GER345 Food Blog Spring 2021

The late James Ganfoldini played the infamous character of Tony Soprano in HBO’s critically acclaimed television series The Sopranos (1999-2007). Tony, mob-boss/ family man, deals with running his illegal side jobs and managing his crew while he attempts to be a present father and husband. As a fan of the show myself, I can’t help but look back upon the copious amounts of italian food featured within the series and how these dishes symbolize emotion and togetherness.

“Gabagool” is an italian pork cold-cut that plays an interesting role in the series. Tony snacks on these cold cuts in numerous episodes and notably experiences a panic attack while eating the meat one afternoon. After a session with his psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), it is revealed that Tony’s relationship to gabagool is related to childhood trauma and his consumption of the meat as a child while his parents were verbally and physically abusive towards each other. Gandolfini’s character is extremely complex. He is simultaneously a ruthless mafia boss, yet he struggles with emotions related to anger, frustration and love. When he eats, these emotions either subside or become exacerbated. There are numerous scenes of him coming home and heading straight to the fridge to eat gabagool, left over ziti, or lasagna- anything to distract him from his work. He relies on his wife’s authentic italian cooking (to the point where he is borderline possessive) as comfort because his day-to-day life of crime and drama wear him thin. 

Food is so closely tied into The Sopranos because the families involved with the organized crime share a strong bond; a bond that is tied with their shared experiences of violence and experiences of being Italian-Americans. The show primarily takes place in New Jersey where there is a large Italian-American population. Authentic Italian cooking is an important symbol in The Sopranos because their italian dishes symbolize respect, tradition, and togetherness amidst the conflicts between characters and the plot. I plan on rewatching this series again and anticipate noting the countless italian dishes, wines, and appetizers eaten in the show!

The Cakemaker is a 2017 Israeli-German film, directed by Ofir Raul Graizer. The Cakemaker incorporates themes of loss, love, religion, and food. The plot follows a German baker from Berlin, Thomas, who has an affair and falls in love with Oren, a man who is married and has family in Jerusalem. After Oren’s death, Thomas travels to Israel to find Oren’s family and he soon finds himself working and baking with Anat, the widow of Oren. Anat owns a kosher café in the city. 

There are strong ties in this film between traditional German desserts/ pastries and traditional kosher foods. Both cultural sides in the film (Jewish and German), approach each other’s foods with unfamiliarity and respect. 

Examples are when Thomas bakes cookies (containing butter) in the café oven (an oven that cooks meat) but is unaware of kosher cooking regulations. The other example is when Thomas introduces Anat and Itai to Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. Both Thomas and Anat work together to incorporate German baked goods into Kashrut and they both enjoy each other’s foods. Their cultures and foods coexist. 

Anat helps to bake German desserts and Thomas joins Anat’s family for Shabbat meals. The director creates these ties through both the relationships between the characters and the calculated shots in the film. 

There are numerous up-close shots of hands kneading dough. These shots emphasize the physicality and sensuality of baking, and here, I think this can also relate to the sensuality Thomas experienced in his relationship with Oren. There are also silent shots of the characters eating each other’s foods- these shots are also quite sensual in that they show their facial expressions in reaction to the new tastes.

Anat’s brother, Motti, is concerned about her, her son, and the upkeep of their religious practices. Motti, for the most part, is against selling Thomas’ baked goods because he is German. Both characters, Anat and Thomas, are caught up with their feelings/ stressors stemming from their individual food preparations. 

Overall, The Cakemaker successfully showcases the differences of tradition/ practice in terms of food preparation and consumption, but by having these characters’ love and family lives intertwine, different foods integrate into each of the characters’ lives.