The Taste of Memory
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM - 21:30
Sitting up in bed, PETER stares at his smartphone. On screen: Guangdong gourmet tour - Michelin class.
PETER (V.O.): Eating is rarely the reason I travel.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I travel for the sake of traveling - to live up to my monthly travel hobby.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I anticipate that I'll be busy in August.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The package tour's departure date: August 1 suits me perfectly.
Peter fills in the particulars. He clicks Pay. Moments later, we see on screen: Your reservatio has been confirmed.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
INT. LAKESIDE RESTAURANT - 10:40 (Today)
Peter looks at the menu. He grabs a pen to mark against: Steamed minced pork rice.
PETER (V.O.): I always like to try this dimsum.
Soon, a pushcart stops near him. A WOMAN puts a small pot of steamed minced pork rice and a small dish of soy sauce on his table. Peter lifts his chopsticks. He takes a bite.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): OMG...
FLASHBACK UPON FLASHBACK
INT. DINING AREA -NIGHT (1958)
The large Cheung FAMILY is dining. Peter (4) sits in a wooden stool. 弟姐, the maid, places a small clay dish, in front of him.
MAID: For 大官.
It's steaming. The pork is perfect.
PETER (V.O.): She made it for me only. Everyone knows I’m the first grandson of the Cheung family.
Peter eats. His eyes widen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's the most delicious thing.
EXT. TIN SUM POULTRY FARM - DAY (1960)
Peter (6) stands at the front gate.
PETER (V.O.): Grandpa ceased his business. My Dad and Mum wanted to open their business by raising chickens here.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Grandpa and Grandma joined us, but not 弟姐,
EXT. TIN SUM POULTRY FARM - DAY (1962)
Feathers and chicken dung. Peter (8) looks thin. His Mum is complaining. His Dad is enduring.
PETER (V.O.): My Dad was a newspaper photographer. He saw light and shadow. He didn't see the market price of feed.
EXT, TAAN KWAI TSUEN ROAD - DAY (1962)
A TEACHER escorts PUPILS walking towards Hung Shui Kiu. Peter chats with his CLASSMATES.
PETER: I'm very hungry. If you're hungry too, I've a strategy to share - just swallow your saliva!
He clenches his jaw. He swallows.
PETER (V.O.): I feel the saliva go down. It doesn't fill me up. But it gives me something to do. It gives me control.
END FLASHBACK UPON FLASHBACK
Peter puts his chopsticks down. His eyes are glassy. He looks at his reflection in the window.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I never saw 弟姐 again. I never asked what happened to her. Tin Sum is... far.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd):Grandpa died suddenly in 1962. He was 60. The farm was already failing.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd):Grandma did all the household chores so that others could work. She died in 1972. She was 70.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My Dad died in 2011. He was 79. My Mum, 96 now, couldn't recognize me.
RETURN TO PRESENT
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 22:55
Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. It shows a small pot of steamed minced pork rice.
PETER (V.O.): I travel a lot, just to find that the taste of memory has been waiting for me all along, in a humble pot in a lakeside restaurant.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I carry my childhood in my stomach. It takes a lifetime to learn how to digest it.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The taste of memory is not just the food itself - it's the hands that served it, the area I sat in, and the version of myself who still believed I was special enough to deserve a separate dish.
The END
FADE OUT
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