Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Movie Menu Theme Night: Bella Martha

Bella Martha Movie Night
Before there was No Reservations (not the Anthony Bourdain series, but the CZJ/Aaron Eckhart movie), there was Bella Martha, a beautiful German film featuring the passionate and beautiful Martina Gedeck and Sergio Castellitto. One of the most intelligent and inspiring cooking movies I've seen, Bella Martha tells the story of chef Martha, who is so focused on her cooking and her restaurant that she has totally lost herself in food. The relationships that she develops with her niece and with a new Italian colleague, Mario (played by Sergio Castellitto), restore her passion for life and love beyond the kitchen.

In one romantic and sensuous scene Mario blindfolds Martha and feeds her unexpected and amazing gourmet treats. Queue my idea for how to convert this movie into a romantic dinner for a couple:

Ingredients:
A soft bandana or scarf large enough to be used as a blindfold
Romantic music (you could even go so far as to play the soundtrack from the movie)
And finally, you should each shop secretly for some gourmet surprises to share with your loved one

Directions:
Pick some extravagant delights to feed to your significant other, like dark chocolate, cheese, strawberries, slices of mango and other sensuous fruits, and perhaps some pate if he or she isn't generally opposed to that kind of treat. Be creative, but remember that your loved one won't appreciate your efforts as much if you use the blindfolding as an opportunity to force feed him or her things that they've never tried before and probably won't like (I know my fiancee would gag if I fed him pate).

Take turns blindfolding and feeding each other. The flavors and fragrances of the foods that you share will be even more intense when you don't have your other senses to rely on.

Style footnote: I love the way Martha pairs red and purple in one of her outfits toward the end of the movie. I can't remember if it's an eggplant top and a red skirt or a red top and an eggplant skirt, but either way, the colors are brilliant together and perfect for celebrating this fall's jewel-tone trend.

1 comment:

Al Malekoivc said...

My name is Al Malekovic (al@countrybobs.com) and I represent a very, very small company called Country Bob's, Inc. We are making a great sauce called, "Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce" and we would like to get the word out about our product.
I know that review blogs are a great way to get information to the general public. I conducted a google search for food blogs and your name came and after looking at your blog, I was wondering if you would be interested in trying my sauce and perhaps reviewing it for me.

If you send me your name and address via e-mail, I would gladly send you a recipe brochure along with two bottles of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce in hopes that you would write a review.

If you would like more information, I would be glad to respond to any questions you might have. In fact, if you are interested in interviewing me after you've sampled the product, I would gladly make myself available!

Thank you for your consideration. www.countrybobs.com We also have two two bottle give a ways for your blog.