It is not long before the novelty of living in Chinatown and marrying a gimshunhock (" Gold Mountain sojourner"-someone living in America) wears off.
This rejection deeply hurts, frustrates and confuses Mei Oi, and she concludes that Ben Loy no longer loves her. Although they made love during their first few weeks of marriage, since their arrival in New York he no longer appears to desire her affection, even when she attempts to arouse him. However, she feels lonely in the city and spends her days sobbing over her deteriorating marriage, not understanding the causes of Ben Loy's impotence. Her arrival in New York should be a happy time for Mei Oi, as she is finally able to meet her father and to experience life in a big city. Their Chinese wedding is mirrored by a Chinese wedding banquet back in Chinatown. After such ceremonial practices as the employment of matchmakers and the approval of the Fourth Uncle, the families plan a traditional wedding. When he meets Mei Oi in China, he decides that he made the right decision – he is immediately enthralled by her beauty and pleased by her modesty and courtesy. But he eventually warms to the idea of bringing a bride with him back to America and raising a family, and he assents to his family's wish. When Wah Gay approaches Ben Loy about going to Sunwei, China to find a bride, Ben Loy is skeptical and unwilling. Without the permission of his father – who wants Ben Loy to stay in Stanton, away from the temptations of New York – Ben Loy and Chin Yuen move to an apartment on Manhattan's Catherine Street. Ben Loy becomes addicted to these sexual flings, often sleeping with numerous prostitutes in a night. When he is not busy working at the restaurant (in the fictional suburb of Stanton, Connecticut), he and his roommate Chin Yuen visit white prostitutes in New York City, a habit Ben Loy picked up while serving in the Army during World War II. The two men write their wives (Lau Shee and Jung Shee) in anticipation.Īlthough Ben Loy seems to be the epitome of a "good boy," he has a secret life. He and Wah Gay decide that Ben Loy will go to China and bring back Mei Oi as his bride. Upon learning that Wah Gay has a marriageable son (Ben Loy) here in the States, Lee Gong spies on him at his restaurant and decides that he is the right man for his daughter (Mei Oi), who is still in China. The text depicts the close friendship between Wah Gay and Lee Gong (both Chinese immigrants with wives back in Guangdong (Canton)), and a conversation concerning their unmarried children ensues. The story then jumps backwards several months to the "Money Come" gambling house and the men who spend their days there: Wah Gay, Lee Gong, Chong Loo and Ah Song. Ben Loy, ashamed of his pre-marital history with prostitutes, lies to protect his secret from his "innocent, pure" wife. They are abruptly awakened by a prostitute ringing the doorbell.
By doing so, Ben Loy regains his masculinity both literally and figuratively.Įat a Bowl of Tea begins by describing newlyweds Ben Loy and Mei Oi sleeping peacefully in their bed in New York City. Additionally, it represents Ben Loy's decision to release himself from the pressure and control of his father and independently create a life for himself and his family. "Eating" this tea represents Ben Loy breaking the rules and regulations of Chinese customs – rather than drink the tea, he "eats" it. Whether it is the beneficial effect of the tea or a change in Ben Loy himself, Ben Loy regains his manhood at the conclusion of the novel.
not easy to swallow" (246), Ben Loy "kept going back to the herb doctor uncomplainingly" (246). Although the tea is "thick, black, bitter. The doctor responds, "Eat a bowl of tea and we'll get you on the way to recovery" (244). Suey, if he has anything that would cure his impotence. The title of the novel comes into play when Ben Loy takes the initiative to ask a Chinese herb specialist, Dr.
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