MY LIST: 10 MOST EROTIC FOOD MOMENTS ON CINEMA (WARNING: NSFW)

Food has been sexualized in Cinema countless times. And why not, food and sex are two pleasures if taken in extremes can become sins of the flesh. But often, when sexualized, food ends up as a prop used to get laughs (that apple pie in "American Pie") or used for shock value (that feces feast in the Italian film "Salo").  Bringing food to a level of eroticism takes more sophistication and less prejudice. When food and sex go beyond sexuality,  the imagination is fired up, slowly building a simmering anticipation for the delicious pleasures  we crave so much.

Here's my list of the 10 most erotic food moments on Cinema.

10) TOM JONES

This 1963 British comedy classic has a scene where a hearty meal between  is a prelude for a late-night romp.  This movie is proof that biting into a turkey leg and slurping oysters can get you some.  And no, it does not star Tom Jones, the "Sex Bomb" singer.

9) A WALK IN THE CLOUDS

Stepping on your food is not sexy. But in the grape stomping scene of this 1995 romantic film, the women get into a frenzy that leaves them wet and the men's mind, dirty. The scene ends with a saccharine kiss between Keanu Reeves and his leading lady Aitana Sanchez-Gijon... that leads to some more steamy kissing in the bedroom.

8) LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE

Based on the magic realism novel by Laura Esquivel, this 1992 Mexican film is about subverting tradition through food. Tita (Lumi Cavasos) is forbidden to marry Pedro (Marco Leonardi), the man she loves. And in true magic realism fashion, Tita, burning with passion for Pedro, inspires lust with her Quail in Rose Petal Sauce.

7) FLASHDANCE

This 1983 Hollywood romantic drama is best known for the highly charged dancing of its lead star Jennifer Beals. Less remembered is the quiet yet sexually charged dinner scene with her leading man Michael Nouri where they exchange notes about each others turn ons while hungrily eating lobster. They never get to dessert because dinner is interrupted by a footsie.

6) PASIONADA

This 2002 romcom has a young Jason Isaacs (the guy who played Lucius Malfoy in "Harry Potter") romancing Sofia Milos (who played Detective Yelina Salas in Season 3 of "CSI:Miami") after she serves him Seafood Paella, Fried Codfish Fillet, Lobster Casserole and Shrimp; and, Swordfish Mozabique. They never got to finishing all of that because they got busy with licking fingers and other body parts.

5)LOLITA

The 1997 remake was as controversial as the 1947 version. The movie starred a 17-year old Dominique Swain as Lolita and multi-awarded actor Jeremy Irons as Professor Humbert Humbert. One of the more contentious scenes had Lolita sucking on a banana as the professor tries to elude the car that he thinks has been following them.

4) LAST TANGO IN PARIS

Bernardo Bertolluci's 1972 erotic thriller about Paul (Marlon Brando), an American who gets involved with Jeanne (Maria Schneider), a young French woman, earned an X-rating on its first screening in the U.S. And like any French recipe, this movie has butter. In a quietly violent sodomy scene. 

3) IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES

This French-Japanese art film pushed boundaries back in 1976 with its unsimulated sex scenes between the lead stars Tatsuya Fuji and Eiko Matsuda who played  lovers indulging in intense sexual experiments that lead to death and a decapitated penis. The erotic food scene involves an egg being inserted into a female orifice that is not the mouth. Taken in the context of the film's narrative, the scene, perverse as it may seem, is one of the may acts of surrender.  It is so graphic that if you search for it, only porn sites have clips of it. Definitely NSFW.

2) TAMPOPO

This 1985 Japanese comedy is about noodles, a widow and a pair of truck drivers. No, it's not porn. And the scene that many find steamy involves an egg, cracked open and passed on in an almost kiss from the gangster (Koji Yakusho) to his lover (Fukumi Kuroda). This scene takes the phrase "exchange of fluids" to a different level.

1)  9 1/2 WEEKS

This 1986 romantic drama stars Mickey Rourke as John, a Wall Street trader  who seduces Elizabeth (Kim Basinger), an art gallery assistant, with food from the fridge. If you imagine all that expired dairy in your fridge, it doesn't sound too hot, right?  Good thing Elizabeth stocks up on fresh produce and unexpired processed food. Her taste buds go into overdrive when John blindfolds her and lets her lick, suck and bite whatever he can get his hands on- honey, cherry and even a hot jalapeno pepper. For sure, couples looking spice up to their evening romps have tried this and found themselves in a sticky mess the morning after.

FOOD4THOUGHT: GOOD FOOD

CAMEL MILK GELATO, SIMPLY A GEM AT THE DUBAI GOLD SOUK

Earlier this year, I had the chance to work for a project in Dubai, the City of Gold. One of the places I made sure to visit were the traditional markets- the Gold Souk and the Spice Souk.

A friend who now lives there took me to Deira, where the souk is located, via an abra (water taxi) trip across the Dubai Creek. And as things are big in Dubai, the creek is a actually wide river that took us about 5 minutes to cross.

The Spice Souk was a kaleidoscope for the senses. Everywhere you turn, there's something to see, smell and taste.  For every every spice you had on your list, the stall owners had two to three variants. Ask for pepper and they'll ask back- "Black, green red or white?" There's also a  container for everything- from palm-sized tin cans to sacks of whatever dried herb or fruit you want to bring home. On the side walk, you see Europeans haggling with frankincense vendors.

