A Bit Of Neither Here Nor There about Food Films From Here And There

At one time, folks used to say that eating scenes characterised Bengali films. We explained it away with the infamous famines. This was in the Seventies.

In the Eighties, I observed some very prominent focus on eating in Tamil films - including songs that highlighted food somehow.

This is a song about leftover rice and some fish curry. At one point, the heroine, in fact, mimes the gestures of grinding the masalas. 

Yet, for all the food related names, even Bollywood, with its Cheeni Kum and Lunch Box, has not given us a food centric film. 

There are several Hollywood names on lists. But I can't remember one where food is the real star. 

Whereas French cinema has plenty. Do try and get your hands on L'aile Ou La Cuisse for I can only give you a teaser of things to come 

However, it was only when I found the Korean Let's Eat - you can watch a trailer here -  and Fermentation Family that I could claim that there really existed films where food hogged the limelight. The Koreans have a host of films and dramas revolving around food.

But it's only when I ventured into Japanese that I found food a star! I've already drooled over Tampopo but almost every Japanese film or drama I've seen, especially of late, has a thing with food, from the cutest Bento Boxes to an almost obligatory scene involving talking with your mouth full. 

Quite a few of them are exquisite experiences and I recommend Little Forest: Summer and Autumn but in the meantime here's a music video from Little Forest: Winter and Spring

I would really like to know if you have any favourite food film, especially if it's from a region I have not covered here - please do let me know in the comments section.

I leave you with a trailer for one of my all time favourite food films from Japan.

And, of course, there are bound to be books on the subject!

  

Cafe Maroo, Aundh, Pune

Long ago, when I was a girl, the most exotic one could find, in a restaurant in India, was Indian Chinese or some dubious example of Western cuisine. 

Now, Indians  throng to Thai, Iranian and Korean restaurants as a matter of course.

Much before I first tasted Korean I was in love with Korean dramas. However my first visit to Cafe Maroo was much before I came across the Korean food genre dramas. 

The wonderful person who took me there was not much into K drama either.

Thus I don't remember what I ate and it did not leave a great impression on me.

Somewhere around the time I was watching Let's Eat 

I was blessed with the friendship of three Korean ladies and that was how I visited Cafe Maroo again.

A decor designed to make you want to linger, a serene place to sit alone or with friends and savour some Maroo Kimbab or Bulgogi!

I'm planning to try to make some Korean at home one of these days, going for something simple to begin with like a Pajeon.

Or I should just plan another trip to Cafe Maroo...

A bit on the pricey side, Cafe Maroo has its regulars and is a must visit Korean eatery nicely placed in Aundh.

Kubera Garden Restaurant, Pune - A For Ambience

At one time, my son was ever eager to visit cheap bars/pubs... And I had the opportunity to visit at least some in our early days in Pune. The most "atmospheric" of these was one at Parihar Chowk!

Having often seen the place, I was quite excited when we visited Kubera Garden one afternoon for some beer and a late lunch.

I have no particular memories of the place and I'm posting this entry because, when we passed it recently, it looked a bit refurbished - at least on the outside.

The inside is quite quaint. "Art Work" decorates some walls.

Booze Posters adorn the rest of the view while sundry cats wander desultory in search of scraps.

I can't say much about the cost as Pune is anyway expensive so far as booze goes.

The place was not crowded but that might have been because it was not the right time.

The food was not so bad but not memorable.

Looks like we had Masala Pappad and Banjara Kebabs.

Such places are fun if one goes in a large group and is not fussy but otherwise one wonders how and why they exist.