PINS AND NOODLES

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Exploring the theme of food as medicine, PINS AND NOODLES follows filmmaker Paul Kwan's search for a cure for his food allergies from San Francisco's Chinatown to the herbal districts of Saigon, Taipei and Hong Kong. Kwan has discovered, much to his dismay, that shellfish and the rich, spicy foods that give him such great pleasure may be the cause of red, itchy rashes and major discomfort. However, his Chinese doctor's embargo on his favorite dishes will isolate him from an important social ritual, the family banquet. To understand Kwan's quandary and his approach, one must first take into consideration two things: 1) Within the context of his Chinese Vietnamese family and friends, the inability to share meals is akin to exile; and 2) According to Chinese medicine, food is the foundation of health, with "hot" or "cold" properties and healing virtues.

Proceeding on these two premises, Kwan journeys from San Francisco's Chinatown to Saigon, Taiwan and Hong Kong seeking the best - and most palatable - remedies for his ailment, sampling some of the finest cuisine along the way. In addition to delivering mouth-watering visuals, this docu-memoir presents a series of memorable characters and scenes, fascinating examples of East meeting West. Paul's physician of choice, 85-year-old Dr. Ng, treats both Asian and non-Asian patients with Chinese herbs and acupuncture. In Taiwan, another practitioner of Chinese medicine uses a computer and modern technology to update his diagnosis. The "Noodle Master," who hand-pulls noodles thin enough to thread a needle, provides contrast to the busy metal fingers of a noodle factory machine. And Marco di Linguini - mythical distant cousin of Marco Polo - discovers a means of keeping noodles fresh and tasty for the long journey back from China.

Ranging from playful to serious, Kwan and collaborator Arnold Iger use a spectrum of storytelling styles to describe Kwan's personal journey of food and health, including documentary verité, animation, puppetry, historical photographs and ancient medical charts. The tension builds as Kwan's odyssey turns into a life-threatening ordeal, when midway through making the video he suffers a debilitating stroke. Kwan's experience and his process of recovery lend extra significance to PINS AND NOODLES' preoccupation with food, medicine, culture and health.

"When I was growing up," says Kwan, "my mother always prepared meals using herbs that, in combination with certain foods in certain seasons, were reputed to be good for our health.... Through PINS AND NOODLES, I hope to provide a lens though which we can see the healing power of food and, at the same time, affirm the importance of cultural knowledge and continuity."