Bond and Food

edited February 2014 in Literary 007 Posts: 38
I couldn't find any other discussions on this, so I though to post one. In the novels, and some of the early films, CR being an exception, Bond enjoys a good meal. I thought members could post some of their favorite meals Bond has had or meals of theirs he's inspired.

One of the things I liked about Solo are all the descriptions Boys gives about Bond's meals, including his choices of beer, alcohol, coffee and cigarettes. My favorite from that novel is his birthday dinner of rare fillet of beer with pommes dauphinoises and Chateau Batailley 1959.

What are some of your favorites?
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Comments

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    Well I've always liked the dinner scene between Bond and Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only - even the way the shots are framed is brilliant and there is much attention to detail in this scene. One of my favourite points of the film - also my favourite Moore Bond by a long stretch.
  • SandySandy Somewhere in Europe
    Posts: 4,012
    There was a thread about this, though I don't remember the name. It was very complete and I think it had a good list of all the food/drink consumed in the novels.
  • Sandy wrote:
    There was a thread about this, though I don't remember the name. It was very complete and I think it had a good list of all the food/drink consumed in the novels.

    Yeah, that was one of my babies.

  • SMERSHed wrote:
    I couldn't find any other discussions on this, so I though to post one. In the novels, and some of the early films, CR being an exception, Bond enjoys a good meal. I thought members could post some of their favorite meals Bond has had or meals of theirs he's inspired.

    One of the things I liked about Solo are all the descriptions Boys gives about Bond's meals, including his choices of beer, alcohol, coffee and cigarettes. My favorite from that novel is his birthday dinner of rare fillet of beer with pommes dauphinoises and Chateau Batailley 1959.

    What are some of your favorites?

    I tried filet of beer once, but it left me flat.

  • Dragonpol wrote:
    Well I've always liked the dinner scene between Bond and Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only - even the way the shots are framed is brilliant and there is much attention to detail in this scene. One of my favourite points of the film - also my favourite Moore Bond by a long stretch.

    I rather like Kemal Khan popping the sheep's eye into his mouth, pretty as you please. Given that Louis Jourdan was French, that eye may well have been real. The French will eat or screw dam' near anything.

  • edited February 2014 Posts: 1,314
    .
  • Posts: 1,314
    Mouton Rothschild IS a claret...

    By far the coolest bit of DAF
  • Posts: 14,799
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Well I've always liked the dinner scene between Bond and Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only - even the way the shots are framed is brilliant and there is much attention to detail in this scene. One of my favourite points of the film - also my favourite Moore Bond by a long stretch.

    I rather like Kemal Khan popping the sheep's eye into his mouth, pretty as you please. Given that Louis Jourdan was French, that eye may well have been real. The French will eat or screw dam' near anything.

    But what cuisine they made! That said, Paris is filled with tourist trap where people eat the most disgusting thing and think it's high gastronomy because they eat in Paris.

    On a side note, is it me or did the Bond of the novels seem to particularly enjoy French cuisine? His tastes were very continental anyway, down to a dislike of tea (something I'd love to see in a Bond movie, by the way).
  • Posts: 5,772
    There is a book about the relationship between Bond (both litterary and cinematic) and food. Three bad points, though.

    a) It's in french (I don't think there has been an english tranlastion yet)
    b) It has some very big mistakes in it (a scene that happens in FRWL (movie) is given to DAF (movie), and the crackers M dismisses in OHMSS are not of the kind you serve before a meal)
    c) The layout makes it very difficult to read.

    But still, it's an interesting book. Here it is :

    51IyYy%2Bov3L._SX342_.jpg
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited February 2014 Posts: 17,727
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Well I've always liked the dinner scene between Bond and Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only - even the way the shots are framed is brilliant and there is much attention to detail in this scene. One of my favourite points of the film - also my favourite Moore Bond by a long stretch.

