Weekly Etc Archives - Gather Journal

Food has long played a prominent role on the big screen, and much like any seasoned actor, sometimes it has found itself in steamier situations. Here, just in time for the most love-focused holiday of them all, a peek at some of our favorite sexy food scenes.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Linda (Phoebe Cates) schools Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) in blow-job techniques over lunch in the cafeteria using, what else, a carrot.

Tom Jones (1963)

A baby-faced Albert Finney and Joyce Redman engage in a silent seduction from across the dinner table at a country inn using food (chicken legs, pears, oysters) as their props.

Tampopo (1985)

Food and love are intertwined from beginning to end in this so-called ramen Western as in this scene where an intact yolk is lustily slid from mouth to mouth until the climax when it breaks and runs down her chin. Tampopo‘s oyster scene is a close second for sexiness.

I Am Love (2009)

There is a lot to love about this film: the exquisitely beautiful Italian setting, the magnificent Tilda Swinton (and her equally magnificent wardrobe), and, oh, oh, the food. So ecstatic is Tilda’s character Emma’s reaction to this dish of prawns and ratatouille that the actress herself has called it prawn-ography.

9 1/2 Weeks (1986)

Perhaps the most famous sexy food scene of them all involving Kim Basinger, Mickey Rourke, and a fridge full of possibilities.

Like Water for Chocolate (1992)

Tita expresses her passion for Pedro through food, specifically a voluptuous quail with rose petal sauce, and its effects are felt by everyone who eats it, especially her sister Gertrudis whose orgasmic reaction would set their bathroom on fire.

American Pie (1999)

Wherein Jim fornicates in his family kitchen with a warm apple pie. Ah, that teenage curiosity.

Hot Shots! (1991)

The Top Gun spoof makes fun of 9 1/2 weeks in this scene where Ramada (Valeria Golino) finds herself so in heat that Topper (Charlie Sheen) is able to fry up a full breakfast on her belly.

Flashdance (1983)

Just your average fancy dinner out with a little lobster fellatio and some under-the-table footsie.

Seinfeld, “The Blood” (1997)

Everyone remembers Meg Ryan feigning an orgasm over a tuna sandwich in When Harry Met Sally, but what about when George Costanza tried to bring food into the bedroom and flew too close to the sun on the wings of pastrami.

For our current “Caravan” edition we looked to deserts near and far to dig up inspiration for our roster of recipes. And many a band has taken a similar course, using the desert as a backdrop to bring their musical visions to life. Herewith, our top seven desert-bound music videos.

“Hold Me” by Fleetwood Mac

Our love for the Mac runs deep—very, very deep—so this is the desert video against which we judge all others. It’s got safari gear, trippy mirror images, buried musical treasures, white stallions. and, of course, the vocal stylings of two of our favorite ladies of rock: Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks.

“Down Under” by Men at Work

So weird and so wonderful. And while the sexy sax solo has always been widely lauded, we have a lot of love for a flute jam too.

“Frozen” by Madonna

Of the many stages of Madonna, her Yamamato-wearing, mehndi-sporting Kabbalah moment was one of our personal favorites. The desert at dusk lends itself perfectly to her dark and witchy vibes.

“I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” by Britney Spears

The desert has long been a place for meditative reflection, which is probably why Brit Brit chose it as the place to ponder her burgeoning womanhood.

“Say You’ll Be There” by Spice Girls

Nineties girl power in a desert setting.

“Bad Girls” by M.I.A

Dancing sheikhs, car tricks, and a parade of amazing outfits.

“Love Will Never Do (Without You)” by Janet Jackson

Janet dancing in the desert with a slew of shirtless (and sometimes pantless), muscled hunks (including late ‘80s heartthrob Antonio Sabato Jr.) in this Herb Ritts-directed number. She would go back to the desert years later for her “Together Again” video.

