Mi Local Foodbeet: Foodie Movies and MI Snacks

I have been watching a few foodie movies lately. They are great with Ruby Red popcorn from Amaizin’ Pop in Dexter, MI and Mooville butter. Netflix has a lot of food documentaries available to stream or rent. Below is a list of foodie movies for those cozy nights with your popcorn or prezels and Michigan beer. The list includes documentaries as well as the more light-hearted romantic comedies. More snack ideas are pictured below.

Babette’s Feast: This story is set in 19^th century Denmark. Babette escapes France and is taken in my two sisters. Years later she prepares an extravagant French feast in honor of their father’s 100^th birthday. Subtitled.

Bad Seed: The Truth about Our Food: A documentary exploring the statistic that 60 percent of the food that Americans eat has been genetically altered or engineered. It raises interesting questions, but the dramatic style was not how I generally like to learn about issues.

Bottle Shock: The fun story set in 1976 that put California wines on the map!

Chocolat: The story of a French woman who opened a chocolate shop in a conservative French village.

Dirt! The Movie: A documentary about one of our most important resources – exploring dirt around the world.

Eat, Pray, Love: I know that only one third of this movie is about food, but it is really uplifting. Definitely watch the Directors Cut version.

Fried Green Tomatoes: An adaptation of a novel by Fannie Flagg set in the South in the 1920s. Loved it.

Food Fight: This movie is not available yet, and therefore the only one on the list that I have not seen. I thought that it was worth mentioning because it is a profile of Chef Alice Water’s advocacy.

Food Inc.: An investigation of the current state of our commercial food system. (Not cheerful.) Great interviews with locavore heroes Michael Pollan and Joel Salatin.

Food Matters: A documentary about how food affects human health. The way that this one is designed is less depressing than other documentaries. This one is a must-see documentary.

The Five-Year Engagement: This is a comedy playing in commercial theaters now. Jason Segel plays a chef working at our own Zingerman’s Deli (located in Ann Arbor, MI).

Julie and Julia: The fun story of a blogger who cooks all 524 recipes from Julia Childs’ book Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Like Water for Chocolate: When a woman cannot marry the man that she loves – she cooks.

Loves Kitchen: A recently widowed chef purchases a run-down restaurant and starts a new life in this 2010 romantic comedy.

Media That Matters: Good Food: A collection of short documentaries on food and sustainability. The topics include trade issues, food justice, youth gardens, and damages from corporate fishing. Two of them feature Michigan: Growing asparagus in Oceana County where they compete with South American grown asparagus where labor is $2.00 per day and water issues in Highland Park, MI.

No Reservations: This romantic comedy is one of the better ones. It is the story of a chef who becomes the guardian of her grieving niece.

Ratatouille: A cartoon for the foodie kid in all of us.

Sideways: A funny trip through California wine country. There are reasons why this is rated R.

SuperSize Me: Interesting story about the effects of the fast food diet on the human body.

Temple Grandin: The story of the famous animal behaviorist Temple Grandin. She has changed the lives of countless cattle.

Tortilla Soup: Watch this one just for the food prep scenes. The story is good too.

Ulee’s Gold: A movie about at Tupelo honey beekeeper starring Peter Fonda.

Urban Roots: An inspirational documentary on the urban farming phenomenon in Detroit. The DVD (available online) tells the stories of dedicated people moving the city from Motown to Grow-town. Another one that you all should watch.

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