Food is a common material in movies because life is closely connected with food. This shows that dishes show cultures of other countries. Following movies will show hidden cultures in food.
The movie “Babette’s Feast, Babettes Gaestebud” shows French dishes, which can be seen at luxurious restaurants. There is even a sentence that says, “If French can’t eat food well, living is nothing,” French people are epicureans. The French think that dining is a festival and an art. Therefore, French food is becoming an international food. The weather of this region is mild, so there are various ingredients, and the cooks make subtle flavors with skill. Seeing this movie, you can frequently watch the scenes where people are eating French dishes with wine. The wine plays an important role for the good flavor of French dishes. It is because the wine is not only for drinking, but also is a seasoning. Also, there are dishes that are dipped into the sauce. In France, the sauces are valued above everything else because it makes a delicate flavor by different use according to the dishes.
The Hong Kong film “God of Cookery” is preposterous, but there is a diversity of Chinese dishes. China has one of the top three dishes in the world. It gained a reputation by making various foods in their long history. In China, the main ingredients are varied, and the range of choices is wide. The appearance of food is also splendid, and there are various seasonings and spices. Therefore, there are abundant and diverse foods in China. In addition, there are scenes where people are eating Chinese food. When they are eating, they are holding a bowl and making noise. If you do that in Korea, it is impolite behavior. On the contrary, it is not impolite in China. There are a few kinds of food such as hot soup and a pot stew, so it is comfortable to eat food holding a bowl.
It is good to experience the food, the clothing and the architecture to learn about other cultures. However, food is closely connected with the economies, the religions, and the customs of cultures. Therefore, people can adapt themselves to foreign clothing and shelter, but it is hard to adapt to foreign food. How about learning cultures and life by understanding food culture?