Weekend Cooking: Le assaggiatrici (The Tasters)

 

In 2012  a German woman named Margot Wolk shared a story that before then was unknown. She claimed that she was one of a group of 15 women who were forced to be the taste testers for Hitler's food, and that she was the only one of the women to survive the war. Some have cast doubts on the story, but whether it is true or not, it does make for an interesting tale. Le Assaggiatrici is an Italian movie which tells that story.

Rosa is a young woman who moves to a small town in what is now Poland to live with her in-laws. Her husband is a solder. They have been married 4 years but in that time she has only seen him for a few weeks as he has been off fighting the war. The letters have become at first infrequent and now non-existent so she is not sure if he is alive or not.

Not long after arriving, there is a knock at the door and Rosa is ordered to board a bus by soldiers. She doesn't know why or where she is going or who the other women already on the bus are. The women on the bus arrive at a facility where they are taken to a dining room where they are ordered to eat. At first the women are reticent, but food is food. It is only after they have eaten that they are told that they have now been conscripted to be the tasters of Hitler's food as the Fuhrer is paranoid of being poisoned.

Each day they are bought to the dining room and they have to eat. They then have to wait for a prescribed period of time to see if they are ill after eating. Only then will the chef give the all clear for the food to be presented to Hitler. It is easy how this could absolutely affect your mind. After all, if someone is going to try to poison him, you could also be poisoned. The guards are very alert, and even if you aren't hungry, or not feeling well for other reasons, you must still eat or face the consequences.

At first, the women are wary of each other, especially of Rosa who is an outsider. These women are doing the best they can to survive a brutal war, to raise children, and for those who are single hoping for the opportunity to find love. Some of the women are also trying to keep their secrets safe, some more successfully than others. Over the course of the film, the dynamics between the women shift constantly from rivals, to uneasy friendships and strong bonds.

I wasn't sure about one aspect of the film which is when Rosa began a passionate secret affair with one of the lieutenants who was in charge of the group. It did add additional tension into the movie but it did seem like an odd decision. 

As the war progresses, the desperation of the soldiers increases as well as the fear of what will happen  if and when the Russians arrive.

This is a WWII movie which focuses predominantly on the experience of a group of women, which makes it unusual given that so often women are on the outside of the story. It is based on a bestselling book called The Wolf at the Table by Rosa Postarino

This movie was originally shown here as part of the German Film Festival in 2025. However, I missed it then so I was pleased when I saw it as one of the options on the plane when I was travelling recently and that I took the opportunity to watch it! I quite often watch foreign movies on planes. Given that we are travelling again soon it will be interesting to see what I find to watch on these flights!

Here's the trailer

Weekly meals

Saturday -  Away
Sunday - Away
Monday - Tomato and Paneer Curry and rice (new)
Tuesday - Spicy Pork and Beans Noodle stir fry 
Wednesday - Grilled cheese on toast
Thursday - Enchiladas 
Friday - Swedish Meatballs and mash

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

This week....

I'm reading

Melbourne weather is notoriously fickle and we have had some really,really hot days this week with more to come. This week it just so happened that I picked up two books set in the Arctic area of the northern hemisphere, so plenty of snow and ice to cool the brain. The first of those books was The Arctic Cruise by Caroline James. Our characters sailed north to Norway chasing the Northern Lights. It was a fun read. (my review)

Then my thoughts turned to France and pastries when I read The Boulangerie on the Corner by Susan Buchanan. As I stated at the beginning of my review...you had me at boulangerie!

I stepped a bit outside of my normal reading this week and read The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. I don't normally read these kinds of psychological thrillers. I picked it up because a friend of mine recently told me that McFadden is her favourite author, and I have noticed how her books are dominated the best sellers lists around the world! Having now read one of her books, I can see why. It was gripping, twisty and turny and definitely made me want to find out what happens next. I have requested the next book from the library but there is a bit of a wait.

Finally, I started Us Against You by Fredrik Backman, which is set in a small town in Sweden. This is the second book in the Beartown trilogy and I'm enjoying it very much. I can't wait to pick it up again today.

I'm watching


I watched the first episode of the Irish show, The Walsh Sisters, which is based on the Marian Keyes books. I wasn't really sure what to make of the first episode. There was lots of drama, but I guess I always think of Marian Keyes as being funny while she tackles heavy issues. I am not sure I got the funny yet. I will keep watching too see if it picks up or not.

