Ómós Digest 138: The Taste of Things

Consumed on screen. By Cissy Difford.

Hello all,

This week Cissy Difford shares her take on ‘The Taste of Things’ a film aimed at exploring and sharing the sensory and artistic aspects of cooking. However, it inadvertently reveals how contemporary society has become distanced from the traditional roots of food preparation and appreciation.

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I recently went to see The Taste of Things at my new local cinema, The Ultimate Picture Palace. (I don’t know why but every time I say this name it feels so incongruous to its actuality as a cinema. It conjures up more of a Margate Dreamland than a small neighbourhood cinema. This elusiveness is exaggerated by its temple-esque facade). My colleagues and I went together after a long shift at the bakery (Hamblin Bread). We quickly hustled home for an outfit change before meeting again to secure a stock of snacks from the supermarket. As the lights dimmed and the film began, we all rustled away until some way in I realised I’d stopped snacking. My eyes and belly had been totally seduced by the 35 minute dialogue-free opening scene, in which we follow the main protagonists around the late 19th century kitchen as they chop, sear, strain and bake an array of dishes. From a towering, overflowing seafood vol-au-vent to a whole poached turbot to the most miraculous baked alaska. Somehow my ultra processed treats felt somewhat of an injustice to all the incredible food I was seeing on screen. If this film has gone past you unannounced, it is a drama following the romance between Eugenié (Juliette Binoche) and a wealthy gourmand, Dodin (Benoît Magimel). There is not much in the way of a plot, so if you’re more into a fast-paced action film, I wouldn’t recommend it. Instead this film is centred around the sensuality of food (which mimics the relationship of the two protagonists) and is an homage to what it really means to love and respect what you eat.