La’Raye Francisco

May 6, 2020

Reel Food and World Cinema

Final Blog

This semester, I have learned how food is relevant in films. Usually when watching a film, I never really paid attention to the food that is presented throughout a film.  Now I will most certainly do so. I have learned that the food alone can say so much about the characters, the culture, how characters are feeling, and the film itself. I have also learned that America has influenced many cultures when it comes to food. In a few of the films we watched, the food was Americanized.

This class has taught me to analyze films better. When watching films, I can now pay attention to the cultures that are presented throughout the film, and of course the food. It also made me realize that some movies I have watched in the past can be considered as food movies. For example, one of my favorite movies, The Princess and The Frog is a food movie. It shows a chef preparing food and people enjoying the food prepared. I highly recommend this movie for future classes. It was also interesting to learn about film. Though we discussed food more in class, I know a lot more about film than I did before.

My favorite film we watched this semester would be The Hundred Foot Journey. I thought the movie was so light-hearted, it was comedic, and it had a happy ending. I love movies with happy endings. The movie had enough drama where it did not allow the movie to be boring. I enjoyed seeing a different culture. Before this class, I have not really watched movies where the main characters were not African American or Caucasian. I felt the movie was interesting because it seems all the protagonist did was add a little seasoning and spice from his home and everyone who tasted believed his food was so extravagant. I thought it was hilarious. I really enjoyed this class.