Tampopo

Tampopo may be one of the strangest movies I have ever seen--strange, yet highly entertaining. The film follows goro, a cowboy truckdriver, and Tampopo (means dandelion), a homely widow with a poor quality noodle house, in a quest to improve the woman’s restaurant. The quest involves a hilarious Rocky-esque sequence of the tiny woman running back and forth in the kitchen with a big water-filled metal pot, and the unlikely coach timing her as she serves ramen. Throughout the film there are episodes from other characters that each in some way relates ridiculously to food. A gangster’s dying words to his girlfriend are “I would have loved to eat them with you.” A noodle ‘master’ tells his young protégé how to correctly eat the soup, starting with a long gaze at the whole bowl and caressing looks at the pork.



An etiquette teacher tries to teach her young female students not to slurp spaghetti (sorry, I hope you can get the gist without subtitles).



Instead of kissing, a couple grossly swaps an egg yolk between their mouths. A band of clown-like homeless men tell a loving history of a fine bottle of wine. Even the credits center on food; as they roll, the background is a woman nursing her infant. This is may be the king of all food movies; every scene relates to food. The triumphant orchestral music throughout adds to the absolute insanity, and simultaneous hilarity of Tampopo. Roger Ebert, who I usually trust, gave a four star review.

After watching this food-fillled movie, it’s hard not to immediately have a huge bowl of the tasty noodles in broth. I will admit I still have not yet cooked Tampopo’s Spring Onion Special, but here’s a version that looks like it’s worth giving a try.