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There are many great moments where food and film overlap, but the Serious Eats gang picked the true blockbusters:
Mini corn in BIG: Not sure how to act at grown-up functions, little Josh (a big Tom Hanks) eats the baby corn from end to end as if it was a normal-sized ear. Luckily, with a four-centimeter wide corn, the kernels don't really get stuck in your teeth.
The spaghetti scene in LADY AND THE TRAMP: Only a plate of saucy pasta has the power to unite a prim and proper Cocker Spaniel with a street-roaming mutt. Slurp, slurp, smoooch. Gets 'em every time—at least the animated dogs.
Inside the factory in WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY: The movie producers were seriously on something when they translated this scene from the book into a set. Chocolate rivers, lickable wallpaper, giant mushrooms, orange-tinted midgets marching—woo, psychedelic sugar high. You want to go there, but you also kind of want a return ticket to reality.
Food critic Anton Ego's face in RATATOUILLE: Pure ecstasy. A man, characterized by harsh reviews and a pointy face, cannot stop his multi-sensory excitement of sight, taste, smell, and texture. Upon biting into rodent chef Remy's food, his pen drops to the floor and he revisits images of his boyhood in the nostalgic French countryside. Every foodie, French or not, gets this.
Make-believe feast in HOOK: In Neverland, an empty plate may actually be filled with pies, a roasted pig, and a fruit cornucopia. But, that's if you believe. And once Peter (Robin Williams) did, he had the most awesome feast and successive food fight. But does pretend food stain?
White Russians in BIG LEBOWSKI: Over the course of the film, the Dude drinks nine White Russians, some of which are laced with more than just vodka and coffee liqueur. As in, substances that inspire some pretty wacked-out dream sequences.
Food fight in ANIMAL HOUSE: As far as zit-popping impressions go, this is a pretty good
one. "See if you can guess what I am now," John "Bluto" Blutarsky says as he
puts a cottage cheese ball in his mouth and punches his cheeks. The projectile
chunks birth an epic no-mercy food fight.
Hamburger makeout in GOOD WILL HUNTING: Miss Manners would probably freak here. Kissing someone post-hamburger intake isn't the hottest fantasy in the world, especially since, as proven in this goodnight kiss scene, you might get aftershocks of the pickle.
Lobsters in ANNIE HALL: This is one of Annie and Alvy's (Diane Keaton and Woody Allen) happier moments. In a giggly grand mood, they throw together a lobster dinner in the Hamptons, which escalates when a sneaky crustacean ends up behind the fridge. "Maybe if I put a little dish of butter sauce here with a nutcracker, it will run out the other side?
The deli scene in WHEN HARRY MET SALLY: If you know what we're talking about, yeah. It must have been something in that Reuben. Katz's Deli, the real Manhattan delicatessen where the scene was shot, still has a sign pointing to the actual table. "I'll have what she's having."
Reece's Pieces in E.T.: There are two things you take away from E.T. The "E.T. phone home" moment, and the handful of Reese's Pieces (and maybe the baby-faced image of Drew Barrymore, adorable!). From a business standpoint, it was a huge move for Reese's. Originally, M&M's were written in the script but Mars, Inc. thought E.T. was too otherworldly and ugly and would scare kids. Ha! Within just a couple weeks, Reese's sales reportedly went up 65%. One point for the orange, yellow, and brown gobs of goodness.
What was your most memorable food moment in film?
For more, check out our Top 10 Foods of the '80s.
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