Honorable mention:

“November Rain” by Guns n’ Roses

The majority of the video isn’t desert-bound, but one of the most beloved guitar solos most certainly is: behold Slash shredding in front of a desolate desert church.

Yes, on this holiday we think about love, but also, naturally, food. Here, one of our favorite movie lessons in dinner seduction starring Jennifer Beals and a lobster. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy National Doughnut Day! We recommend eating your doughnut (or cronut!) while watching this Simpsons clip wherein Homer, television’s most hardcore doughnut enthusiast, sells his soul to the devil just to get his hands on one.

It’s a miserable rainy day in New York which means I want to do nothing more than hibernate in my apartment with a plate of cheese and crackers, a glass of wine, and something funny to make me forget about the grim forecast. I’ve watched this clip about a dozen times since it premiered on Saturday Night Live and it still cracks me up. Enjoy! FIORELLA V.

Today was set to be a doomsday for super-sized sodas in New York, and a victory for our very own health-minded Mayor Bloomberg. But the ban he dreamt up on massive (more than 16 oz) sodas was invalidated by a state court judge yesterday which means it will be business as usual. Me, I’ve always been a bigger fan of soda commercials, than the actual fizzy stuff. Like this gem from 1984 with the, ahem, king of pop, himself, singing a Pepsi-fied version of “Billie Jean” and starring a young, red leather-clad Alfonso Ribeiro, aka Carlton from Fresh Prince. Drink it in.

To put it simply, margaritas just make me happy. An ideal fusion of salty, sweet and tart, the exact origins of this now-ubiquitous Mexican-born cocktail remain hazy—some credit Carlos Herrera for inventing the drink for an actress client at his Tijuana restaurant in 1938, while others claim it was Texas socialite Margarita Sames who dreamt it up while on vacation in Acapulco in 1948. Thankfully, I’m more than happy to raise a glass full of this perfectly delightful cocktail to both of them tonight in celebration of National Margarita Day. And since a margarita would be nothing without its tequila base, what better way to get in the, ahem, spirit of things than with one of our favorite tequila-inspired movie moments starring someone else who just plain makes us happy: Pee-wee Herman. Tequila! FIORELLA V.

In honor of last night’s Grammy Awards ceremony, I thought there was no better time for a little food-related music to start the day. Being from the Boston area, I grew up with a lot of love for the Cambridge-born band Morphine and, in particular, the rambling low croon of lead singer Mark Sandman (he died tragically at age 46 in 1999). This tune, “French Fries with Pepper”, came off of 1997’s Like Swimming, their second to last studio album. Enjoy! FIORELLA V.

A group of my dear female friends and I have a yearly holiday tradition: we gather together to construct, or rather, attempt to construct gingerbread houses (or other assorted things; last year there was a set gingerbread boobs), we watch Love Actually, and we share buckets of Popeye’s fried chicken. Yup, that’s right, fast food fried chicken. Well, as it turns out, fried chicken and Christmas have a connection in a place far away from the West Village apartment that hosts my annual gathering. A recent article in The Smithsonian focused on fried chicken’s centerpiece as a holiday tradition in Japan where apparently the lines for buckets of so-called “Christmas chicken” can stretch for city blocks. Chalk it up to the widespread success of ad campaign kicked off by KFC in 1974 that exclaimed Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii! (translation: Kentucky for Christmas!). Now while we applaud the Japanese people’s fellow finger-licking love come holiday time, we’d like to offer up a suggestion for how to make it even better: Popeye’s for Christmas! In our humble opinion as far as fast food chicken goes, it’s vastly superior. No offense, Colonel. FIORELLA V.

I count myself a longtime tattoo appreciator, and no greater is my fandom than when the design happens to involve my first true love—ahem, food. Of the millions of food tattoos gracing people’s body parts out there, I chose five of my current favorites from the treasure trove that is Flickr. FIORELLA V.

A DEMONIC TRUFFLE SLICER AND TRUFFLE