“So much of the narrative unfolds over meals that, as Wang told GQ, during development she was given notes about how repetitive the food scenes were. But why, Wang pointed out, would she have the characters do anything else? For Chinese families like Billi’s […] food is the crux around which we’re oriented, the organizing principle guiding everyday life and interactions. When we greet each other, it’s with a “吃饭了吗？Have you eaten?” Food is an expression of love that in The Farewell is embodied by Billi’s great-aunt affectionately preparing fried stuffed pies (馅饼) for a niece she hasn’t seen in years. Or Billi’s parents saving all their rationed eggs for baby Billi to eat all those decades ago. It looks like the household’s women bustling around the kitchen all day, making the food that will feed their family.” — Jenny G. Zhang
Food in The Farewell (2019) dir. Lulu Wang