“Legendary Tea” documentary is an amazing journey about Macanese identity, and their families, since the first moment they settled in Macau. The Fat Tea ceremony–seen as one of the key elements of Macau’s intangible cultural heritage–is the story drive chosen by Catarina Cortesao to portray the roots of its tradition and its memory regarding cultural and social identity boundaries. This journey reveals the ingredients, soups, salted and sweet dishes, and secret recipes, depicting a unique cultural landscape more than 450 years in the making that has been dramatically shifted in Macau. The Fat Tea shows clear evidence of Macanese identity.
The angle chosen by Catarina Cortesão and Tomé Quadros (videographer) to tell this story tried to be as much as possible close to the concept that Fat Tea stands as a metonym for creole ethnic identity. Thus, the narrator in Legendary Tea is one of the main characters, personifying the Macanese generation back in the city after a period of living abroad. The narrator addresses the history and the roots of the tradition of Fat Tea, confronting the origin of typical dishes, the recipe secrets, its protagonists, and chefs with art and artistry that elaborate this very representative and secular table. The traditional local cuisine is seen as a factor of aggregation and amalgamation of different cultures and different expressions.
Therefore Legendary Tea aims to document and ensure the transmission of that intangible heritage, in particular the gastronomy in Macau, both traditional and contemporary kinds, revealing specialties like Fat Tea. As well, to get knowledge of its ingredients, the street markets, and the major chefs and characters. That project will ignite the audience’s curiosity concerning Macau’s identity, and its legacy and heritage. Approaching that theme will allow the different communities to know more about the territory culture through Macanese cuisine, around a table, and in this way to contribute to better communication and social harmony in Macau.
Fat Tea documentary project proposal aims to give knowledge abroad, about Macau’s culture, heritage, and legacy. Now it’s time to seek after their origins, looking forward to the future witnessing the present economic growth at a faster pace. Placing side by side the younger and the older generation, and confronting the idea that part of the identity boundaries is fading or even vanishing. Fat Tea documentary for the very first time in Macau highly contributed to give to know more about one of the key elements of Macau’s intangible cultural heritage within the Cultural and Creative Industries in the territory.
When: November 20–26, 2021
Where: Cinematheque Passion, 13 Travessa da Paixão, Macau
How much: MOP $60 per person
For more information, check the event’s Facebook page
