Blog 9

Liam Breslin 
Dr. Esa
4/12/20
Reel Food
Blog 9
Where are you from? Yes, your town or the country you’re family is from are fine answers each. Is there anything specific you can remember that trademarks the place you are from or even trademarks your own family. Culture is mainly propelled by influences of where people are from and their family (biological or chosen). Within both films, Once Upon a Time and Soul Food, the audience is shown, in specific instances, culture being shared amongst groups of African-American people in various periods.
At the start, both films feature a more or less scattered family that the story ultimately gravitates around. However, as the film progresses, sometimes subtly, we see more of the family/group come together, especially in accordance with food.  In an article from Reel Food, Balthrope describes various elements about the significance of food within both films. One of these elements is the sense of community large meals shared amongst a group can establish. Balthrope discusses how Cliff feels safe at the church picnic among family and friends, as Poppa is the one cooking much of the food at the picnic (Balthrope, 108). This entire scene is an establishment of communal love and cultural brotherhood brought together by food for the various characters. Additionally, due to periodic circumstances, the picnic gives the group a sense of identity as they are subject to segregation. 
Although not until later in the film, we see this sense of communal love and cultural renewal happen at the end of the Soul Food. At first, Ahmad makes up the story that Big Mama left a large amount of money for the family, which later on was known to be a “half hoax” (as there certainly was money at the end). Balthrope writes about how Big Mamas weekly dinners held vast importance to the family, which is why Ahmad wanted the family to all eat together once again, but the new story was necessary as they were distanced (Balthrope, 109). Weekly dinners for Big Mama and Ahmed's family are cultural staple pieces and vital to their identity and sense of connection with one another. So, food, in these films and within our own lives, is absolutely crucial to understanding each other and our cultural triumphs as well as our own familial or individual identities.


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