“Food Is Memories” an Inside Look into The Hundred Foot Journey

By Erin

*I was invited by Disney as a guest to attend a press junket for the film for purposes of this post. All thoughts remain my own. :)*

You may be asking yourself, what exactly is a Hundred Foot Journey? Richard C. Morais puts it nicely, “A hundred foot journey begins in that moment when you bravely drop what is familiar and cross over into a new realm that is far out of your comfort zone. It is a profound journey, however small in physical distance, that materially changes the course of your life for the better.” This is what happens to one family who was displaced from their native India and find themselves in the south of France, ready to open up an Indian restaurant called Maison Mumbai. This happens to be only 100 feet away from Le Saule Pleureur, a popular classical French restaurant ran by the prim and proper Madame Mallory.  The journey begins here once Madame Mallory learns of her new neighbors, only 100 feet away across the street.

The film is centered around food and memories. Take a look at one very special “Food is Memories” moment.

I was ever so lucky to meet some of the cast from this brilliant film bringing people together by food and the memories that it creates. Take an inside look into what the cast has to say about some of their own personal “Food is Memories” moments and other interesting findings about the film.

1. Helen Mirren – (“Madame Mallory”)

First we have Helen chatting with us. Here is a snippet of the conversation we had with her.

What is your favorite French Dish?

Helen: I love French onion soup. Classically made French soup.

The movie has a lot of “Food is Memories” moments. What is your favorite Food is Memories moment?

Helen: Chocolate. I have an incredible memory of the first time I had chocolate. A chocolate Easter egg. I grew up in England after the Second World War, and there was no sugar. I didn’t eat chocolate until I was about 7 years old. So that first taste of chocolate, I remember that very clearly.

(And if you’re wondering, it was the taste and smell of milk chocolate.)

Can you actually cook? Or are you just a tremendously engaging fake in this?

Helen: I’m an engaging fake.  Luckily in the movie I don’t actually cook. I run the restaurant. She knows food, and understands food, and employs very, very good chefs. She doesn’t actually cook, herself. She tastes, and judges. But luckily, she doesn’t cook, because I would reveal myself very rapidly to be somewhat inept. The only thing I have to do is to break eggs.

2. Manish Dayal – (“Hassan”)

Next we have Manish Dayal at the round table with us, to give us the scoop on some of his thoughts.

Can you cook and did you have to have any special training for the making of the film?

Manish: Sadly, I can cook a little bit. I went into it not being able to, of course, understand the art of cooking and cuisine and now I think I have a better understanding of those things. We had in the kitchen training. Understanding sort of the nature of a kitchen in France versus the nature of a kitchen in India is very different, and I think more importantly what I had to learn was understanding how it works, rather than how to make the food, because of course we did both but understanding like how to function in a kitchen is very important.

What food would you serve if you wanted somebody to understand where you were from?

Manish: Where I was from? Fried chicken. I’m from South Carolina. But if you mean ethnically where I was from…

What role does food play in your life?

Manish: Huge, because food, just like in this movie, you know, it brings cultures together, but it also sort of is the reason why our families used to get together when we were kids, like my aunt and uncle would come over when my mom was making this, or we would go over there when they were making that, you know, that’s what food is, and I went into the whole thing thinking that France and India are culturally the two most opposites, but what I learned through the process is that’s not the case at all. They actually both have a very unique appreciation for food, unlike any other culture that I’ve been sort of been privy to so far, specifically like the French and Indian, yeah, they’re much more similar than you think.

What should viewers take as the message from this film, do you think, take away from it?

Manish: They should take away that you must embrace life’s uncertainty, I think, ‘cause I think that’s what this movie’s about.

If you had to choose your last meal, what would it be, but since that implies that you’re about to be killed, it’s a bit grim. So let’s just say if you could have your perfect dinner, no threat of death, what would it be?

Manish: I’m going to give the real answer, which is chicken fingers. I love chicken fingers. So chicken fingers with honey mustard sauce – so bad – and fries, double crispy fries with mayonnaise.

Manish also let in on one of his favorite food is memories moment and told us about the special omelette that you will see in this film. It was his dads recipe!

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