“Ratatouille” – A “foodie” movie for adults – who knew?

Flick and food tonight, Friday
September 11, 2009
by Carol Durst

A rat? A cartoon? Yes, it is great adult entertainment, especially if you are clued in to all the “foodie” references and are interested in the power of the food critics.

This fall, as the Chappaqua Library film series “Menus in the Movies” gets underway again, we will view several films which show how critics teach us what to eat, what is “good” and how a few words of opinion can make or break food businesses, especially restaurants. 

We start this month with a very sophisticated cartoon, “Ratatouille,” for which some very interesting background work was done. The producer received cooking lessons from Thomas Keller of California’s French Laundry and New York’s Per Se. Dishes that appeared in the movie were prepared by a professional chef for the animators to refer to in order to produce their illustrations. A trip to Paris was considered necessary for the director, producer and crew members where they enjoyed tasting menus on location. And a very important touch of reality was provided by the compost pile, which included 15 different kinds of produce, rotting, from which the illustrators could work.

The film pokes fun at professional food critics and the power they wield.

Come and share home-made baked goods and coffee at the Chappaqua Library, Friday, September 11, 2009 at 7:00 p.m., and we will discuss some of the very funny, not-so-subtle innuendos contained in this film.

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