Much gets made about the role violence plays in movies and culture, and to what extent violence in movies is related to the perceived increase in violence in society. Most of the time I agree with Quentin Tarantino, that people are able to distinguish fantasy from reality and while movies may inform people’s perceptions of violence, very rarely do they beget violence itself, if it can be said that they do at all. Django Unchained did not make me want to go on a killing spree. It did, however, make me want to eat handfuls of candy. So perhaps the question should be: to what extent does food in movies contribute to our society’s culinary addictions and dependency??
No, movies and video games do not make me want to be violent. I have not one time seen a fight in a movie and thought hey, this really makes me want to punch my landlord in the face. But I can’t count the number of times where I’ve seen a parched character drink the final drops of water from his canteen and proceeded to pause the movie so I could get my own glass. Then again, just writing this is making me thirsty, so I suppose the power of suggestion can be found in many different sources. Nevertheless, there have been a number of movies that have shown food in a particular way to make a viewer’s mouth water. This is just as effective as a movie that makes you sweat or cry, and when it’s done well, the craving can be a powerful thing.
Here are 7 examples of uses of food in movies that have proven particularly prickly for the tastebuds.
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