Feasting Our Eyes: Food Films and Cultural Identity in the United States

278 Pages·2016·14.767 MB·English

by  Laura Lindenfeld, Fabio Parasecoli

F E A S T I N G
U R E Y E S
Food Films and Cultural Identity
in the United States
LAURA LINDENFELD
FABIO PARASECOLI
FEASTING OUR EYES

F E A S T I N G
O U R E Y E S
Food Films and Cultural Identity
in the United States
LAURA LINDENFELD
FABIO PARASECOLI
Columbia University Press
New York
Columbia University Press
Publishers Since 1893
New York Chichester, West Sussex
cup.columbia.edu
Copyright © 2017 Columbia University Press
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Lindenfeld, Laura, author. | Parasecoli, Fabio, author.
Title: Feasting our eyes : food fi lms and cultural identity in the United
States / Laura Lindenfeld and Fabio Parasecoli.
Description: New York : Columbia University Press, [2016] |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2016008166| ISBN 9780231172509 (cloth : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9780231172516 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Food in motion pictures. | Motion pictures—United States—
History. | Food—Social aspects—United States.
Classifi cation: LCC PN1995.9.F65 L56 2016 | DDC 791.43/6564—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016008166
Columbia University Press books are printed
on permanent and durable acid-free paper.
Printed in the United States of America
c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Cover design: Lisa Hamm
Cover image: Courtesy of Photofest
CONTENTS
Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1
Food Films and Consumption: Selling B ig Night 33
2
Autonomy in the Kitchen? Food Films and Postfeminism 63
3
Magical Food, Luscious Bodies 93
4
Culinary Comfort: Th e Satiating Construction
of Masculinity 119
5
When Weirdos Stir the Pot: Cooking Identity
in Animated Movies 147
6
Consuming the Other: Food Films as Culinary Tourism 175
Conclusion 205
Notes 219
Bibliography 235
Index 249

ILLUSTRATIONS
0.1 In Tampopo a woman dreams of creating the best ramen recipe 9
0.2 Babette’s Feast helped inaugurate the food-fi lm genre by defi ning
its food shots, lighting, and editing 16
1.1 Th e clash between culinary traditions is a core theme
of Big Night 34
1.2 Th e timpano is a symbol of culinary heritage in B ig Night 43
1.3 An aspiring chef struggles to negotiate success and family tradition
in Today’s Special 54
2.1 A shared meal in B abette’s Feast creates joy and reconciliation 71
2 .2 Emotion and sensuality are on the menu in
Fried Green Tomatoes 73
2 .3 Female chef Kate must balance personal and professional lives in
No Reservations 76
2 .4 Julie & Julia exposes the rift between the reality of daily cooking
and the ideal of culinary artistry 85
3.1 Like Water for Chocolate explores the complex connections among
food and sexuality 98
3.2 Food and sex render men defenseless in W oman on Top 106
3.3 In Th e Mistress of Spices an Indian sorceress is bound to
her grocery store 111
4.1 In Eat Drink Man Woman a retired male chef negotiates his worth
and masculinity through his culinary talents 124
viii • ILLUSTRATIONS
4.2 Fried Green Tomatoes unpacks the struggle underlying female
body images 139
4.3 Wine connoisseurship is a site of contested masculinity in
Sideways 143
5.1 Ratatouille’s Remy assures children (and adults) that
“everybody can cook” 148
5.2 Kung Fu Panda shows children that a full-figured body is
acceptable and lovable 162
5.3 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs reminds viewers that
junk food is ultimately not good for them 165
5.4 Anton Ego in Ratatouille reveals how complicated men’s
relationships with food can be 170
6.1 Meryl Streep plays Julia Child in Julie & Julia 177
6.2 Ignorance of cultural and ethnic tradition is comedic in
The Joy Luck Club 186
6.3 Ahmad and family provide cultural mediation for viewers in
Soul Food 188
6.4 A male Mexican chef defines his relationship with his
Americanized daughters through cooking in Tortilla Soup 194
6.5 Soul Food’s Big Mama reflects many stereotypes about African
American women and their cooking 201
7.1 Fast Food Nation forces viewers to face hidden aspects of the
U.S. food industry 209
7.2 Food, Inc. takes an activist approach to changing the
U.S. food system 211
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
M
any hands, minds, and hearts provided important contribu-
tions to this book. I am deeply grateful to all who shared ideas,
emotional support, recommendations for foodie fl icks, and—of
course—great food over the years.
If writing a book is anything like making a meal, working with Fabio
Parasecoli was like planning the most sumptuous banquet one can imagine—
even better than Babette’s Feast or Th e Big Night . Fabio can whip up words
and ideas with the ease that Julia Child brought to the creation of a mag-
nifi cent souffl é. Fabio, I will forever be grateful for your friendship and
collegiality. Th is book would not have come to be without you. May others
have the pleasure and joy of the ease, integrity, fun, and focus that I experi-
enced in working with you.
Portions of this book struck their original roots in my dissertation.
Although the book has evolved signifi cantly since that time, its advance-
ment was possible because of the kind and steady support I received from
Jay Mechling. Jay, I still miss going to lunch with you and talking about
food. How lucky was I to have you as my doctoral adviser. Gratitude goes
to Kent Ono and Sarah Projanksy, who read, reviewed, and off ered feed-
back on this work in its earliest phases of development. It was such a plea-
sure and an honor to work with you.
Th e University of Maine’s Offi ce of Research supported this book with a
summer research fellowship. Th e University of California, Davis supported