TAMPOPO
3.3***
Tampopo
is a rare thing indeed: a film with a brain, a heart - and a stomach! A
Truck driver Goro , who reminds you of a
cowboy, and his colleague Gun stumble across a
sleepy noodle bar, Lai Lai, while out working one evening. Lai Lai's proprietor
is the widowed Tampopo, for whom times are currently very hard. She's not
helped by the fact that, frankly, her noodle soup (ramen) isn't so good.
Goro tells her this
after a fight with the drunk Pisken, one of
her regulars. So, in the spirit of the famous cowboy” Shane”, Goro decides
(with the help of some friends) to help Tampopo make the perfect noodle soup.
This is the main thread of the story, but weaved in amongst it are a succession of scenes that show the role of food in Japanese society. Each focuses briefly on the connection of food to sensuality, youthful folly, animals, teeth, family, friends, class, death and homelessness. Standout scenes include ordering lunch in a French restaurant by a group of Japanese businessmen (only one of whom can read French); a teacher at a finishing school trying to show a group of young women how to eat spaghetti quietly ; a family eating the last meal made by their dying mother, not to mention the infamous scene with a gangster, his gal and a raw egg yolk (not to mention crayfish!).
Each interlude is insightful in some way about the role of food in Japanese life. In fact the film as a whole tells us a lot about the Japanese character, not just how it connects with food.
The ending is probably predictable: Tampopo's revamped restaurant becomes a resounding success, but in all honesty, just like life itself, the journey along the way is the most interesting and enjoyable part. And of course, Goro does what all good cowboy heroes do; rides off into the sunset before the end titles, where a nursing mother gives her baby the most simple and pure food of all.
This is the main thread of the story, but weaved in amongst it are a succession of scenes that show the role of food in Japanese society. Each focuses briefly on the connection of food to sensuality, youthful folly, animals, teeth, family, friends, class, death and homelessness. Standout scenes include ordering lunch in a French restaurant by a group of Japanese businessmen (only one of whom can read French); a teacher at a finishing school trying to show a group of young women how to eat spaghetti quietly ; a family eating the last meal made by their dying mother, not to mention the infamous scene with a gangster, his gal and a raw egg yolk (not to mention crayfish!).
Each interlude is insightful in some way about the role of food in Japanese life. In fact the film as a whole tells us a lot about the Japanese character, not just how it connects with food.
The ending is probably predictable: Tampopo's revamped restaurant becomes a resounding success, but in all honesty, just like life itself, the journey along the way is the most interesting and enjoyable part. And of course, Goro does what all good cowboy heroes do; rides off into the sunset before the end titles, where a nursing mother gives her baby the most simple and pure food of all.
If you are interested in Japanese culture and
you appreciate food in the least, you owe it to yourself to track this
down (Netflix or some other streaming channel) and watch it, especially if you
like a good bowl of ramen! I’ve never tried it but plan to after seeing
this movie.
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