The leading role of Eat Drink Man Woman is a widower-father, Mr. Zhu, who is a master chef at Taipei’s Grand Hotel. Every Sunday, he prepares a glorious night banquet for his three daughters. Following the similar fashion, the daddy figure in Tortilla soup is a former professional chef, Martin Naranjo, who has been raising his three daughters alone for 15 years since his wife’s death. Yet, there are some prominent distinctions between these two fathers, such as their personalities, their attitudes towards daughters’ unexpected announcements, and their reactions towards the deconstruction of family fabric.
Under Ang Lee’s projection, Mr. Zhu represents a traditional Confucian father model, who takes the pivotal role in the Zhu family. The Chinese …show more content…
Zhu), Tortilla soup renders its Latino daddy into an energetic and passionate macho figure. Instead of working for a top restaurant, Martin is a former owner of an upscale Los Angeles Mexican restaurant, who has relative high respects and social recognition. He represents macho and patriarchy. For example, he sits in the fixed side of the table, which makes him a dominator of the family. In Eat Drink Man Woman, although Mr. Zhu sits almost in the same position as Martin, the shape of the table makes difference. The Round table in Zhu’s family renders the father’s authoritative position diminished. However, the big long square dinner table in the Naranjo family enables Martin to retain his power status at the surface level. Moreover, Martin’s way of “let off steam” is more direct and obvious than Mr. Zhu, who tends to forbear and keep in silence. When Carmen announces the news of buying a new property, Martin said more lines than Mr. Zhu, “If you need a loan for the down payment… (Carmen’s interruption)…What about the mortgage… (Carmen’s interruption)…Well, I understand, if you want my advice you would ask me before you making the decision.” Martin expresses his feelings more directly through the use of words and the change of tone and intonation. His last utterance leads to the culminating point of this conflict. Carmen feels sorry for her decision and tries to explain to her dad, who wipes his mouth and leaves …show more content…
In comparison to the rigid and gloomy Confucian Baba, the adapted version makes the Latino daddy more approachable to the audience and bring them with a sense of humor and pleasure. The different reactions towards the daughters’ announcement between these two fathers also represent the distinct culture background. That is, Mr. Zhu’s forbearance is influenced by the traditional moderation thought. Martin’s fiery and macho personality impresses the audience for Mexicaness. What these two cultures share in common is the strong needs to preserve and maintain the family integrity and tradition in front of the intrusion of
Under Ang Lee’s projection, Mr. Zhu represents a traditional Confucian father model, who takes the pivotal role in the Zhu family. The Chinese …show more content…
Zhu), Tortilla soup renders its Latino daddy into an energetic and passionate macho figure. Instead of working for a top restaurant, Martin is a former owner of an upscale Los Angeles Mexican restaurant, who has relative high respects and social recognition. He represents macho and patriarchy. For example, he sits in the fixed side of the table, which makes him a dominator of the family. In Eat Drink Man Woman, although Mr. Zhu sits almost in the same position as Martin, the shape of the table makes difference. The Round table in Zhu’s family renders the father’s authoritative position diminished. However, the big long square dinner table in the Naranjo family enables Martin to retain his power status at the surface level. Moreover, Martin’s way of “let off steam” is more direct and obvious than Mr. Zhu, who tends to forbear and keep in silence. When Carmen announces the news of buying a new property, Martin said more lines than Mr. Zhu, “If you need a loan for the down payment… (Carmen’s interruption)…What about the mortgage… (Carmen’s interruption)…Well, I understand, if you want my advice you would ask me before you making the decision.” Martin expresses his feelings more directly through the use of words and the change of tone and intonation. His last utterance leads to the culminating point of this conflict. Carmen feels sorry for her decision and tries to explain to her dad, who wipes his mouth and leaves …show more content…
In comparison to the rigid and gloomy Confucian Baba, the adapted version makes the Latino daddy more approachable to the audience and bring them with a sense of humor and pleasure. The different reactions towards the daughters’ announcement between these two fathers also represent the distinct culture background. That is, Mr. Zhu’s forbearance is influenced by the traditional moderation thought. Martin’s fiery and macho personality impresses the audience for Mexicaness. What these two cultures share in common is the strong needs to preserve and maintain the family integrity and tradition in front of the intrusion of