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On a diet? Watch these movies instead

By Catherine Toth Fox • January 24, 2013 • Food

jiro-dreams

I hate dieting.

In fact, I’m a total failure at it.

I’ll wake up, go to the gym and tell myself, “Today I’m going to eat healthy. Salad for lunch!”

Then not even 20 minutes later, I’m scarfing down a cake donut and a 20-ounce bottle of Diet Coke.

Fail.

It’s just too hard for me to not eat. See food, must inhale. That makes it incredibly difficult to exercise any self-restraint.

But on the days that I’m able to stick to a relatively low-calorie eating schedule, I find solace in watching others eat, namely in movies. (I can’t watch people eat in front of me, not when the food is right there and easily accessible.)

So here’s a list of my go-to movies when I’m suffering hunger pains:

• “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” (2011): This film centers around legendary sushi chef Jiro Ono and his obsession for the craft. It’s a fascinating look into the life of this master and how he has been able to maintain his high level of success for so long. I devoured every glossy, delicious moment of this movie — then went to eat sushi right after.

https://youtu.be/hbV6knbeUFE

• “Julie & Julia” (2009): Blogger Julie Powell chronicled her attempt to cook all of the recipes in Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” The movie follows the lives of both women — and makes you want to cook bouillabaisse and cassoulet.

https://youtu.be/vjvJHsJD8ic

• “Eat Drink Man Woman” (1994): This Taiwanese classic tells the story of a semi-retired and widowed Chinese master chef who’s raising three daughters. It’s funny, it’s poignant, it makes me want to eat.

https://youtu.be/yicBx-okC3k

• “Chocolat” (2000): One of my favorite movies — food-related or not — starring three beloved actors (Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench and Johnny Depp) and one beloved ingredient (chocolate). The story of a single mom and her daughter moving to rural France and opening a chocolate shop is charming, but it’s the chocolate — and the many ways to prepare and eat it — that steals the show.

• “Waitress” (2007): Remember this gem from 2007? It’s stars Keri Russell as a waitress who makes kick-ass pies. Who cares about that she’s pregnant, stuck in a horrible marriage and hates her life. We just want her “I Don’t Want Earl’s Baby” pie.

Got any to add to this list?

best food moviesChocolatEat Drink Man WomanHawaiiJiro Dreams of SushiJulie & JuliamoviesWaitress
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Catherine Toth Fox

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13 Comments

  • Reply Chris January 24, 2013 at 8:38 pm

    I LOVE Julie & Juila…
    Chocolat is another.
    Under the Tuscan Sun has some pretty good food scenes, as well as romance.

  • Reply J January 24, 2013 at 8:48 pm

    Watching movies that focus on food makes me just want to either create chaos in the kitchen or got out to eat. Went to see “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” with a friend. We grabbed dinner before the movie and then had to go find more food after we left the theater. Watched Julie & Julia with another friend and found ourselves wandering around in search of a decent French cafe afterward.

    Other food-centric flicks? I wanted to like “Today’s Special” but it was just ok. “What’s Cooking” also had its moments, but not enough to be a go-to film.

  • Reply Heather January 24, 2013 at 9:13 pm

    Like water for chocolate. Babette’s Feast. Big Night.

  • Reply matt January 24, 2013 at 9:37 pm

    tanpopo
    rap’s hawaii (“not too sweeeeeet…”)

  • Reply Craig January 25, 2013 at 2:44 am

    I also like Tampopo. Gotta have a bowl of ramen after watching that movie.

  • Reply jaydee January 25, 2013 at 4:40 am

    “Eat. Drink, Man, Woman” is one of my favorite foreign films. The storyline is amusing and the video imagery while he prepares and cooks is stunning!

  • Reply jaydee January 25, 2013 at 4:43 am

    If you want to see a movie that will get you back to eating healthy then a must see is “Supersize Me” by Morgan Spurlock. That’ll cure your junk food cravings!

  • Reply David Jackson January 25, 2013 at 4:51 am

    Too cold here to do any single thing outside except watch your okole fall off. So, going to watch some of these this weekend. The only one I have seen is Eat Drink Man Woman but so long ago it is time to watch it again.

    Besides, playing computer games gets old after a while. So does playing the same old guitar riffs over and over and over.

  • Reply M January 25, 2013 at 6:34 am

    Hello Cat!
    When I was younger I would eat anything and everything, now that I’m a lot older and much wiser, I have to change the way I eat. I make healthier choices, more salads, brown rice, less sugar, less fried foods, more fruits, no sodas, no caffine, whole wheat, less beef, more exercise and I feel better and healthier now than I ever been. I haven’t been sick for years now too, not even a cold.

  • Reply Annoddah Dave January 25, 2013 at 6:52 am

    CAT: Like you and others may favs are – Eat, Drink, Man, Woman; Tanpopo; Big Night; Julie and Julia; and FUUD Fridays, Aaaiiiyyyaaahhh! Fuud Pix! Tenks!

  • Reply eddyo January 25, 2013 at 7:38 am

    Hey Cat,

    If you wanted an anti-food movie, try watching Monty Python’s the Meaning of Life with the totally gross out patron at a nice English restaurant. Probably kill off the cravings from the Foodie movies.

    Good weekend!

  • Reply rayboyjr January 25, 2013 at 8:42 am

    Hey Cat … hmmmm … I don’t recall seeing any of these food movies that you list here … I probably saw a couple of ’em but just don’t remember the titles …

    … does Ratatouille count??? … haha, a real movie buff aren’t I??? …

    … and I just can’t see how a Foodie like you can ever think of dieting … to diet means to stop being who you are …

    … go surf more … or swimming … or running … or hiking … or biking … or gym-ming …

  • Reply M January 25, 2013 at 9:22 am

    You can eat anything, the key is moderation.

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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