Where did the "calmly eating noodles when bad guys walk in" scene first appear?

Where did the "calmly eating noodles when bad guys walk in" scene first appear? - Person walking on street during sunset

This scene happens in many martial arts movies:

It usually starts with some hero wandering into a strange town; orders a bowl of noodles; then a couple of bad guys casually sit down and start harassing the hero because he/she appears weak; this is then followed by the hero beating every bad guy in town and casually walking out of the restaurant.

One recent example of this is with Zhang Ziyi in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

The opening scene of Kung Fu Panda also has a similar scene.

So what is the reference for this scene? When did it first appear? How did it become popularised? What is its country of origin?

film-techniquesfirst-appearance


Best Answer

This theme is not limited to martial arts movies and makes an appearance in many movie genres. The eating a bowl of noodles can easily be traded out with having a beer in a saloon from any number of westerns.

This device has occurs constantly in westerns. See this clip from a 1939 western:



Pictures about "Where did the "calmly eating noodles when bad guys walk in" scene first appear?"

Where did the "calmly eating noodles when bad guys walk in" scene first appear? - Cool confident African American male in earbuds and casual clothes looking at camera with interest while standing on street with large black bag on shoulder and listening to music against blurred people and urban environment in city
Where did the "calmly eating noodles when bad guys walk in" scene first appear? - Serious African American male in casual clothes standing with skateboard on shoulder on street near asphalt road in city in daytime
Where did the "calmly eating noodles when bad guys walk in" scene first appear? - Aged houses near road and mounts under cloudy sky



Gumball | Darwin's Potato Diet | The Potato | Cartoon Network



Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Rahul Pandit, Andrea Piacquadio, Budgeron Bach, vT NOR

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