Saturday, June 25, 2022

Weekend Cooking: Toscana


Well, it was bound to happen. Covid finally made it into our house this week. My son picked it up, presumably from work, and of course then I caught it.



Whilst I sound like I have a head cold and have a cough at night, my main symptom is being exhausted, and yet I am having trouble sleeping. What that has meant is that I have only been working partial days. I haven't really been able to concentrate on reading so on Friday afternooon I was flicking through Netflix looking for something, no, anything to watch, when I stumbled across a Danish movie called Toscana.



Chef Theo is a grumpy, driven, perfectionist chef in a fancy restaurant. He is trying to attract an investor so that he can create his ideal restaurant which will be high end dining at it's most precise. Unfortunately, Theo loses his temper with the investor, blowing the deal. 



Coincidentally, Theo's estranged father had recently died, leaving Theo a crumbling Tuscan estate. Now that there is no investment forthcoming, he needs to find another way to raise some capital, and so a plan is made. He will fly out to Italy, sell the estate and then return to Denmark and his dreams. Easy.



What he finds in the small restaurant on the estate horrifies him. The waitress who initially serves him is unfriendly,  the food is average and the kitchen is not as clean as he would like. On his first night, he decides to make himself a late night sandwich but feels like he needs to spend 3 hours cleaning the kitchen to get it to his very, very high standards first. Let's not mention how his plan to get in and out of Italy quickly is derailed by the Italian way of doing business.



Make no mistake, there is not a lot new here. I am sure that you would have a fair chance of determining what happens next. Grumpy chef realises that there is value in a simpler way of life, realises the unfriendly server is a actually a lovely woman, starts to deal with his daddy issues, realises that the place is worth more than money. The End.  And, yes, there are no denying that there are strong elements of this familiar path to this film, but it isn't quite as neat as all that. That might all sound a little bit negative, but the reality is that I liked that there was a familiar arc to follow, and that I knew what I was going to get. And just like reading a crime novel where there is a crime committed and our detective solves it by the end, or a romance novel where two people meet, fall in love, and live happily ever after, it is the detail and the journey which makes each story different.



Two of the most enjoyable parts of this movie are the sights of the Tuscan countryside and the food, which are as much the stars of the movie as the actors themselves, and the film makers definitely played this up for the camera.  It took me a while to warm up to Theo, and I am not sure that totally happened. I think he was still loosening up after the main part of the film ended. In the very end scene, which would have been an epilogue if this was a novel, he had maybe relaxed enough to suggest that his character arc was well on the way to completion.



This was a enjoyable film to watch, and it has made me think that a weekend of foodie movies might be just the ticket given that I am stuck at home for the next few days. Or maybe I'll sleep. We'll see.




Weekly meals




Saturday - 
Sunday - 
Monday - Mexican chicken rice
Tuesday - Creamy pumkin soup with gnocchi
Wednesday - Green Curry Chicken Pie
Thursday - Steak with mushrooms and peas
Friday - Takeaway Friday



Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page



22 comments:

  1. Toscana sounds very satisfying, for all its formulaic plot! Watching films about food makes me crave that cuisine intensely, so I have to be careful, lol. Best of luck in your recovery!

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    1. I definitely was craving pasta by the end of the movie Cecelia.

      Thanks for stopping by.

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  2. Sorry to hear that you are sick. It's kind of amazing that you made it this long without Covid. Wishing you a fast and easy recovery and thanks for the movie review. I'm always looking for a good movie to watch.

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    1. I have actually had a cold on and off for weeks. Hopefuly this will be the end of it.

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  3. Oh no, I hope this passes for you quickly. I am still masking up at the grocery store and thus far avoided it. Sending you warm wishes for a speedy recovery for you and your son.

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    1. We were happy to have avoided it so far, but it got us in the end.

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  4. The huge number of covid cases that I've read about recently is very alarming! I hope you have a speedy recovery -- and complete.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  5. I'm sorry about you and your son catching Covid. I hope you feel better soon.

    I will look for Toscana.

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    1. I hope you enjoy it if you do get to watch it Deb!

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  6. It's a weird virus for sure, seeming to affect people in different ways. I was also very tired, and with no appetite whatever. I think I fasted for 4 or 5 days. Hope your attack will be short and not the lingering type,

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    1. Maybe I should try the fasting thing Claudia! So far I have been eating!

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  7. Sorry about the covid, I managed to keep clear of it for a while but it got me in the end, and then every time I thought I was getting over it, I had a relapse. The take-home message is to take it easy and don't try to get back to normal too soon.

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    1. It's a struggle to take it easy.. It's end of financial year, the whole house selling thing etc etc..

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  8. I'm glad you enjoyed this movie. Certainly sounds like it could be fun. Hope you feel better soon.

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  9. i hope you feel better very soon.

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  10. Hope you're feeling better. I just got back from Italy, where all the food was superb, and might have to watch Toscana now.

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  11. food and tuscany? what could be better? :-) hope you're feeling chipper now. all the best.

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  12. Thanks Marg, I was flicking through Netflix last night and found Toscana and remembered your review, so watched it. A little unusual, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved his cooking journey. Hope all is now well in your household again. Malvina

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  13. I am just starting the movie now on Netflix. A bit after this post. Lol I wanted to know what the chef used for the nest in the pan of chicken in the beginning. It looked like straw. Is it actually a type of pasta? Thank you for my tardy question. I love food movies too! Covid visited me twice during the pandemic. But this past season I didn't even get the flu!

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