    I rather like Kemal Khan popping the sheep's eye into his mouth, pretty as you please. Given that Louis Jourdan was French, that eye may well have been real. The French will eat or screw dam' near anything.

    Another great Bond dinner scene there - how could I have forgotten that one?! It was a made-up eye using other foodstuffs by the way. I remember reading that somewhere. And you are right bout the French - they even catch small birds in nets and cook them alive. They're not normal, they're French, as Alan Partridge might say.
  • Posts: 14,799
    Does Bond eat anything in OP of that dinner?
  • Ludovico wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Well I've always liked the dinner scene between Bond and Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only - even the way the shots are framed is brilliant and there is much attention to detail in this scene. One of my favourite points of the film - also my favourite Moore Bond by a long stretch.

    I rather like Kemal Khan popping the sheep's eye into his mouth, pretty as you please. Given that Louis Jourdan was French, that eye may well have been real. The French will eat or screw dam' near anything.

    But what cuisine they made! That said, Paris is filled with tourist trap where people eat the most disgusting thing and think it's high gastronomy because they eat in Paris.

    On a side note, is it me or did the Bond of the novels seem to particularly enjoy French cuisine? His tastes were very continental anyway, down to a dislike of tea (something I'd love to see in a Bond movie, by the way).

    Bond seemed to enjoy most of the cuisines he sampled, although he wasn't wild about Indian (Auric's "curried mess"), Turkish and Japanese. He doted more on Western chow.

  • Dragonpol wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Well I've always liked the dinner scene between Bond and Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only - even the way the shots are framed is brilliant and there is much attention to detail in this scene. One of my favourite points of the film - also my favourite Moore Bond by a long stretch.

    I rather like Kemal Khan popping the sheep's eye into his mouth, pretty as you please. Given that Louis Jourdan was French, that eye may well have been real. The French will eat or screw dam' near anything.

    Another great Bond dinner scene there - how could I have forgotten that one?! It was a made-up eye using other foodstuffs by the way. I remember reading that somewhere. And you are right bout the French - they even catch small birds in nets and cook them alive. They're not normal, they're French, as Alan Partridge might say.

    Yeah. I figured that eyeball was actually made of spun sugar or some such.

    And Partridge may well evince disgust at somebody eating small birds. ;)

  • Ludovico wrote:
    Does Bond eat anything in OP of that dinner?

    A bit of soufflé that, as Khan reminded, "can't wait."
  • Posts: 14,799
    Ludovico wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Well I've always liked the dinner scene between Bond and Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only - even the way the shots are framed is brilliant and there is much attention to detail in this scene. One of my favourite points of the film - also my favourite Moore Bond by a long stretch.

    I rather like Kemal Khan popping the sheep's eye into his mouth, pretty as you please. Given that Louis Jourdan was French, that eye may well have been real. The French will eat or screw dam' near anything.

    But what cuisine they made! That said, Paris is filled with tourist trap where people eat the most disgusting thing and think it's high gastronomy because they eat in Paris.

    On a side note, is it me or did the Bond of the novels seem to particularly enjoy French cuisine? His tastes were very continental anyway, down to a dislike of tea (something I'd love to see in a Bond movie, by the way).

    Bond seemed to enjoy most of the cuisines he sampled, although he wasn't wild about Indian (Auric's "curried mess"), Turkish and Japanese. He doted more on Western chow.

    What always struck me is how continental he seems to be when it comes to food and drinks: he eats sole meunière, drinks French wines, coffee of course (and has contempt for tea), I believe he has French sausages in OHMSS... Although he does like Cadbury's chocolates and English breakfast, overall he seems to enjoy more French and European cuisine. Something to do with rationing in the UK when the first novels were published? That and the exoticism and the reputation of French cuisine might have played a role in his tastes. Of course Fleming hated tea and passed it on to his character. Again, Delenda Carthago: I want to see this dislike of tea featured in a Bond movie.
  • edited February 2014 Posts: 2,483
    Ludovico wrote:
    Ludovico wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Well I've always liked the dinner scene between Bond and Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only - even the way the shots are framed is brilliant and there is much attention to detail in this scene. One of my favourite points of the film - also my favourite Moore Bond by a long stretch.

