Ramen Shop, directed by Eric Khoo - 8.6 out of 10

Ramen Shop, directed by Eric Khoo

8.6 out of 10

Although Ramen Shop is a serene, gentle, food orientated motion picture, it does have the story of a gruesome act inserted in the middle, explaining to a great extent the drama, cold shoulder given to the hero of this feature by his grandmother.

The ghastly tale is about the Japanese occupation during World War II and the horrible things they did, one of which has a woman at the center, who is holding her baby and the infant is crying, up to the moment when a soldier comes to the scene, takes him or her – I am not sure the gender was mentioned and if it was, I do not remember it – and throws the child into the air, only to stab him or her with the sword!

Other than this horrendous episode, this film may remind people of Eat, Pray, Love or some other feel good movie, for the characters are amiable, decent people, even if the grandmother is as hostile to her grandson as to stonewall and reject him on the first encounter.

Takumi Saitoh plays the main character, Masato, a young Japanese man who travels to Singapore to find more about his parents past, since they are deceased now, they are no longer able to provide any information and he would meet with relatives far from home.

Ramen Shop, the title, refers to the cuisine that is perhaps the main theme of the motion picture, but this is not just one of those culinary journeys that you may find on the Travel channel or other venues, it has deeper implications for the hero says:

-          ‘I would like to learn about some of the dishes, to cook them and honor the memory of my parents with them’ …words to that effect, Insha’Allah

In other words, as Masato learns how to cook one or another delicious meal, he would be able to perform rituals of commemorating his late parents, perhaps by cooking those dishes and offering them to others.

One of those helping him in this endeavor is Uncle Wee, who is a specialist of ‘pork ribs soup’, which seems to require a lot of preparation and was one of the favorites, apparently a marvelous treat.

Singapore is well placed to combine culinary traditions from various places- Mei Lian is explaining to the young Japanese man, avid to learn about the different flavors, menus that come from India, China and other corners of the world.

Uncle Wee and the family visit the grandmother and they take along their guest, Masato, and mention that he is the son of her late daughter and this is unfortunately met with more than coldness.

In the past, the mother of the hero had infuriated her parent because she has had a relationship with a Japanese man, the would be father of the protagonist and thus a breakdown came about.

Indeed, Masato would return to the residence of his grandmother, after being initially rejected and call her to the door to ask why she had allowed her daughter to die in torment.

Gradually, the old lady and her new found relative might get together – let us avoid spoilers here – after she is watching the photo placed by her daughter under the door, many years before…

Paste Magazine was inspired in saying: ‘Like the best “food porn” movies, Ramen Shop is an expression of authentic passion’.

However, Variety is a bit more glacial: ‘a film about cultural and culinary fusion, Singaporean auteur Eric Khoo’s “Ramen Teh” is cinematically more comfort food than haute cuisine.’