When I began writing here, my thought was to move through the topics I had set for seven lessons in an on-line course that did not go. But somewhere along the line I got derailed by the latest news and recipes, the Farm Bill issues, etc., etc., etc.

This being Holy Week and Passover, though, seems a good time to pick up one thread from the course I haven't done much with, and that's food and culture.

One of the best ways to explore this, to stretch beyond one's own culture to others, and then move back to thinking about one's own ways with food with fresh eyes, is to watch a food movie.

You could begin by checking out the list here under "Yummy"
http://www.eatgrub.org/learn-films.cfm

To that list add Tortilla Soup. It's Eat, Drink, Man, Woman with a Mexican American flavor - truly, it’s exactly the same film with different accents.

Another film to consider is Avalon, a Barry Levinson film about a multi-generational Jewish family’s engagement with American Thanksgiving, a sad journey of trying to learn a new culture's feasts, and then over the generations losing all habits of shared meals.

Big Night is one of my favorite food movies, perhaps because I like Italian food. The struggle between integrity and success has great appeal as a theme, too. The last scene between the two brothers is a wonderful snap shot of reconciliation

I liked Mostly Martha, too - but it’s mostly not about food, but the young woman chef's neuroses.

Some of the more political films listed on the Eat Grub site also have a clear cultural context. Super Size Me certainly does, though we'd probably rather not think about it as "culture" unless we're anthropologists.

If you know of other films with food and culture themes, please post a comment with a thumbnail review.