Food Scenes (564 hits)
Category: Movies & TVRating: -0.5 on 5 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Rabid Weasel <rbdweasel.at.yahoo.com> (View user info) at 2004-03-10 14:04:40 EST
Writers have a palette of spices to entertain: sex, action, mystery, horror, drama, suspense, scenery and more that I don't feel like listing because the point I want to make is not "the definitive list of things writers can add to make their masturbatory prose likeable by someone other than themselves". Though this would be an interesting article, I think it would be better addressed by someone more qualified than a hack like myself.
Want I want to elaborate on is an often neglected adjunct to stories: food. In the aftermath of the Lord of the Rings hype I am re-reading "The Hobbit". Though Tolkien's works are devoid of sex scenes, he is a master of the "food scene". Bilbo can't go two pages without wondering about his next meal, describing what he is currently eating or rhapsodizing about his last meal. If you took out all references to food in the book, it would probably be half as long. I confess I love it. Like most overweight Americans, I could read about food all day long and Tolkien through his gluttonous Hobbits and chubby Dwarves is the master. Unfortunately for all of us this was almost completely removed from the movies by an atrocious screen adaptation. (Why the hell did Faramir take Frodo to Osgiliath? And why couldn't Arwen shut up? I could have written a better screenplay and the pinnacle of my work is a particularly vitriolic hate email. Fortunately the cast and director were so talented that they could have read from the phone book and it'd still be a decent movie. But alas, I digress.)
So I have been keeping an eye out for particularity good food writing in books and movies. In a short period of time I have found a couple decent examples.
Redwall - Brian Jacques must be fat. I read this on the recommendation of my 12 year old son. Man can this guy's characters eat. Even though, like Bilbo, they are mostly vegetarian the creatures are quite the gourmands. I suspect a heavy Tolkien influence at work. I did not like the rest of the book too much though, expect maybe the psychotic sparrows.
Girl With The Pearl Earring - The movie opened with close-ups of cutting a variety of colored vegetables and so got my attention quickly. An important dinner figured in the story and we were treated to many scenes of food shopping, preparation and serving. Then about halfway through the movie all the food disappeared! I though about demanding my money back. If you have not seen this yet, I recommend renting the DVD and watching only until the dinner scene. After that it is just 45 minutes of catty women and perverted men and we all get plenty of that in real life.
User Reviews
Submitted by rbdweasel (user info) at 2004-03-10 15:52:35 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
jellyfish, this was just an idea I started developing this morning. Its a good thing I posted it so I did not waste my time working on page two since everyone hates it! :] Though I still think it was in interesting concept. And reallybored is just sore from me slamming one of his posts. Poor little baby.
Submitted by WillZone (user info) at 2004-03-10 15:28:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
for movies about food, look no further than: BIG NIGHT
Submitted by jumpinjellyfish (user info) at 2004-03-10 15:21:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I feel like I just read page one of a two page article. Needs more development along with some sort of an ending.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2004-03-10 14:10:30 EST (#)
Ranking: -1
Now, if the movie was "Girl With the Pearl Necklace", I would show interest.
Submitted by reallybored (user info) at 2004-03-10 14:07:55 EST (#)
Ranking: -1
While i took a great concept and made a horrible post, you took a horrible concept and made a boring post.
Way to go buddy!