Pancakes anyone?
If you are anything like us then food and film are synonymous with each other, be it popcorn, pizza and Netflix, or a diet busting family size bar of chocolate and movie night. As it’s Friday and the weekend is nearly upon us it seemed like a great time to talk about food in film – seeing as that’s what most of our Sundays consist of.
Food, and events involving food, feature in some of the most pivotal scenes in film, with entire plots based around meals or what happens during them. A prime example being The Breakfast Club. The characters’ lunch choices are used to symbolise the very different high school students personas – sushi for the rich girl, four massive sandwiches for the jock, crisps and sugar for the alternative one and peanut butter and jam (minus the crusts) for the nerd. However, seeing as its ‘Shrove Tuesday’ next week, or “Pancake Day” as its more affectionately known, we thought we would look at how pancakes are represented in four cult classics.
- The Big Lebowski When we say Lingonberry, you may immediately think – Swedish meatballs – or it may just be us! Thanks Ikea. However, they are actually vital to an incredibly pivotal scene in the Coen brothers ‘The Big Lebowski’. Aimee Mann’s character’s lingonberry pancakes feature for better or for worse. Whilst they have been a pancake PR nightmare, being linked to German nihilism, but hey lets not judge, I bet they tasted great!
- Pulp Fiction We couldn’t talk about food in film without mentioning at least one Tarantino film. You may disagree (quietly), we still believe one of the greatest scenes he’s ever directed is the breakfast scene in Reservoir Dogs! But let’s get back to pancakes. Pulp Fiction had to get a mention seeing as breakfast is used to bookend the entire film. In the movie ‘Vincent’s’ decision to have bacon with his pancakes is used as a means of highlighting to the audience the character dynamics and philosophical differences between ‘Jules’ and ‘Vincent’.
- Austin Powers – Goldmember “A shmoke and a pancake” possibly one of the most famous and quoted lines in cinema for a generation of adolescents. Surprisingly though the scene could probably represent the entire visual history of the pancake, when ‘Goldmember’ runs through a selection of various pancakes for the foodies out there. Who wouldn’t agree to all the options offered?
- Rain Man We couldn’t talk about pancakes and not mention ‘Rain Man’. Dustin Hoffman’s character eats pancakes every Tuesday without fail – every Tuesday is pancake Tuesday for Raymond – and oh how we wish it was for us too. In fact, in order to pay homage to a great film (and with the added benefit of helping to limit our intake), here in the POP office, this coming Tuesday, we’ll be employing the same method of eating them as Raymond- cocktail sticks
Let us know your favourite pancake related movie scenes, and most importantly- Have a happy Pancake Day!