Cooking with Rodents

We were mulling over what movie to watch last Friday night. The choices were Harry Potter, The Simpsons and Ratatouille. The hubby wanted the movie from Disney-Pixar since he is a fan of any Pixar creations and computer generated animations. My daughter and I wanted Harry Potter. I don't know how we were convinced to watch the Chef Rat instead. But we are so glad that we picked Remy over Harry and Homer.

Ratatouille is about a rat named Remy who knows how to cook and Linguini, the garbage boy who became the accidental cook. As in most movies, especially Disney movies, suspend your disbelief and eagerly wait what lies ahead. A fish-out-of-water story. And if it's Disney, trust that they will make even the most hideous creature to something sweet and lovable if they have to. Think Monsters Inc. So imagine a rat who maintains a kitchen of a famous restaurant and manages to speak to a dead master chef (Gusteau) and mentors a human (Linguini) to produce the best tasting dishes. You will never look at rats the same way again. Haha! Maybe not but at least for two hours your heart will go for these rodents especially for Remy. The rat who held on with his ambitions against all odds. "I want to add something to this world".

Conflicts arise among rats, among humans and between humans and rodents. There's a universal message of understanding, determination, love and loyalty which the adults will appreciate. There are simple lessons on stealing and eating dirty food which the children will easily get. I'm saying this Pixar offering might not really be appreciated by most kids (especially 6 years old and younger) but it still engages the children with its perfect animation, action sequences and comic timing.

As for me, I love the scene where it shows Paris by night never mind that it is computer generated. I love the scenes in the kitchen. They make me want to learn more about cooking and concocting new dishes. I'm not good in the kitchen, at least not yet, but as the catch line in the movie says, "anyone can cook". I better believe that.

I searched for a ratatouille recipe and landed on this site. Looks yummy! I learned that a famous chef, Thomas Keller, concocted the particular ratatouille recipe for the movie and it's called confit byaldi. Nice trivia.

As in all Pixar movies, expect an appetizer. This time it's called "Lifted". You will surely laugh your heart out.

Enjoy Ratatouille! :) And this is worth keeping in mind, "If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff".