Eat a Bowl of Tea

Lee Mei Oi is the wife of Ben Loy and one of the primary protagonists in Eat a Bowl of Tea. She is the daughter of Lee Gong and Jung Shee. The central conflict of the novel is Mei Oi’s affair with Ah Song. She is described as having “soft clear skin […] without blemish, smooth like ivory” (50) and “full lips, forming a small mouth” (50). When they first meet, Ben Loy believes that her nose is “perfect as a distant star” (50) and sees “sympathy and understanding, goodness and beauty” (50) in her face. At the beginning of the novel, Mei Oi is characterized first by her willingness to risk her marriage to achieve sexual pleasure. Later, Ben Loy’s forgiveness causes her to rededicate herself to him completely. Mei Oi is “inextricably in love with [Ben Loy] since that first meeting at the market place” (94) in her village in China. However, once the affair with Ah Song begins, “it was not within the easy-going personality of Mei Oi to halt it” (108). Despite her guilt, Mei Oi believes that “the great pleasures she got from her indiscretions were worth the risk” (129) to her marriage. Even after she ends her affair with Ah Song, she explicitly seeks sexual pleasure outside her marriage. When her husband’s former roommate, Chin Yeun, visits, Mei Oi “privately entertained the fantasy that he, Chin Yeun, might eventually seek some sort of relationship with her” (185). Mei Oi’s open desire for sexual gratification reflects the new possibilities open to female Chinese immigrants in the US.

After her affair with Ah Song is revealed, Mei Oi feels as if “her whole world tumbled before her” (225). Although Ben Loy has trouble accepting her apology, he eventually forgives her, earning her loyalty. Mei Oi stays with her husband because “she realized that her husband could have disowned her but he chose to stick by her” (258), and “it made her feel proud to be wanted” (258).

Wang Wah Gay is one of the two patriarchs at the heart of Eat a Bowl of Tea and a primary protagonist in the novel. He is the father of Ben Loy and a lifelong friend of Lee Gong. He is characterized by his pride and the prominence of his position in the Chinatown community. Wah Gay is the owner of the Money Come club, a mah-jongg clubhouse frequented primarily by older residents of the community. In addition to his job at the club, Wah Gay “belonged to many organizations: the Chinese Masons, the Kuomingtang, the Chinese Elks, Ping on Tong, and the Wang Association” (118). These community ties help Wah Gay after he attacks Ah Song in “a fury of hell” (194) but also lead him to leave New York City after the attack. Wah Gay’s attack has the effect of lifting “the curtain that had shielded the ugly behavior of his daughter-in-law” (212), exposing their family to gossip. As a result, he could “no longer bear to lift his head before his many friends in New York” (212). Wah Gay’s pride ultimately causes him to leave New York rather than deal with the shame of his actions.

Lee Gong is the father of Lee Mei Oi and one of the two patriarchs at the center of Eat a Bowl of Tea. He is the husband of Jung Shee, though he has been living in New York on his own for 20 years. Lee Gong is described as “slight of build, with silvery black hair” (11). He is characterized by his close friendship with Wah Gay and the shame he feels when Mei Oi’s affair is revealed. He and Wah Gay “had been friends for many years” (20) since arriving from China on the same passenger boat. Although “normally in-laws among the Chinese would shy away from the gaming tables when the other was present, in order to avoid any possible embarrassment” (69), Lee Gong and Wah Gay continue to play mah-jongg together after their children marry. The fact that “the marriage of their offspring placed no such restriction on their social activities” (69) is a testament to the strength of their friendship, which breaks the normal boundaries of in-law relationships. Despite this close friendship, Lee Gong decides to leave New York when news of Mei Oi’s affair breaks, explaining that “I have no face to meet my friends” (244). He leaves his final meeting with Wah Gay “choking with emotion” (246). The novel suggests that Lee Gong is overwhelmed with the shame of the scandal.

Ah Song is the primary antagonist of Eat a Bowl of Tea, which centers on the ramifications of his affair with Mei Oi. He is described as “a youthful-looking man in his mid-forties, with just a touch of grey at the temples” (11) and “neatly combed black hair that had the effect of a crew-cut” (11). He is characterized by his position as an outsider and his complicated relationship with Mei Oi. The other patrons of the Money Come club consider him to be a “hanger-on” (71) with a decidedly negative “reputation with women” (71). When the Ping On Ting holds a hearing to decide whether he should be banished from the community, Ah Song decides not to mount a defense at the hearing because “no one would listen to him anyway” (241). Unlike Wah Gay, “he had no powerful friends like Wang Chuck Ting to speak up for him” (241). Ah Song’s position as an outsider ultimately causes him to be banished from New York.

Ah Song’s relationship with Mei Oi is marked by contradictions. Their sexual relationship begins with rape, and the novel notes that Ah Song “had always enjoyed seeing a woman cry” (99). However, he later proves to be “tender and understanding” (217) with Mei Oi, traits she feels her husband lacks. This contradictory relationship makes it difficult for Mei Oi to end their affair.