Eat a Bowl of Tea

Eat a Bowl of Tea highlights the story of Ben Loy as a second generation Chinese American. Ben Loy is compared to his father early on in the movie after he travels to China to marry Mei Oi. One thing that really stood out to me about this early part of the film was the difference between Ben Loy and his father; his father ventured to America and, because of the Chinese Exclusion Acts and other laws in place at the time, had to leave his wife behind. Ben Loy, in contrast, is not only able to bring his wife to America, but he goes to China for the sole purpose of marrying Mei Oi. When he returns, he experiences his own Chinese culture and is pressured by the other Chinese American members of his community to rush into being a "family man" by impregnating his wife and running the restaurant that he gains the privilege of maintaining.

The Critical Race Theory tenet that I feel is most clearly represented in this film is the fifth: "Critical Race Theory assumes intersectional identity and anti-essentialism: Everyone has a compound & complex identity". This is clear when you compare the main characters: Ben Loy is a Chinese American who grew up in the states and was therefore more exposed to that culture than his original Chinese culture. He is still, however, exposed to his Chinese culture and is very aware of it, as is evident by his excursion to China to find a wife. When comparing Ben Loy to other characters, such as his father or Mei Oi, you notice that different things matter to different people. To Mei Oi, family is something that she feels should be emphasized and is offended by Ben Loy's lack of attention given to her. Ben Loy, however, promotes the necessity of work and thinks that he can make up for his absence with material gifts, such as the TV that Mei Oi immediately rejects. The entire situation results in a very unhappy family situation, which to the Chinese Americans who value family over so much else, is very hard to work around.

Ben Loy is a very accurate representation of what the Nisei, in Chinese American history, would've been like (though, I'm not sure whether Ben Loy is actually Nisei or not..? He was not born in America, but he grew up in America and is the son of an Issei, so...?) Ben Loy sees himself as American but still adheres to the culture of his Chinese heritage, with his decision to abide by his family's marriage customs. He also finds himself arguing with his father over certain customs of Chinese culture, such as having a child immediately following marriage rather than waiting "until they are ready," as he puts it. Ben Loy is a very good example of what Victor Wong (who oddly enough plays Wah Gay, Ben Loy's father) describes as the "'Marginal Man', caught between two cultures," on Takaki page 260.