Eat, Drink, Man, Woman

I feel that the father (Old Chu) wants all of his daughters to be well and happy, but apparently has a hard time trying to communicate this to them, as well as being able to show his feelings for them. I got the feeling that he did not really know how to relate to them once they all started to grow up, but that he enjoyed showing his love for them by cooking big elaborate meals on Sunday evenings. Old Chu has a lot of secrets, and his way of communicating his love for family and friends is threw his cooking, I feel like this makes himself feel good, as well as feeling wanted and needed. The irony of not being able to taste and still be a Master Chef, shows us that the need for the help of others is a very important aspect of being human, and that Old Chu was able to find this in his friend Old Wen. Out of everyone, Old Wen was the only one who really knew Old Chu.

The daughter Chu Jia-Jen is portrayed as the "Old Maid" of the daughters because she is the eldest, she is not married and shows no interest in anybody. She feels as though it is her duty to take care of there father ever since their mother has died. She is very religious and believes in the traditional ideals of marriage, and is hoping to find the perfect man to sweep her away. She is a smart and educated woman with a degree in Chemistry, but I feel does not feel validated unless she is someone's wife. I also get the feeling that there is a little bit of sibling rivalry between her and her sister Jia Chien.