The most “St. Louis” scene from Eric “Remrod” Mayes’ documentary Half Order doesn’t even take place on this continent.
A Northside expat who has lived in China for the better part of a decade daps up his favorite street food vendor and greets him in Chinese. He orders some rice and sings its praises. But he still stands on the notion that St. Louis Chinese food is better than any he has eaten in China.
Few foods spark as much loyalty or debate among Black St. Louisans as their preferred corner chop suey restaurant.
Mention your favorite spot for rice, noodles or sides and you’ll either get a debate, a cosign or a side-eye. Ask someone from another city about a St. Paul sandwich and you’ll probably be met with a blank stare. But for filmmaker, musician and content creator Remrod, the region’s longstanding relationship with neighborhood Chinese restaurants is about much more than what’s on the menu.
It’s community. It’s memory. It’s connection.
And now it’s the subject of Half Order, the documentary he co-wrote with Warren Armour and directed. The film makes its debut as part of Cinema St. Louis’ 35th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival on Nov. 7 before a standalone premiere at Ballpark Village on Nov. 15.
“What started it for me was seeing how people talk about it,” Remrod said. “People will argue you down about their spot. They’ll stand on it. But when you really look at it, it’s bigger than the food. It’s the neighborhoods, the people, the businesses and the way this became part of St. Louis culture.”
During a recent conversation, what started as an interview quickly turned into a discussion about growing up on neighboring corners of North St. Louis and North County and the chop suey spots that shaped our childhoods. Vinh Chop Suey in Baden for me. Lisa Chop Suey, just across the county line (in Jennings), for him. Thanks to Northland and River Roads malls, our childhood paths intersected. The neighborhood chop suey spot wasn’t just a place to eat. It was part of growing up.
Five years ago, he began pitching the concept. The first responses weren’t encouraging.
“The first few times it got rejected,” he said. “I kept thinking maybe I wasn’t presenting it the right way.”
He never stopped believing in the story.
“I felt like nobody had documented this culture,” he said. “When you leave St. Louis, you realize it doesn’t exist everywhere else the way it exists here. Other places might have fried rice. Other places might have Chinese restaurants. But they don’t have this.”
Travel only reinforced what he already believed. Whether in New York or through a longtime friend living in China who appears in the documentary, he kept arriving at the same conclusion.
“It’s not the same,” he said. “They don’t have St. Pauls. They don’t do the rice the same.”
What audiences won’t find in Half Order is an effort to crown the city’s best restaurant.
“There are spots all over the city and county,” Remrod said. “People have their favorites based on where they grew up. I didn’t want to make it about who’s better than who. Everybody has a story. Everybody has a reason.”
Instead, the film explores how generations of Black St. Louisans and Chinese restaurant owners built an enduring relationship.
“The biggest thing I learned was how similar we really are,” he said. “We’re both dealing with a lot of the same struggles. We’re both working hard. We’re both trying to keep businesses going and take care of our families.”
The film includes restaurant owners, customers and community members. It offers a glimpse into kitchens that have served generations of St. Louis families.
“For a lot of people, this was the first time they were being heard or seen in this way,” he said. “A lot of the restaurant owners had never been on camera before.”
For him, this is a St. Louis story, but it’s also a human story.
“I want people to see how culture brings people together,” Remrod said.
Having the film premiere at home carries special meaning.
“I’ve always believed you can make something happen from St. Louis,” he said. “A lot of people think you have to leave to become successful. I’ve never bought into that. I think we can create things here that bring people here. That’s the real flex.”
The finished film runs roughly 40 minutes, far longer than the seven-minute short he initially envisioned.
“I didn’t want it to feel like a traditional documentary,” he said. “I wanted it to move. I wanted people to stay engaged the whole time.”
For Remrod, success won’t be measured by ticket sales or festival recognition.
He’ll know the film worked if audiences leave recognizing themselves.
“I hope people walk away saying, ‘That’s us,’” he said. “This is our story. This is something unique to St. Louis.”
It’s ultimately what Half Order serves up.
Maybe that’s why one of the documentary’s most memorable moments unfolds thousands of miles from home. A North St. Louis native standing on a street in China still compares what’s in front of him to the chop suey shops he grew up with.
Half Order is about the things St. Louisans carry with them wherever they go.
The 35th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival runs Nov. 5-16. For a full schedule, visit cinemastlouis.org.