Jin-Rong, the single mother, visits Mr.
Chu and tells him she appreciates his fixing lunch for her daughter, Shan-Shan.
She also learns that he has been eating her awful lunches--but he tells her he
doesn’t mind. She runs off.
26. Jia-Ning (youngest daughter) tries to
console Rachel, her friend at Wendy’s--the friend who lost her boyfriend to
"guess who"? At the next Sunday dinner, Jia-Ning (youngest daughter)
announces that she is pregnant and that she is going to move in with her
boyfriend, the young photographer. Next scene shows them driving away in a
taxi.
27. Jia-Chien (middle daughter, executive)
and Jia-Jen (oldest daughter, teacher) doing dishes at home. Jia-Jen (oldest
daughter, teacher) urges Jia-Chien (middle daughter, executive) to go to
Amsterdam. We learn that Li Kai is the one who apparently dumped Jia-Jen
(oldest daughter, teacher) nine years ago--and now he is the same guy who is
romancing Jia-Chien (middle daughter, executive). They have a heart to heart
talk, but Jia-Chien (middle daughter, executive) doesn’t tell her she knows Li
Kai.
FIVE * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
28. Mrs. Liang continues to work on Mr. Chu
who politely listens to her. Then to Jia-Chien (middle daughter, executive)
office, where Li Kai is holding court. They start to have sex and he calls her
by her older sister’s name, a Freudian slip, and that leads Jia-Chien (middle
daughter, executive) to tell him her older sister was his former lover. He has
almost forgotten his former lover. Then he remembers her name--and it is NOT
Jia-Jen (oldest daughter, teacher). His former lover was another woman, the
best friend of Jia-Jen (oldest daughter, teacher). Now Jia-Chien (middle
daughter, executive) realizes her older sister has made up the story.
29. Jia-Chien (middle daughter, executive)
goes to see Raymond, her former lover, to share her discovery. But Raymond is
with another woman, and Jia-Chien (middle daughter, executive) leaves.
30. Old Wen returns to his restaurant to the
cheers of his staff. He sits down at the table and dies.
31. Jia-Chien (middle daughter, executive)
and Mr. Chu visit a Shinto temple and then drop off the cremated remains of
Uncle Wen at the mausoleum. Later, Mr. Chu sits and cries next to his daughter.
32. Jia-Jen (oldest daughter, teacher) has
had it! She is tired of the karaoke coming from next door. So she blasts them out
with some religious music! Then she puts on a beautiful outfit and marches to
school, finds another letter, and then snaps. She speaks on the Public
Announcement microphone to everyone in the schoolyard and warns them she will
find out who has been writing those letters. The volleyball coach hears this,
goes up to her classroom, consoles her, and she turns to him and kisses him
passionately. He reacts shocked at first, then relaxes and responds.
33. Jia-Chien
(middle daughter, executive)meets Raymond for lunch. He tells her he is getting
married, but then suggests that he wouldn’t mind still having sex with her
occasionally. She stalks out.
34. The head
of the restaurant urges Mr. Chu to return to the restaurant and replace Chef
Wen. Mr. Chu refuses.
SIX * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
35. Mrs. Liang and her daughter at the dinner
table. Mrs. Liang announces that she is interested in Mr. Chu.
36. Another Sunday dinner. Mr. Chu has
prepared another feast. But Jia-Jen (oldest daughter, teacher) announces that
she is married and her volleyball coach husband is outside. She introduces him
to her father. Later, they zoom away, she on the back of his bike. Now Mr. Chu
and Jia-Chien (middle daughter, executive) are alone. The next day Mr. Chu and
Jia-Chien (middle daughter, executive) pack up the oldest sister’s belongings.
37. Mrs. Liang holding forth with Mr. Chu,
while Jia-Chien (middle daughter, executive) busies herself on another task.
Mrs. Liang announces happily that Jin-Rong’s divorce has finally come through.
Mr. Chu listens patiently.
38. Li Kai meets Jia-Chien (middle daughter,
executive) for lunch. He was surprised to learn that she turned down the
Amsterdam promotion. She explains it was because of Uncle Wen’s dying and
concern about her father’s health. She seems happy, at peace. Both agree to be
"good friends." A brief scene between Jia-Chien (middle daughter,
executive) and Jia-Ning (youngest daughter), who talk about Mrs. Liang working
on their father.
39. Mr. Chu cooking another Sunday dinner.
This time everyone is invited. Shots of everyone around the table. Mrs. Liang
sits on Mr. Chu’s right, Jin-Rong, the single mother, sits on his left.
40. Mr. Chu’s big announcement: he will marry
Jin-Rong! Not Mrs. Liang. He shows his medical papers--a clean bill of health.
He informs them that Jin-Rong, Shan-Shan, and he are moving to an apartment.
When he finally makes everyone understand he is serious, poor Mrs. Liang goes
crazy and has to be carried away from the table.
41. Jia-Chien (middle daughter, executive)
cooking a last meal in the house. She is set to move to Amsterdam. Her father
arrives, walks into the nearly empty house (it has been sold), and he sits down
to a meal cooked by his daughter. Suddenly he begins to criticize the taste of
her soup--and realizes that he has regained his sense of taste. He takes her
hand and looks up at her, standing next to him at the table.
"Daughter," he says. "Father," she says. Freeze frame, and
fade to black.
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Summary
written by Robert Yahnke
Copyright, Robert E. Yahnke, © 2001
Professor, General College, Univ. of Minnesota,
Reprinted by permission of the author
for educational use only