Food and movies

I love movies, I love food, and I love movies about food. There’s a post on the Kitchn today asking readers what their favourite food-themed movies are. I’m reading the titles and taking notes of movies I need to see! Personally, I’d have to mention (again) Mostly Martha, Chocolat, The Waitress, The Help, Ratatouille, Julie and Julia... While I did see Babette’s Feast, Vatel and Like Water for Chocolate, I don’t have such fond memories of them. But speaking of The Help, did you know that almost all the food shown in the movie was cooked by “real people”, not food stylists? That was a wonderful movie, by the way, which I definitely recommend.

I also like menus based on movies. For example, the Alamo Drafthouse, my favourite movie theatre chain, does a Valentine’s Day-themed menu each year and pairs it with movies. Last year, they had roast game hen with chocolate sauce for Chocolat, an eel dish for The Princess Bride, and crab dumplings for Eat Drink Man Woman. I often see similar menus online each year around Oscar time as well.

There are also recipes from (or inspired by) movies, like pasta cacio e pepe from Eat, Pray, Love, veal chops with rose petal sauce from Like Water for Chocolate, cailles en sarcophage from Babette’s Feast, and the ratatouille from Ratatouille. I haven’t made any of these yet, but I’ve bookmarked the roast game hen with chocolate sauce as well as the ratatouille!