What Does Food Say About a Character?

We all have a favorite food scene. Whether you fancy the prison feast in Goodfellas, the Big Kahuna burger confrontation in Pulp Fiction, or maybe the infamous pie-eating sequence from A Ghost Story, food scenes tend to be rather memorable. But have you ever considered the significance of what is being consumed? So much thought and detail goes into filmmaking that you can almost guarantee that whatever a character is indulging is there for meaningful reasons.

For example, what does a very rare steak say about a character? What is implied when an adult woofs down a giant bowl of Fruit Loops? When watching a film, it’s very easy to overlook such details. But when a character is enjoying a meal, be sure to ponder why this particular meal is being enjoyed. You may be surprised by how much you learn.