    I rather like Kemal Khan popping the sheep's eye into his mouth, pretty as you please. Given that Louis Jourdan was French, that eye may well have been real. The French will eat or screw dam' near anything.

    But what cuisine they made! That said, Paris is filled with tourist trap where people eat the most disgusting thing and think it's high gastronomy because they eat in Paris.

    On a side note, is it me or did the Bond of the novels seem to particularly enjoy French cuisine? His tastes were very continental anyway, down to a dislike of tea (something I'd love to see in a Bond movie, by the way).

    Bond seemed to enjoy most of the cuisines he sampled, although he wasn't wild about Indian (Auric's "curried mess"), Turkish and Japanese. He doted more on Western chow.

    What always struck me is how continental he seems to be when it comes to food and drinks: he eats sole meunière, drinks French wines, coffee of course (and has contempt for tea), I believe he has French sausages in OHMSS... Although he does like Cadbury's chocolates and English breakfast, overall he seems to enjoy more French and European cuisine. Something to do with rationing in the UK when the first novels were published? That and the exoticism and the reputation of French cuisine might have played a role in his tastes. Of course Fleming hated tea and passed it on to his character. Again, Delenda Carthago: I want to see this dislike of tea featured in a Bond movie.

    Throughout most of the modern era, and certainly during the middle of the 20th century, French cuisine was considered the acme of the culinary world. It's not surprising that Bond, a connoisseur of the finer things in life, would favor French food and drink, although, let it be said, Bond found American vermouth to be "the best he ever tasted."

  • Posts: 14,799
    He also seemed to enjoy US cuisine a lot, in LALD and GF particularly. Again, it was still back then exotic.
  • Posts: 315
    Just a few thoughts. Bond doesn't have a soft drink either in the novels or films. He does have a cold, iced coffee and turns his nose up at it. His favorite coffee is Jamaican Blue Mountain. Seems like sole for dinner and scrambled eggs for breakie are his favorites. I remember he put a little pepper in his Russian vodka to take any oil to the bottom.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    Ludovico wrote:
    Does Bond eat anything in OP of that dinner?

    I think he ate some of the souffle starter, didn't he?
  • Posts: 14,799
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Ludovico wrote:
    Does Bond eat anything in OP of that dinner?

    I think he ate some of the souffle starter, didn't he?
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Ludovico wrote:
    Does Bond eat anything in OP of that dinner?

    I think he ate some of the souffle starter, didn't he?

    I need to watch it again. Something else struck me: wouldn't Khamal Khan be vegetarian, being Indian?
  • Posts: 6,396
    Ludovico wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Ludovico wrote:
    Does Bond eat anything in OP of that dinner?

    I think he ate some of the souffle starter, didn't he?
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Ludovico wrote:
    Does Bond eat anything in OP of that dinner?

    I think he ate some of the souffle starter, didn't he?

    I need to watch it again. Something else struck me: wouldn't Khamal Khan be vegetarian, being Indian?

    If he's Hindu then he wouldn't be allowed to eat beef. Sheep's head and eyeballs is clearly OK though :-)
  • edited February 2014 Posts: 5,772
    Speaking of the book I mentioned above, one tiny note talks about the famous "brizzola" that Bond eats in New York in LALD. Seems that the authors haven't found that dish anywhere, and thus have concluded it doesn't exist.

    Well, guess what ?

    It does !

    In fact, what Bond was eating was "Bresaola", which is a sort of pastrami (that is, the bovine equivalent of cured ham). Of course, we can assume that Fleming heard about it with the american pronunciation instead of the correct italian one, and put the phonetic equivalent in the novel, thus starting a mystery that has at least been resolved. More information here :

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bresaola
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited February 2014 Posts: 17,727
    Ludovico wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Ludovico wrote:
    Does Bond eat anything in OP of that dinner?

