Babette's Feast

In class Tommy and Stole introduced us to the movie Babette's feast to broaden our knowledge of cultures combining and people coming together through dining to experience something that they are not very sure about or know what to expect.The movie was placed in the time period of the 19th century in Denmark. Based around the life of two sisters; the daughters of the pastor. Throughout the movie we watch the sisters be wooed by two men who eventually gave up on them understanding that the sisters wanted to live a life of purity. But through one of the men, a women named Babette is sent to the sisters to be taken in by them. This is in the time period of the war, and Babette lost everyone and everything in Paris. She came to the sisters willing to cook for the sisters in order to stay with them. Over time the sisters become very accustomed to having Babette with them and they all work there way into a sort of rhythm through out there daily activities.
Babette's only connection left to Paris was entering into the lottery annually. Unexpectedly one day she wins, the sisters find out of this and automatically assume that Babette will return to Paris with her winnings. Also during this time the sisters had begun planning a dinner in memory of their father, when Babette ask if she can make the dinner for the occasion. Not just an ordinary dinner of the status of which they hold every night but a true Paris dinner. The sisters agree, but as Babette is preparing the dinner and ordering the components and the ingredients, the sisters become scared of the unexpected. One of the sister holds a secret meeting with the towns people to prepare them for what they are about to indulge. They decide that they will not enjoy any of it but rather keep silent during the meal rather than make notice of their sinful engagement.

The only one who attended the dinner who was not present at the secret meeting was a guest, a General of the Swedish court. He who had been to Paris and eaten at the restaurant Cafe Anglais, recognized the exquisite food and delightfully indulged. Praising the Chef through out the entire meal while the others kept quite, unwilling to acknowledge how exemplary the food tasted, afraid they were committing a sin. After the feast everyone is joyful and the sisters ask Babette if she is returning to Paris with her winnings, afraid of loosing her. When she reveals that the dinner consumed all of her winnings, and of who she was, a famous chef from Paris at the Cafe Anglais. And that she has nothing and no one to return to in Paris. The sisters are astonished that the dinner could have cost that much of a large sum of money, but thrilled that Babette is staying.

This movie provides a different outlook for us to see when different cultures are combined, and how differently things can be interpreted. It shows us how people interact when put into an unfamiliar setting and how when looked at through different perspectives it can be viewed in two completely opposite attitudes.This movie helped us see how people can be brought together through a dining experience
and the reactions capable of the setting.