'Ramen Teh' – Eric Khoo's film for the masses

“I wanted to do a film that, hopefully, the masses could relate to.”

That was filmmaker Eric Khoo’s raison d’etre for his latest movie, Ramen Teh, a food drama about a Japanese ramen chef who comes to Singapore to find out more about his heritage.

“That’s why it had to be very simple, and very pure, in that sense,” shared the filmmaker, before empathetically stating that “it is my favourite film.”

“These are sad times and we just wanted to do something a little more simple. I feel that food can bring people together and heal wounds. It was natural to put bak kut teh and ramen together, and it tastes really good.”

“We need something positive, and this film is that,” said Khoo, who was speaking at a promotional press conference in Singapore on 22 March.

The film’s title refers to a fusion dish of bak kut teh and ramen. Ramen Teh is Khoo’s third movie to have a noodle-themed title, the previous two being 1995’s Mee Pok Man and 2015’s Wanton Mee.

Creating more a relatable film

Khoo shared more about his approach to “Ramen Teh”, and how he wanted it to appeal to as many audiences as possible.

“I wanted accessible characters that the audience could relate to. I was blessed with all the performances, that they were spot on,” he said.

But a large part of the film’s accessibility also came from the editing and storytelling process.

“I had to go through several edits because sometimes you want less exposition, and you want (audiences) to go on this journey with Masato (the main character). So far, I’ve showed this to some my friends who are not really into artistic films and they like it. So I feel that hopefully, we have a bigger reach with this,” said the filmmaker.

“There’s a lot of humanity in this film.”

Japan and Singapore work cultures

The film stars Takumi Saito as Masato and Mark Lee as Uncle Wee. The two actors shared their experiences working in different environments.

“I observed that Japanese talents are very immersed in their roles,” Lee said in Mandarin, “in the sense that they will keep to themselves when preparing for an emotionally intense scene. For example, if they have a teary, dramatic scene coming up, they will avoid more light-hearted interactions with me outside of set.”

“However, that’s not to say that talents in other countries aren’t as immersed in their roles – rather, each country has its own unique approach when it comes to emotionally intense scenes.”

Saito praised Singapore’s work culture and explained through a translator that he had more time to relax while working in Singapore, which he feels is very healthy, as compared to the work environment in Japan. “It’s more productive, in a way.”

Their favourite types of ramen

So with the premise of the film revolving around a fusion of bak kut teh and ramen, what sort of ramen does Khoo and the other cast members personally prefer?

“Spicy ramen with pork sliced very thinly, with a lot of fat. When you bite into the pork, all the fat will go pshew pshew pshew in your mouth,” shared Lee.

“I like spicy food as well, so spicy ramen,” said Jeanette Aw, who plays Mei Lian. However, her first ramen experience in Japan “was fabulous”.

“It’s so simple, just the broth and the ramen and two slices of meat. But I found it quite amazing,” said the actress.

Having worked in his father’s ramen shop in his youth and being an actual ramen chef, Saito’s verdict was seafood broth was the best. For ramen, soup is more important than noodles.

“I love shoyu ramen,” Khoo admitted.

As for Seiko Matsuda, who plays Miki, starring in this film has influenced her choice of ramen. “I like miso ramen and tonkotsu ramen, but bak kut teh with ramen is my favourite now,” she said.

“Ramen Teh” opens in cinemas:
– 29 March 2018 (Singapore)

Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter, having written for “Lion Mums”, “Crimewatch”, “Incredible Tales”, and “Police & Thief”. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find him on social media as Optimarcus and on his site. The views expressed are his own.

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