The Cinematic World of Culinary & Culture

Big Night follows the story of Primo & Secondo, two first-generation Italian immigrant brothers, as they try to keep their traditional Italian restaurant in 1950's New Jersey. During the entirety of the film, we watch the brothers fight with not only each other but also struggling with the aspects of life that come with trying to achieve the American Dream.    Each brother represents a conflicting ideology. We see evidence of this within the first 10 minutes of the film. Two customers are complaining to Secondo about not being able to see the shrimp in the risotto and wanting to have spaghetti and meatballs despite Secondo advising against it. Nevertheless, he pushes his feelings aside and asks Secundo to abide by the customers' wishes. Outraged, he rants, calling them "Philistines" and screaming about the traditional Italian way. In this scene, Secundo represents the idea of assimilating to popular culture while Primo represents the idea of sticking to traditio...

  A s an African American, both Soul Food & Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored hit very close to home for me. These films accurately depict "The Black Experience" and how food plays an important part in our culture & lifestyle. For centuries Black people have had to change how we carry ourselves, how we speak, how we dress, but not how we cook. Cooking, like with all cultures, is a way for people of all walks of life to come together and make memories that will last a lifetime.    Growing up, whenever I saw food being prepared with the same abundancy as this gif from Once Upon A Time... is when I went to family reunions. I don't know if you've ever been to a Black family reunion, but it's quite the celebration (I mean, just look up "Black Family Reunion Playlist" on Spotify and see how many pop up). Anytime I see or eat Deviled Eggs, I can't help but hear Before I Let Go by Frankie Beverly and Maze play in the background as memories ...