There are movies that contain food, and there are movies that celebrate food—this month's
Food 'n Flix pick is one of the latter. Touted as the first-ever "Japanese Noodle Western", the 1985 film
Tampopo has topped the list of "best food movies" for the past 30 years. But the crazy thing is that I—the person who started this movie-inspired food club almost 6 years ago—had never seen it before this month. I'm ashamed, but I finally righted that wrong by choosing it as our featured film in April.
Okay, so here's the thing...this is a Japanese comedy that might seem strange and disconnected to some. And it is, but in the most brilliant way. Because when you really look at it and really think about it, that seeming disconnect is actually the thread that binds everything together. It's an exploration of the role that food plays in life and all of its aspects: love, sex, happiness, simplicity, the pecking order, generosity, culture, and death.
