Food, Glorious Food

So it seems there is a rash of food-related movies (a rash meaning 2 in one week). Since the big “foodie” movement, food is on the minds of average people, in a big way. With 24 hour Food Channel programming, gourmet and specialty foods, “slow” food, organic gardening, etc., it’s hard not to be affected by it.

So I went to see “The 100 Foot Journey,: which is a wonderful and uplifting movie with many themes. It features food, but only as a metaphor for relationships, overcoming bigotry, recognizing and helping a talented person, and the requisite love story thrown in for good measure. And no one is a better chameleon than Helen Mirren, who plays the female lead.

So the food itself was incidental to the story, but was handled with great artistry. I loved the sensual preparation of the food and the real life situations that it inspired.

Another movie, seemingly coming out of nowhere, was “Food.” It was released months ago but I saw no publicity, nor was it playing anywhere until this past week. So of course, I went to see it. Another great story NOT about food, but using it as a backdrop for the multiple themes of the movie. The story line was about relationships: between a boy and his father, a man and his (amicably divorced ex-wife), a man in search of his passion, friendship, loyalty and reconciliation.

Still, the visuals of the food made me hungry. I could almost taste it. I could feel the chef’s passion come through in his loving preparation of a grilled cheese sandwich. And it didn’t hurt to see how food brought so many people together and delivered a happy ending.

Bon Appetit!