Voyeuristic eating and vicarious culinary tourism intersect in fascinating ways when it comes to women and Japanese food portrayed in Hollywood movies. Not merely the purview of haute cuisine or professional male chefs, films like The Ramen Girl, Lost in Translation, Kill Bill Volume 1, Rising Sun, and Memoirs of a Geisha are all examples of films that tell compelling stories and feature creative uses of food. From heroine’s undergoing metaphorical Odysseys to portrayals as decorative objects akin to food itself, the on-screen depictions of women and Japanese food can be examined in concert to shed new light on food and gender in film. Indie films and big budget blockbusters alike, across a wide area of genres, all have iconic scenes of women and Japanese cuisine. This presentation will focus on a small selection of films that reflect a larger story on the role of women as purveyors and consumers of Japanese food.
About the presenterChristine "Zero" Reilly
Christine “Zero” Reilly is a doctoral candidate at UMBC. Her dissertation focuses on the lived experiences of military members during a deployment in 2022. She uses oral history interviewing, qualitative analysis, and programming to help analyze it. Chrissie earned her MA in history from Monmouth University in 2009. Chrissie’s past MAPACA presentations include panels about cheesesteaks, agricultural tourism, the Pittsburgh food scene, and food on film. She’s worked for the Department of Defense since 2008.