Five Meals

Unit One Response The first unit experience in Foods in Literature and Film – Five Meals has been a wonderful experience for any culinary explorer, film lover, and adventurous student of other cultures. The first class most members of the class shared what their passions were about their favorite meal. The “will not ever eat” was also discussed and why. The film, The Hundred Foot Journey is currently streaming on one of the pay networks. It is saved for my family to view and experience. The readings for the second week of the unit did great justice to understanding other perspectives on the individual tastes and distastes. It also explained the reverence in some meals or motivations some have in what they eat. The potluck meal in the third …show more content…
A family of Indians flees India after political unrest. The beloved mother of the family tragically moves on to the next life after having shared her spirit of cooking with her son, Hassan. Papa relocates to France where the family van loses its brakes, setting the family up for its destiny. Margurerite, a significant character throughout the film rescues the family. She shows the Indian family kindness by taking them into her home and feeding them fresh tomatoes, cheese, olives, olive oil, and bread. She confesses to the family that all of her fare are locally grown and produced. Papa informs the family that Mama has spoken to him, revealing that this is the village where the family will start their restaurant serving Indian cuisine. The family buys an old restaurant that has dining inside and on an outdoor veranda. The restaurant is a hundred feet across the street from a one star Michelin restaurant that the French president dines. This setting opens up a wonderful competition for cuisine and acceptance. The competition starts out as bitter friction but slowly moves to mutual respect that turns to love. Love for fine cuisine and fine people. The culinary world takes two different groups of people and unites them. During the process there is many one hundred foot journeys between the two restaurants. Some were …show more content…
The first reading, Bread Wine Chocolate, by Simran Sethi was an article about what motivates us to eat what we like to eat. Sethi explains, “Understanding the motivations around why we eat what we eat, or don’t eat, is a critical first step in reshaping our food and food system. She also stated, “They define who we are.” She also explains the multifaceted ways a person tastes food. Aroma, appearance, color, sound, texture, and flavor affect our taste. Sethi also informs that tastes require less of an open wallet and more of an open mind and heart. The article, Last Suppers: A Meditation on Family Foods, by Thomas Fox Averill, discusses signature dishes and stretching them to feed the family. It is an article that one can relate, growing up with a significant other that loves to cook. The article also explains, “last morsels.” Any reader who has shared favorite foods or meals with a friend or loved one whom they are losing, relates to this article. Especially, the sharing of photo albums and stories while sitting with a loved one waiting to pass. The article was a great trip down memory