All posts tagged: films

Film review: Wastecooking – Make Food, Not Waste

“One third of all food produced (1.3 billion tons) is never consumed”. – World Food Programme David Groß is a chef, film maker, activist and all round nice guy. With the car he’s modified to run on used vegetable oil (lovingly named The Wastemobile), and his mobile kitchen made from a dumpster, David embarks on a tour through five countries, leading by example, cooking, interviewing and educating along the way. Throughout his European tour, David eats only what others call waste. This includes (but not limited to) eating leftovers, dumpster diving, foraging in nature, foraging in other people’s fridges, eating bugs, harvesting what farmers cannot sell due to the demand for perfect size produce and fishing bycatch. From learning how to make a meal using leftovers (a skill that’s lost on newer generations) to growing and eating bugs, Wastecooking is a tour documentary that brings up many important issues. Sometimes, they’re hilarious, other times infuriating. Yes, it’s about food waste but instead of being preachy and accusing the others of being wasteful, David’s journey shares many …

Food Porn on Film

#NZbloggers are hosting a weekly blog post challenge. This week’s theme is FILM and you can check out other posts on this theme here. If you have a little nosey around this blog, you may have noticed I’m a bit of a film junkie. I love lots of genres but food and cooking films are up there. While there are many lists of great film food and cooking scenes, many are outdated. So here is my curated list of some pivitol food scenes from recent cooking films so as well as suggestions for local dining. Chef 2014 A movie about a food truck, the grilled cheese sandwich scene is some sizzling hot food porn. Don’t watch Chef on an empty stomach and figure out if there is a source of Cuban sandwiches in your local BEFORE you watch the movie. That way you can run, not walk to porky, cheesy goodness. Chef best food porn scenes: Grilled cheese Opening scene How to make a Cubano scene Pair this movie with your own 3 cheese grilled sandwich …

Deli Man and For Grace – Documentary Edge

I love food documentaries, don’t you? Documentary Edge is an international documentary festival and has just started in Auckland. The festival runs in Auckland from 20 May to 1 of June and in Wellington from 3 June to 14 June. There are a range of movies to suit different tastes. There are two food documentaries in the festival: Deli Man and For Grace. If you’re interested in one or both, also check out the free event held at The Vault, Q Theatre where directors from both films will discuss food and film. Food Talk Sat 30 May, 4.30 – 5.30pm The Vault, Q Theatre In Conversation with Erik Greenberg Anjou and Mark Helenowski Director of Deli Man, Erik Greenberg Anjou, and director of For Grace, Mark Helenowski, talk food and film in this discussion of their respective documentaries. Free event. Deli Man (USA, 2014) Directed by Erik Greenberg Anjou, Deli Man is a look into the history and the food in Jewish delicatessens. Rated a very healthy 7.6 on IMDB, this story follows Ziggy Gruber, a third-generation deli man …

Dinner and a Movie: NZIFF Food Matches

The New Zealand International Film Festival is currently on in Auckland. Next week it will start in Wellington and Christchurch will follow that. The Koala and I LOVE watching movies. Like, love it to bits. We have varied tastes in what we look for in a movie but we can usually both recognise a good movie, even if it’s not our favourite genre. I like anything thought provoking or whimsical and The Koala likes anything with action. We both enjoy thrillers and scares. Recently, we invited a group of friends to watch the cult classic Tampopo. It is a 1985 Japanese film about a woman, her ramen (noodle) shop and her search to make the perfect bowl of ramen. A foodie action comedy with some very innocent characters who contrast with some freaky food erotica. Naturally, we followed the movie by feasting at our local ramen shop. Sorry, we didn’t partake in food erotica. That pairing may have been obvious, but I like to pair food with activities. It’s like wearing shoes that match your bag. A little bit fancy. …