Behind the Scenes of Delicious Eating Scenes in Chinese Dramas: Not as Dreamy as It Seems
The tantalizing and visually appealing eating scenes in Chinese dramas often make viewers crave the food on screen, but few realize the humorous and challenging situations behind the scenes. During the filming of eating scenes, actors frequently have to eat the same food multiple times, while most of the prepared food cannot be replenished or replaced entirely. Consequently, even if the food is initially appetizing, it may deteriorate in quality or attract insects if left outside all day. To tackle these issues, Chinese filmmakers have come up with several innovative solutions.
To prevent real food from getting cold during filming, hot water is often poured over it or a layer of oil is applied to give the impression that it was freshly cooked. In the drama “Empresses in the Palace,” actor Chen Jianbin, who plays the emperor, once had to swallow a piece of food with a strange taste that was picked up by actress Gigi Leung, who played the empress.
Additionally, filmmakers use plastic food items that can be reused multiple times. In “Empresses in the Palace,” Chen Jianbin almost chipped a tooth when he bit into a plastic shrimp.
Similarly, during the filming of “The Journey of Flower,” actress Zhao Liying performed a scene where she appeared to enjoy a bowl of rice. Few know that the meat in the bowl was actually fake, and the steamed bun Zhao Liying was enjoying was a product of CGI.
Besides the issue of real versus fake food, repeatedly filming scenes with the same dish poses another challenge for actors. In “In the Name of the People,” veteran actor Hou Dong had to film a scene where he ate 5-6 bowls of noodles. Although the noodles looked appealing, they were actually just boiled and very bland. Actress Yang Mi also had to eat dozens of bowls of plain rice in “Palace: The Locked Heart Jade” to achieve the perfect shot.
Another difficulty for actors is consuming food with unpleasant flavors. In the drama “Mr. Fighting!,” actor Deng Lun, who played Hach Zheyu, had to eat dog food in a scene to win an advertising contract. To increase authenticity, Deng Lun actually used dog food in the segment.
In the historical drama “The Untamed,” character Wei Wuxian, played by Xiao Zhan, makes viewers’ mouths water with his grilled fish scene. However, in reality, he was eating an undercooked fish.
If you’re a loyal fan of Chinese dramas, you’ll notice that plain white rice appears most frequently in eating scenes. This is one of the secrets of Chinese filmmakers. The choice of rice over other foods has its reasons. Firstly, rice consists of small grains, making it hard to detect any changes even if the scene needs to be shot multiple times. In contrast, items like buns or noodles must be replaced if a bite mark is visible. Additionally, eating noodles often produces slurping sounds, which can interfere with the actor’s dialogue. Although this can be fixed in post-production, it is time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Secondly, rice is an ideal food for creating visually appealing images as it is a staple in every household. When rice is used, it is typically accompanied by other dishes like vegetables, meat, fish, and soup, adding more color and variety to the scene. Using noodles or buns would make the meal look monotonous and less interesting.