    I think he ate some of the souffle starter, didn't he?
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Ludovico wrote:
    Does Bond eat anything in OP of that dinner?

    I think he ate some of the souffle starter, didn't he?

    I need to watch it again. Something else struck me: wouldn't Khamal Khan be vegetarian, being Indian?

    Yes, Bond does eat some of the souffle, though not any of the dinner that follows it. And Kamal Khan is an exiled Afghan Prince - he's not Indian at all, but from Afghanistan.
  • This is a cool topic, given how "foodie" culture has risen while portion sizes get smaller, food prices are driven up for various reasons (like the cost of gas). But CR really did a good job of showing Bond enjoying a nice meal. What else could he do aside from maybe getting a massage? It was great that the film took its time to show Bond being human.

    Another example comes from SF, but I have a problem with how this film missed the opportunity to show a last meal scene with Bond, M, and Kinkade. Having had such a scene with Bond making quiche would have helped the audience see more of close relationship before the sweat, excuse me, tears showed. But SF did a good job taking time to show things like when Bond and M look solemnly at the lodge and sigh together. Anyway, back to food. I guess the quiche scene from AVTAK was good but mainly because of the score. Quiche isn't that hard to make. In a modern Bond movie, say if Bond 24 is modernism-styled like QOS was, Bond could have a dish that would make the audience feel uncool if they don't eat the same stuff. I don't think that's happened yet.
  • Posts: 12,242
    Interesting topic. My favorite dinner scene for some reason was the one in TMWTGG between Bond and Scaramanga. Don't know why, but it always stuck out to me. Other good dinner scenes included the one on the train in FRWL, dinner with Dr. No, and the celebratory dinner in CR.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited February 2014 Posts: 17,727
    FoxRox wrote:
    Interesting topic. My favorite dinner scene for some reason was the one in TMWTGG between Bond and Scaramanga. Don't know why, but it always stuck out to me. Other good dinner scenes included the one on the train in FRWL, dinner with Dr. No, and the celebratory dinner in CR.


    The TMWTGG and DN dinner scenes - very good additions to this thread - how could I forget those ones! Brilliant, @FoxRox. I'm in full agreement.
  • FoxRox wrote:
    Interesting topic. My favorite dinner scene for some reason was the one in TMWTGG between Bond and Scaramanga. Don't know why, but it always stuck out to me. Other good dinner scenes included the one on the train in FRWL, dinner with Dr. No, and the celebratory dinner in CR.

    Let's see what NickNack has done for us. Ah! Mushrooms.

    :)

  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,418
    The fried mushrooms look terribly interesting...

    Although, I have the feeling the dialogue in that classic scene in the reason people remember it.

    I love the dinner passages in Fleming's novels. But the one that always stands out is Bond dinner in Miami, feasting on crabs. I always find myself salivating at that.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    royale65 wrote:
    The fried mushrooms look terribly interesting...

    Although, I have the feeling the dialogue in that classic scene in the reason people remember it.

    I love the dinner passages in Fleming's novels. But the one that always stands out is Bond dinner in Miami, feasting on crabs. I always find myself salivating at that.

    Yes, it's largely the excellent dialogue that makes the dinner scene in TMWTGG - James Bond's very raison d'etre is right there in his speech to Scaramanga. I happen to consider this the finest speech not to have come from any of the Bond novels or stories by Ian Fleming in any of the Bond films as it encapsulates the character so very well. I don't say that lightly, either.
  • edited February 2014 Posts: 1,009
    FoxRox wrote:
    Interesting topic. My favorite dinner scene for some reason was the one in TMWTGG between Bond and Scaramanga.

    Found in the mighty database TV Tropes:



    I think it's quite funny.

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