“What the hell is a waffle?”Based on Louis Chu’s 1961 novel of same name (adapted for the screen by Judith Rascoe), Wayne Wang’s post-WWII period drama Eat a Bowl of Tea traces the fate of an arranged marriage between American-born Ben Loy (Russell Wong) and Chinese-born Mei Oi (Cora Miao). The match was hastily orchestrated by the partners’ respective parents following the sudden cessation of the discriminatory Chinese Exclusion Act that had for decades prevented Chinese-American men from bringing their wives or relatives to their adopted country. Wang’s focus is a bit less macro than I’d have hoped for—the central crisis is cuckoldry brought on by Ben’s stress-related impotence. Still despite a somewhat middling script the film exudes a lived-in charm that I attribute to winning performances across the board and a terrific eye for dingy Chinatown locations.In my New York movies ranked list.
