Tampopo

A delightful and unforgettable Japanese film that celebrates and looks at everything that makes life worth living through food. A much-loved classic that was far ahead of its time. With its cheerful mix of film genres and overwhelming attention to food, it unites film lovers and foodies and instantly puts a smile on everyone’s face.

Café owner Tampopo has been on her own since her husband passed away. Her Ramen (Japanese noodle soup) is not good and her café seems to be dying. A traveling truck driver and his helper take pity on her plight and decide to help her. Together they start an epic quest for the perfect Ramen.

Food is shamelessly and humorously linked to sex, love, death, but also to cinema visits, the pleasure of striving for perfection and the importance of paying attention to everything you do. Several storylines run through each other. The erotic adventures of the gourmet gangster and his lover are unforgettably sensual. Hilarious and sometimes beautiful are the sequences about how etiquette and rituals determine our lives and our food. Everything comes together in the unabashedly romantic main story.

All images: © 1985 “Tampopo”