Babette's Feast

Food is a huge part of our lives.  We need it to sustain us eveyday.  It can symbolize comfort, warmth, feelings of togetherness and celebration.  I love to prepare food for a celebration!  It gives me time to think of the people who will eat it, to contemplate the feelings one will invoke, the pleasure of food eaten in good company, the adventure of trying something new, or the satisfaction of preparing something you have mastered. I love to eat with family and friends.  Recently in my Spanish class, a woman brought some tacos from a fast food place to share with the class to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.  It was fascinating to me to watch how food changed people from acquaintances to friends.  There was a completely different feeling in our class after tacos had been passed around complete with smiles on the faces of people at an unexpected treat.  Funny that she was embarassed, thinking she had made a mistake in bringing a distraction to class, but everyone else will tell you, we loved seeing tacos arrive! The teacher was not offended, but excited, he enjoyed a few tacos, and took the leftovers home to his wife.

This movie is my favorite look into food.  I love watching Babette prepare a feast, I love watching the effect of her efforts, despite the prejudice and fear which exists among those who will eat it. I get it from my library and watch it about once a year.  If you have not seen it, find it and enjoy it. (If you have children, keep in mind that it is in a foreign language with subtitles, so you may want to plan a quiet time to watch.)  If you have already seen Babette, I would like to know what you think of the movie!
Jenny