We went to see Chocolat
as a pre-Valentines Day date. Not only does the film awaken passions for
decadent desserts, it also reminds one of the link between food and passion.
The film directed by Lasse
Hallstrom and starring Juliette Binoche is based on the novel by Joanne
Harris. Vianne and her daughter Anouk are carrying on the traditions of
Vianne's Mayan mother of traveling with the North Wind to bring chocolate
cures from village to village. When they arrive in the small village of
Lansquenet-sous-Tannes and open a chocolaterie during lent, Vianne's
tempting confections pose a threat to the towns repressed tranquilité.
It's a delicious tale of magic. You will also enjoy the
soundtrack by Rachel Portman.
The theme of food, prepared with
love, breaking through the repressed dogmatism of small village life is
also found in Babette's
Feast. The 1987 film which deservedly earned a Best Foreign
Film Oscar tells the tale of two beautiful young minister's daughters who
pass up love to support their father's ministry in a small Danish village.
When Audran, a Parisian refugee whom the sisters have taken into their home
wins the lottery, she makes a remarkable request. She requests the opportunity
to make a feast for the sisters and their congregation. The villages can
not imagine the miraculous changes that one meal can make in their lives!
The screenplay is a skillful adaption from an Isak
Dinesen short story originally published in the Ladies Home Journal.
If French cousine is not your thing, then perhaps you would prefer Italian? In Big
Night (1996), actor Stanley Tucci cowrote, codirected, and stars
(along with Tony Shaloub) in a touching and funny tale of two brothers who
hope to bring their love of Italian cuisine to the Jersey shore in the 1950s.
Their restaurant is unsuccessful at first because the local palate equates
Italian food with spaghetti and meatballs. In one last attempt to make the
restaurant a success, the brothers organize a banquet for jazz great Louis
Prima. The delightful film has a great cast and will certainly leave you
hungry for more!
Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) is not a movie to see on an empty stomach. Writer-director Ang Lee's 1994 Oscar
nominee tells a family story about a chef and his three daughters through
the meals the chef prepares and serves his family. This touching, dryly
funny story of a family coping with personal lives and the way those lives
intersect with the family relationships captures a shift in generations
in Taipei. The father, a famous chef who has lost his taste buds, still
cooks, though he draws no pleasure from eating. His daughters, meanwhile,
deal with both the disappointments and surprises of daily living and the
way their adult lives compare to the expectations the widowed father had
for them. A subtle, amusing--and mouth-watering--comedy of impeccable manners.
In The
Discovery of Chocolate (February 2001), a young Spaniard sets
off for South America in 1518 with Cortez and the Conquistadors, propelled
by his love's declaration she will not marry him until he returns with a
special treasure. During his travels, he falls in love with a native woman
who teaches him the secret of the most delicious potion he has ever tasted--a
chocolate drink--and soon he discovers that the elixir has given him the
gift of immortality. those willing to suspend disbelief and simply go along
for the ride will be beguiled by Diego's fanciful, sensual journey through
vignettes that span four centuries, linked by their focus on chocolate.
If you want to heat things up a little, then try Like
Water for Chocolate : A Novel in Monthly Installments, With Recipes, Romances
and Home Remedies. Laura Esquivel's book, translated by Carol
and Thomas 
Christensen, is a deceptively simple
book. It is a love story set in Mexico, interspersed with recipes, related
in unadorned, uncomplicated language. Yet when the ingredients are combined
and simmer, subtle and unusual flavors emerge. Set during the changing times
of the Mexican Revolution, you'll be conveyed into a world full of rich
Mexican culture. The exotic descriptions of Tita's intense culinary creations
will leave your mouth watering. The images of a denied relationship between
two star crossed lovers will provoke your senses, as the brand of magical
realism speaks for itself. When all the ingredients are combined, the mature
flavors of a thrilling ending emerge, placing the entire novel into perspective.
A hearty, piquant tale for lovers everywhere.
Director Alfonso Arau (A Walk in the Clouds) who is Laura Esquivel's
ex, adapted her novel for the big screen. The result is a steady stream
of cuisine so delicious as to be an almost erotic experience for those lucky
enough to have a bite. The film's quotient of magic realism feels a little
stock, but the story line is good and Arau's affinity for the sensuality
of food (and of nature) is sublime. Expect to be very hungry (and perhaps
amorous) after watching this contemporary classic in the small genre of
food movies. You might want to rush off to a good Mexican restaurant afterward,
but that's a good thing.
Soul Food (1997)
This feast for the heart is set around the table of Chicago family matriarch
Mother Joe's sumptuous Sunday dinners.This warmly atmospheric portrait of
family life will keep you coming back for more.
Check out the soundtrack
as well. (various artists).
Wine and
Roses (Arabesque) by Carmen Green, Geri Guillaume, Kayla Perrin.
February is the month for Valentine's Day--and it can also be a time of
sweet surprises for those who aren't even looking for love. Now, three of
Arabesque's best-loved authors bring readers the joys of unexpected romance
with three charming tales that promise delicious disaster, or the deepest
of desire.