 

 

All I wanted was to buy dates for pasalubong but I ended up buying tea, of all kinds, saffron and even masala, a flavorfoul mix of dry-roasted spices, which I had never used for cooking before. Haggling is a key skill when buying anything. Good thing I used to do my Christmas shopping in Divisoria.

The Gold souk entrance, just a stone's throw away from the Spice Souk, was abuzz with vendors and tourists from all over the world. I swear, we could have held a Mr. and Ms. United nations contest right there and then.

It actually has a Divisoria feel to it except that, here, everything that glitters is gold, real gold. As an iconic destination, the quality of the goods in the Souk is strictly controlled by the government. Established in the 1900s, the Gold Souk boomed in the 40's and 50's after traders from India and Iran set up shop and took advanatge of  Dubai’s free trade policies.  

After walking around the whole day, lugging all the goodies, I had to energize myself to walk back to the quay. This is where I stumbled upon this non-descript stall selling gelato made with camel's milk.

This is a camel.

 This is the desert where it lives.

If you notice, there isn't much water.  So, how can the camel produce enough milk to make gelato?

The answer is they only have enough milk for a few gelato stands and some bottled milk manufacturers.  Camel milk remains a growing industry as there aren't as many camels as there are cows. These dromedaries have been domesticated around 3,000 B.C. and somewhere along the way, someone must have gotten curious and wanted to know what camel's milk tastes like.

Well, it tastes like cow's milk infused with butter. It's creamy with a sweet-salty flavor but it is the sweetness that lingers in the palate.  I like it but some people might find it too rich for their taste. I had pistachio and saffron flavored gelato and it tasted the same like ice cream made with cow's milk. A tad richer but nothing that changes the basic taste of ice cream. In gelato, the the richness of the milk simply works. I loved the pistachio ice cream because it had real nutty bits that were still crunchy. But it's the saffron ice cream that remains unforgettable. The richness of the camel's milk enhances the aromatic flavor of saffron. Every spoonful just tickles the palate like a soft ray of sunshine on your cheeks early in the morning.

FOOD QUOTE OF THE WEEK

SYNESTHASIA

Nope, this isn't about some weirdly-named Eastern European princess who wants to build a snowman. This is about people who can taste a snowman when they see one.

Photo illustration by Daniel M.N. Turner/NPR

The article, "Some People Can Really Taste the Rainbow," written by Audrey Carlsen for the  NPR website tackles synesthasia, a neurological condition also known as the "union of senses."  It gives some people the ability to taste colors, see or feel sound.  Chef Taria Camerino, one of the featured synesthists, says  she can taste "music, colors, shapes and even people's emotions," and she can "identify objects based on their synesthetic flavors."

Live Science also sheds light on the matter with its story on Ingrid Carey, who says she can feel, hear, smell and taste color.

The condition was considered and aberration in the 19th century when the first documented studies appeared. The synesthists must have been seen as X-men with unpopular powers because the studies were eventually abandoned. It was only in the 1990s when there was renewed interest on the subject. Today, there are several organizations you can contact online if you think you have this condition.

If you can smell and taste the letters on this blog, you may want to check out these websites:

Synesthesiatest.org

bluecatsandchartreusekittens.com

 http://www.eaglemanlab.net

FARMING IN SPACE?

It is possible says this interesting article from National Geographic: Up on the Farm? Five Reasons NASA Needs Space Greenhouses

Click on the pic to get linked to the article

Since Neil Armstrong took one giant leap for mankind,  there's been a big debate on whether humans have actually landed on the moon. Conspiracy theorists have been showering us with articles accusing the US government of faking the moon landing to defend their space race supremacy over Russia during the cold war. 

Last year, director Alfonso Cuaron won and Oscar for his movie "Gravity," which IMDB describes as a sci-fi thriller about "a medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after a catastrophe destroys their shuttle and leaves them adrift in orbit." 

photo courtesy of IMDB

This year, saw another sci-fi space flick, " Interstellar, a sci-fi adventure movie about "a team of explorers travel through a wormhole in an attempt to find a potentially habitable planet that will sustain humanity." 

photo courtesy of IMDB

These two movies have often been compared. While I find "Gravity" more compelling, "Interstellar" is more interesting scientifically as it poses more philosophical questions about the possibilities of mankind's survival in outerspace.

 

Much has been written about the science behind the movie's awe-inspiring visuals developed with the help of physicist Kip Thorne. My interest lies beyond the surviving wormhole travel and fifth dimension magic... how do we eat and what do we eat when we travel in space and travel through time?

According to several National Geographic articles, plants grow fine without gravity but would have alien colors  and trees would bloom black on worlds with double stars.

Photo courtesy of National Geographic

So now we know that plants can grow outside of earth, is that all we're going to eat?

Since the advent of space travel, a number of animals have been sent to space including monkeys and dogs and frogs. While NASA reports that animals can adapt to living in space, only one animal has survived being exposed to cosmic rays and exposure to open space conditions, the tardigrade. 

The amazing tardigrade

The way things are looking, it might take a looooong time before we can have steaks in space.