food movies and kids

No, there's not a comma missing in that title up there. I saw Mostly Martha last night and I loved it. Okay, it telegraphs its ending miles away, and it's all about how uptight Germans need some Italian passion and looseness in their lives, but I loved it anyway. I love food movies generally. I can't remember one I didn't like. I made a little list of them last night. Here are some:

Tom Jones (Well, it's about more than food, but there are some good food scenes, as I recall)

Like Water for Chocolate

Big Night (Maybe my favorite...)

Eating Raoul (sick choice, I know...)

Moonstruck

Eat Drink Man Woman

I haven't seen the following, but I'll list them anyway:

Babette's Feast

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Chocolat

Anyway, here's my point. In not one of those films are kids central. Food movies are simply not kid movies. Which actually makes sense, if you think about it, because food movies are really all about sex (am I right?), and no one wants to think of the product of sex while they're watching a really good food movie.

Then there's Mostly Martha, which blows my thesis. Or, better, it's the exception that proves the rule. Because you watch this movie--or I did, anyway--and you realize that kids and food don't mix. Well, kids and good food. Everyone has a favorite story of the great cook whose food was rejected by kids. In our family it's my brother-in-law's dad who made the great pasta quattro frommagio (sorry, I can't spell in Italian), which was rejected by nieces & nephews who knew mac & cheese wasn't supposed to look like that. I love the way it works in Mostly Martha, in which Italian food comes to stand in for kid food--it's fun, it's easy, AND it's sexy. How weird is that? But great, too. I loved it.

Let me know if I've missed your favorite food movie. I'd love to collect more.