Famous Foods From Movies
What comes to mind when you think of famous movie foods? Is it how the food looked on the screen, the tastes and smells you could imagine, the memories they provoked or all of the above? It’s easy to think of famous food scenes because they make an impact and stick out in our memories.
Expert filmmakers know how to use food to make viewers feel more involved in the characters’ lives and leave a lasting impression on the audience. Let’s look at why food scenes in movies are so memorable and some examples of the most popular dishes from films. If you love trying to recreate famous recipes, we’ve got the scenes for you with movie foods to make.
What Makes Food Scenes Memorable?
Can you smell the wafts of freshly baked bread when your favorite character walks into a bakery? Or, can you picture the massive spread of the most decadent dinner you’ve ever seen on the silver screen? Compelling food scenes stick with us because they engage multiple senses — by seeing people on screen cooking or serving a meal, we can practically taste the food, hear it sizzle, smell the aromas and feel the flavors dance across our tongue.
Getting more of our senses involved can help us connect profoundly with a scene by making us feel as if we are experiencing the same thing the characters are going through. And if the food happens to stir up specific memories for us, we’re immediately more invested in the scene. On the other hand, we may become curious if the character is eating something foreign to us, which can also help hold our interest in the movie more.
Although eating may seem like a mundane necessity for survival, the way someone eats or prepares a meal can tell us a lot about the character. A filmmaker can use food to communicate fundamental aspects of someone’s personality, such as what they like to indulge in and whether they take the time to meticulously slice their food or dive right in. Short meal scenes can even tell micro-narratives and reveal a new side of a character.
As a bonding activity, cooking or eating can also tell us a lot about specific characters’ relationships and add to the plot’s dynamic. Preparing food or dining together can be an intimate activity, signaling romance or a long-lasting friendship, depending on the framing of the scene. How comfortable the characters seem to be when sharing a meal can also communicate a lot about their feelings toward each other.
What Are the Most Iconic Food Scenes From Movies?
Check out these 10 drool-worthy famous food scenes and the best movie meals.
1. Ratatouille
As a restaurant-centered film, “Ratatouille” has no shortage of mouthwatering depictions of food. But one scene stands out — the first bite of ratatouille taken by fearsome food critic Anton Ego. The instant he tastes the dish, a flashback to his childhood shows he has always had a soft spot for ratatouille as comfort food. By transporting him back to his days growing up in the countryside, the ratatouille warms the strict critic’s heart.
This scene demonstrates the power of food and the way it can trigger an emotional response. The ratatouille shows us a well-prepared dish can taste good while evoking specific feelings. Plus, it scores the restaurant a rare rave review from Ego!
2. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
While there are plenty of memorable food moments in “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” none make quite as big of a splash as when the sky begins to rain down hamburgers. At first, Flint is overjoyed that his invention works, but as the “food storms” evolve, he soon realizes that the machine has developed a dangerous mind of its own. While copious amounts of food continue to pour down, Flint must figure out how to shut down his machine and save the town from drowning in oversized portions.
3. When Harry Met Sally
During this scene, Harry and Sally are dining at a beloved New York deli when they begin arguing about whether women pretend to enjoy sex. Between mouthfuls of pastrami and rye, Sally stages an Oscar-worthy performance to demonstrate to Harry the level of acting women are capable of and prove him wrong. To cap off the scene, a nearby diner tells her server, “I’ll have what she’s having.”
4. Marie Antoinette
The biopic “Marie Antoinette” is all about portraying the privilege and life of luxury enjoyed by the French royalty just before the Revolution, and what better way to showcase indulgence than decadent pastries? The film uses Ladurée, a famous French bakery specifically known for their delectable pastel-toned macarons. The bakery created a new rose and anise macaron flavor in honor of the film.
The constant presence of Ladurée’s sweet treats around the palace paints a picture of the candy-coated lifestyle Marie Antoinette led and how out of touch the Versailles residents were with ordinary people. The colorful and intricately decorated pastries are also visually appealing, making the movie a confection for the eyes, regardless of its historical accuracy.
