Eat a Bowl of Tea - Katriel Sahlstrom

Eat a Bowl of Tea shows the life of Ben Loy, a Chinese American in the late 1940s. The Chinese and American cultures affect him in different ways, each bringing their own intricacies, downfalls, and beauties into his life. This is a clear correspondence to the sixth Critical Race Theory tenant, which states that every group has a unique story to tell to contribute to US history.

Ben Loy’s heritage is Chinese. His father immigrated from China, leaving his wife at home. However, his son grew up in New York. Ben Loy did not learn Chinese and wears American dress. He is a child of America.

In contrast, Ben Loy’s father’s home is China. Even though he sends kitchen appliances home to his wife as tokens of the American lifestyle, he is loyal to the traditions and customs of his homeland. He sends Ben Loy home to China to marry a Chinese woman in the proper Chinse fashion.

While the courtship is traditional, it carries a subtle flavor of a 1950’s American romance with Ben Loy’s jacket, cigarettes, and a drive-in movie (without the cars). The movie playing in their Chinese village is Shangri-La, a movie from Old Hollywood about a paradise in Asia. These details show the gradual mingling of cultures and how each contribute to write the story of the film.

Ben Loy and his wife, Mei Oi, feel increasing pressure from their Chinese families to reproduce. When they have difficulty, the constant watching for Mei Oi’s pregnancy does little to help the already-existing strife and frustration between the two. Their marriage disintegrates further as Ben Loy works long hours. He is infected by the American culture, valuing work over family. He neglects his wife, and when he finds she has been seeking attention from another man, their marriage burns to the ground. These issues illustrate how family values of both cultures combine to create a thorny web of conflict.

However, things work out for the young couple in the end. They resolve their marriage, and are seen having an American style barbeque with their firstborn son. The couple’s two cultures-Chinese and American-are fundamentally different. Ben Loy’s story presents the idea of multiple consciousness. Because he is both Chinese and American, he can see the world both as a Chinese man and an American man. Each culture has its own story to tell and its own uniqueness to contribute to not only his life, but the lives of countless other immigrants throughout the history of America.