Mini Quiz

[Daniel Rogov]

Because it relates to restaurants, I'll post this one here. Simply stated, what was the one fault in the film Babette's Feast?

No entry fee and no prizes, but it might be fun to make your guess.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Simple. For that era, no woman would have been ALLOWED in a kitchen, let alone a chef-de-cuisine.

[Daniel Rogov]

Carolyn, Hi....

Very,very close but not fully on the mark. Women were often allowed in kitchens during those days, as bread or pastry chefs (e.g. Bonfinger, Maison Doree) or as assistants to sauce chefs (e.g. Procope). Indeed not as a chef-de-cuisine, and in no role whatever at the Cafe Anglais at which she told the Genral she had worked.

Edited July 14, 2007 by Daniel Rogov (log)

[whifflechef]

I have just watched it recently but children were in the room so I was kind of distracted. I don't believe she told him were she worked but he was describing his memories of a dinner at cafe anglais with a woman chef. Particularly the quail with foie. In fact I don't think the general ever had a conversation with her. As far as the mistake I dvr'd it the other day and now i will have something to do.

[Daniel Rogov]

Whiffle, Hi....

I have the original script on hand and can vouch for the fact that when he told her of the meal on which he dined, Babette was the one to "reveal" that she had been the chef.

[petite tête de chou]

Because it relates to restaurants, I'll post this one here.  Simply stated, what was the one fault in the film Babette's Feast? 

No entry fee and no prizes, but it might be fun to make your guess.

←

"Of one thing we can be sure – the research for the film was done with exquisite attention to culinary detail. In fact, as hard as one searches, there is only one "fault" to the entire film and that is when Babette confesses that she was a chef-de-cuisine at Paris' great Café des Anglais. This simply could not have been because the various chefs of the Anglais, including famed Adolphe Duglere were so fixed in their ways that they would not even allow a woman to visit, yet alone work in their kitchen. I can only hypothesize here but I feel strongly that Dinesen (Karen Blixen) was well aware of this and used this as a subtle insult to certain male chefs."

Daniel Rogov

Jun 13 2005

I like your reply best!

Edited July 15, 2007 by petite tête de chou (log)