5. Lady and the Tramp
Despite centering on two animated dogs, the “Lady and the Tramp” spaghetti date scene is the picture of romance, serving as one of the most famous movie meals of all time. With private fine Italian dining under a full moon, this scene drips with ambiance. Tramp is even the perfect gentleman, offering Lady the last meatball.
From the delicious-looking pasta to the spirited accordion playing, this scene has it all. And it all culminates in one unforgettable moment — the accidental spaghetti kiss, a pop culture icon that has inspired imitators ever since.
6. Elf
Who wouldn’t love a scene of Will Ferrell dressed up as a giant elf downing inhuman amounts of sugar? In this scene, Buddy the elf dumps maple syrup on his spaghetti and chugs an entire two-liter of Coke to show how elves thrive on a diet of sugar, sugar, sugar. This dining scene tells us about elf culture and how Buddy grew up — it might also explain why he’s so hyper all the time!
This scene has gone down in film history purely because of how outlandish it is. Along with becoming an iconic Christmas movie scene, it’s also inspired fun holiday party games like who can eat a plate of syrup-coated spaghetti the quickest.
7. The Breakfast Club
“The Breakfast Club” expertly uses food to convey crucial facts about its main characters’ personalities. Drawing even more on the high school stereotypes the film leans upon, this scene shows the jock devouring four massive sandwiches while the popular beauty daintily picks at sushi. The geek carefully eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the crusts cut off, the basket case dumps Pixy Stix onto a sandwich of Cap’n Crunch cereal and the rebel doesn’t have a lunch, due to his dysfunctional home life.
One creative scene gives viewers a glimpse into each of the characters’ upbringing and everyday lives without any of them saying a word. While giving the audience background on the characters, the different lunches also create the opportunity for more conversation among the teens. The rebel asks the popular girl what sushi is, sparking a new discussion.
8. Pulp Fiction
In this famous food scene, the edgy Mia Wallace goes on a faux date with Vincent Vega to Jack Rabbit Slim’s, a fictional 1950s-themed diner. At the restaurant, Mia orders a “Martin and Lewis” milkshake that costs $5, which Vincent balks at. Though skeptical at first about whether a vanilla milkshake could be worth a whole $5, Vincent seems to change his mind after trying a sip of it.
9. The Godfather
If you’ve ever wondered how to make authentic Italian gravy, look no further than this iconic scene from “The Godfather.” Capo Peter Clemenza entrusts viewers with a recipe for Sunday gravy that’s enough to make anyone’s mouth water. According to Clemenza’s instructions, the perfect sauce starts with a little bit of oil, followed by frying some garlic, tomatoes and tomato paste.
Bring that mixture to a boil, then stuff it into the meatballs before adding a splash of wine to the sauce. The secret ingredient? A little bit of sugar.
10. A Christmas Story
From Ralphie nearly shooting his eye out to a pack of dogs gobbling up the Christmas turkey, almost everything goes wrong with the Parkers’ Christmas dinner. Lacking their centerpiece dish, the family has no other option but to go to a Chinese restaurant for their holiday dinner. As the servers bring out a duck with its head still intact and serenade the family with their best attempt at Christmas carols, the Parkers giggle and embrace the nontraditional meal’s oddities.
This scene reminds us that even the most seemingly disastrous meals can be memorable as long as you have your family surrounding you.
Contact Feeser’s Food Distributors for All Your Food Supply Needs
Get the ingredients to recreate your favorite movie scene foods from Feeser’s Food Distributors. At Feeser’s, we offer more than 10,000 fresh, refrigerated, frozen and dry products from national and local brands. And, as a family-owned and -operated business, we develop long-lasting relationships with our customers and always put their needs first.
To learn more about how we can help meet all your food supply needs, contact Feeser’s today.
