Films For Your Palate

Finding that perfect movie or show can be a bit aggravating at times. Have you ever got on a platform like Netflix and just scan shows without selecting something to watch? That is me but add the zombie browsing to half an hour. What is the perfect formula to help me stop this zombie browsing and choose something to enjoy? Pick up that bottle of wine or beer and allow me to give you a taste of this recipe.

One of my favorite movies is ‘Eat Pray Love’. I enjoy watching Julia Roberts go through this transition in finding herself. It is even better this includes delicious food, wine, and emotions that everyone has felt at one point in time. As I browse through shows to watch I look for similarities that ‘Eat Pray Love’ has. If this has food, then that will be my recommendation.

‘Eat Pray Love’ has the following:

• Food

• Travel

• Personal Growth

• Romance with herself and a handsome man

This movie JUST does not have food…it is the love of food with amazing wording that most readers enjoy. Those wanderlust movies take you through the character’s inner and outer being. If you like ‘Eat Pray Love’, then ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ is a movie you will enjoy. It has personal growth with the romance of many entities like learning to love herself again after a divorce, moving internationally on a whim, and remodeling her new home as she finds herself again.

If you like ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’, then ‘Little Forest’ might be for you. This beautiful film made me watch it many times throughout the year. Beware, if you do not enjoy subtitles then perhaps skip this Korean Drama. The number one ingredient in this formula is food with personal growth being a close second. The filming, music, and screenwriting give you many symbolisms throughout this film—making watching it again feel new as you see new symbols that you missed previously. The bonus is the food as the main character unlocks her passion for cooking—sit back and enjoy delicious food and wine with this beautiful cinematic. ‘Little Forest’ is a must-see for those who enjoy relaxing in a K-Drama paradise of home-cooked meals.

The next recommendation is of course the beautiful Meryl Streep as Julia Child and Amy Adams as Julie Powell in ‘Julie & Julia’. This romantic comedy is always a must when I feel blue. I love to sit back with my wine as I enjoy the food, travel, and romance in this film. The way ‘Julie & Julia’ is filmed makes you want to cook a recipe from Julia Child’s cookbook. The personal growth throughout this film as Julie Powell works through the recipes, helps viewers realize that even Julia Child had bad days. The nostalgia of this film always helps bring me out of my zombie browsing.

If you like ‘Julie & Julia’, then ‘Toast’ is a film to get your palate awake and ready for a culinary delight. Nigel Slater is portrayed by Freddie Highmore who has a mother that cannot cook. When trying to adapt to new changes in the home thanks to a lemon meringue pie, Nigel learns to cook through school and work-life to try and earn his father’s attention. The food, story that so many people go through, with laughter is a must-see for not only foodies but those who enjoy comedy-drama.

Lastly, if you like ‘Toast’, then ‘Tortilla Soup’ is a must-see. This classic movie is something my husband even enjoyed. It is a story about three grown sisters and a windowed father’s love for his family. The delicious food Martin, who is played by Héctor Elizondo, cooks for his family every Sunday is a foodie’s paradise that can be enjoyed with some wine and laughter. The romance, comedy, wonder lust, and personal growth the characters go through is something to be enjoyed. So sit back and relax as you drink that bottle of wine with ‘Tortilla Soup’.

With my secret recipe to get out of a zombie-browsing moment, you can always find a film to enjoy with food, wine, and a nice warm blanket in front of your television.