ON ‘THE TASTE OF THINGS’. A FILM TO SAVOR
I saw a trailer for a film with this title, and it affected me like a delicious amuse bouche. I knew I must have the rest of this ‘meal’ from the gifted creators who brought it to movie screens. I told some like-minded friends, “Don’t let me miss out if you see it coming to a theater anywhere in Miami”. Films such as these are not the masses I realize. Theatre owners can only afford to run them briefly sad to say. And I wanted to see this on a full-sized screen the first time we watched it. To my happy surprise it was airing at an AMC theater we go to often a few weeks ago and we took it in.
It is a story set in 1885 and it is about the love between an unbelievably talented and dedicated woman who cooks and the suave gentleman whose home she works in. You will see they also love each other. The film’s director is Tran Anh Hung who also directed the “The Scent of Green Papaya” in 1995. The movie of which I now write is based on a mythical character created by a Swiss author by the name of Marcel Rouff. The book he wrote is titled, “The Passionate Epicure”. In the book the main male character is named Dodin Bouffant. Monsieur Bouffant lives on a beautiful country estate. The cook is named, Eugénie. In the movie the part is played by the voluptuous Juliette Binoche who also starred in another fantastic food-centric movie; “Chocolat”. The male lead is played by Benoît Magimel. In real life the two stars were married for several years. The chemistry lives on at least in movie land.
As the story begins Eugénie is in the midst of preparing a feast for some of Dodin’s friends. Eugénie is joined in the cooking by a youngish assistant named, Violette and Violette’s precocious niece Pauline who is visiting. I loathe when people in theater audiences speak during a film. But I almost could not help murmur what foods were being prepared. Nor could the two gentlemen behind us who I am pretty sure were from France and possibly in the same field I am. Crayfish being properly prepared, a mighty rack of veal carefully roasted, fiery, sparking coals were arranged beneath gleaming copper pans, caviar was spooned on freshly shucked oysters, an incredibly temping seafood Vol-au-Vent being cut and plated was so perfect I might have audibly gasped, baked Alaska, no simple feat in the late 1800’s I’m sure was torched. And the most soulful ‘pot au feu’ in memory stole the show for many. I put my popcorn aside. Useless.
I won’t go any further describing the movie in that my primary reason for writing this is to urge all of you who love fine cooking to see it. It probably the most beautifully executed cooking I’ve seen in a movie ever. No wonder in that the director brought on the services of the brilliant French Chef Pierre Gagnaire to make that magic. The French title is “La Passion de Dodin Bouffant”. I wish that they’d kept it for American audiences as it is more alluring. Oh… there is a love story, the education of a young female cook and a premature death that takes this beyond food porn for the sake of itself. I loved those aspects of the movie too. Wine lovers will find plenty to enjoy as well. The hard part for me? Finding a place to go eat so marvelously after the lights came on.