A Walk in the Clouds (1995) may not be an obvous choice for this list, but wine and wine culture is to be included among culinary delights. Indeed one can easily link wine with romance. In any case, I loved this sweet romantic film by Alfonso Arau (Like Water for Choclate) starring Keanu Reeves and Aitana Sanchez-Gijon. In this film which is based on the novel by Daborah Chiel, Keanu plays a World War II vet (a traveling chocolate salesman!) who agrees to help a desperate, pregnant woman by pretending to be her husband. Most of the story takes place in her father's vineyard, and Arau uses light to accentuate the sensuality of grape harvesting and wine making. The romantic, Spanish-flavored orchestral work form Maruice Jarre complements the film's soft visuals.
By now you should really be hungry, so here are some books to guide
you in your own personal quest for romance through food. 
A
Taste for Love : A Romantic Cookbook for Two by Elizabeth M.
Harbison, Mary McGowan.
In Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night, the Duke Orsino opines that music
is the food of love, but he was wrong--food is. Indeed, passion and the
palate are inextricably linked, and lovers through the ages have known that
the stomach is the surest way to the hearts of their beloved. A Taste for
Love subscribes to that well-known aphorism, but authors Elizabeth M. Harbison
and Mary McGowan leave nothing to chance; in addition to mouth-watering
meals, they've included everything from snippets of romantic poetry to decorating
advice and what music to play in order to get you and your loved one "in
the mood."
Recipes
for Romance: Gail Greco's Little Bed and Breakfast Cookbooks
by Gail Greco, Tom Bagley (Photographer) Recipes for Romance contains simple
and delicious recipes for special romantic occasions. This little book brings
the romance of country inns into your home with cuisine that charms.
An
American Treasury of Heirloom Sweets and Sonnets: The Language of Romance
by Frances Elizabeth Strayer Hanson, Jim Romango (Illustrator), Eileen Lawson
(Editor). This book details a time when couples courted and "The Language
of Romance" filled the air. Three-fourths of the book is a primer of
Early American Candy Making, detailing everything from how to clarify sugar,molasses
and honey to the type of candy and conversion tips for todays cooks. Those
with romanctic souls will also enjoy pages set aside for their favorite
person's name, candy, telephone number and e-mail address.
50
Ways to Feed Your Lover : America's Top Chefs Share Their Recipes and Secrets
for Romance
by Janeen A. Sarlin, Jennifer ros Saltiel, Jennifer Rosenfeld Saltiel. If
you want the recipe for romance--this is the book for you. Whether you're
an accomplished home cook or even a beginner, Fifty Ways to Feed Your
Lover includes everything you need to win your lover's heart. Authors
Janeen Sarlin and Jennifer Saltiel asked fifty of the country's best chefs
for their most seductive recipes. The contributor list is a culinary who's
who, including Marcel Desaulniers, Bobby Flay, Charlie Palmer, Lidia Bastianich,
and Norman Van Aken, to name just a few.
Seduction
and Spice : 130 Recipes for Romance
by Rudolf Sodamin, Herbert Schmitt (Photographer), Rudolf Sodamin. This
engaging and authoritative cookbook will interest anyone who adores sensual
delights since the book is one itself! Featuring a red velvet cover with
a mouthwatering image and stamped with gold embossing, this delicious compilation
of 130 recipes is guaranteed to have you nibbling-on your lover's neck as
well as the food!
Food
As Foreplay : Recipes for Romance, Love and Lust
by Cooking Couple, Ellen Albertson, Michael Albertson, Michael Miracle (Illustrator)
This book contains over 100 quick, easy, fun recipes and dozens of tips
that will get you out of the kitchen and into the bedroom. The authors are
happily married authors practicing what they preach. Food as Foreplay
covers every aspect of a romantic meal, from appetizers to dessert, and
proper kitchen etiquette (cleaning up means showering together). You'll
learn why cooking is like making love, how to stock your passion-filled
pantry and what to serve at 2:00am when your bedmate says "Feed me".
Discover what to cook for the vegetarian you love or lust after. Learn how
to turn your home into a romantic garden of sensual delights and crete a
culinary fantasy that will capture your loved one - body, heart and soul.
More than just a cookbook, Food as Foreplay is a guide to romance
that will leave America's libido howling. Seal your relationship with a
kiss -- and a home-cooked meal!
The
Art of Romance Cooking: Lighting the Fire with Passion by Lonnie
T. Lynch. Finally a Cookbook that will inspire you to romance your relationship.
Featuring The Art of Romantic Feeding for Two: From candles, music, and
food, Lonnie will inspire you to experience a breathtaking evening, romancing
your relationship by serving your emotions, passion, and heart on a silver
platter.
Candlelight
and Wisteria: Recipes and Romance from the Deep South by Academy
Staff Lee-Scott
In Intercourses:
An Aphrodisiac Cookbook, Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge
appeal to all the senses as they offer up 85 heart-melting, temperature-raising
dishes, along with an array of sensuous photographs that will make you look
at food in a whole new light.
If you're in need of some background music to add to the fare, why not try
this collection of compositions from Morley, Handel and Lauss entitled,
If
Music Be The Food Of Love - Renaissance & Baroque Songs
denotes descriptions adapted
from those at Amazon.com
Mystic
Pizza (1988)
The
Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (1989)
Wedding Banquet (1993)
Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl
The
Romance of Wine by Ben Gale