Recently, it was announced that the best selling books in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series are being made into a TV series. I thought that it was probably about time that I watched the movie version which was made back in 2018, which is called Cafe Funiculi Funicula. I enjoyed it,, and liked the way that they depicted the person going back in time. It was a bit different to the book, which I guess is to be expected. I liked it, but I am not 100% sure it would have made a lot of sense if I didn't already read the series.

Here's the trailer

Life


It's a long weekend here for Australia Day. It is a bit of contentious holiday. It's not because people aren't proud to be Australian and love our great country, but the date of 26 January is seen as being harmful for indigenous Australians as it represents the day that the British came and took their land and so many of their people in the following years. I would be quite happy to see the date changed to another date that is less painful. It's been changed before and it can be changed again. I am, however, happy to have the additional day off. Work has been pretty stressful so I am grateful for the chance for one extra day to just do not much, especially seeing as we have had some pretty hot days

With the heat comes the threat of fires. Whilst I have never been close to being threatened by a really big fire, I do hate the days that you wake up and all you can smell is the lingering smoke from fires in other parts of the state. It was like that yesterday morning.

Max


Poor Maxxie boy has an eye infection so he looks a bit rough at the moment. It is getting better slowly though. You can also see how bad his blindness is getting. He is, however, still a happy boy. We will see if there is anything that can be done for him this year. With all his other health issues though we are just taking it one condition at a time!

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Goals

Blog Tour: The Croatian Island Library by Eva Glyn

Blog Tour: The Arctic Circle by Caroline James

Weekend Cooking: The Sweet Life Café by Helen Rolfe

Weekend Cooking: The Boulangerie on the Corner by Susan Buchanan

Sunday Salon: 2025 Year in Review



I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date, Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz and the Good Book and a Cup of Tea link up hosted at Boondock Ramblings

Paris in July: Mini movie reviews

Yesterday I shared a list of most of the French-ish things that I have done over the last 11 months. On the list were a number of movies which were either set in Paris or are French films. I shared links to a couple of them, and I thought I would share several mini reviews for some of the others. Shout out to Erin from Still Life, with Cracker Crumb and Lisa from Boondock Ramblings who hosted the Springtime in Paris movie event earlier this year which encouraged me to watch several of these movies.  

I do plan to write a couple of full reviews for some of the other movies but let's see how we go.

How To Steal a Million

What a fun movie! It starred the beautiful and ethereal Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole, who was very handsome as a young man.  The premise is that Audrey Hepburn's father is a serial art forger. He agrees to hand over a famous statue to display in a museum without realising that he has agreed to have the piece authenticated. If it is tested, then it will be revealed as a fake then he will be found out. Hepburn's character then enlists the help of a man she caught stealing a painting from her own house (or so she thought) and hijinks ensue. The movie had such charm and naivety. I couldn't help but think if the movie was made today how very different it would be! 

Paris Blues

Paris Blues stars Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier, Joanne Woodward and Diahann Caroll, with a guest appearance by the great Louis Armstrong. The story is about two American musicians who live in Paris. They meet two American women who have come to Paris on holidays and they quickly fall in love. I hadn't heard a lot about this movie but I did enjoy it for a number of reasons. Firstly, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were married in real life so it was fun seeing them together on screen. Secondly, it was interesting to see the way that the race question was addressed in this movie. If you had of asked me to name a movie which starred Sidney Poitier which addressed issues relating to race I would have said Guess Who's Coming to Dinner or To Sir With Love. This movie looked at how different the experience was for Poitier's character living as an African American in Paris compared to what it would have been in America at the time. Another point of interest for me was seeing Paris itself. Yes, there was glamourous side of Paris, but this movie was made in 1961 and there were evident signs of the destruction of Paris during WWII. For example, there was a scene where they visit what looks like a market, and the market is set up amongst some runs. 

Hugo

Hugo was a more recent movie (made in 2011) but set in the 1930s. It surprised me that this movie was made by Martin Scorcese. I always associate his name with more violent movies but this was a very sweet movie which was based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabaret by Brian Selznick.

In this movie orphaned boy Hugo lives in a train station in Paris, keeping the clocks wound up as he was taught to do by his uncle before he disappeared. He is trying to fix an automoton that his father had found at a museum, in the hope that he would get one final message from his dad. In order to survive and get the parts that he needs he steals from various stores in the train station, which brings him to the attention of the station policeman. If I had one criticism it is about the police man, but otherwise it is a great cast that brings a lovely story to life.

There were so many layers to this movie, which at its core is about the power of imagination and in particular the magic of movies. 

The Intouchables

The Intouchables is about a young unemployed man named Driss who just needs someone to sign his paper to say that he attended for a job interview and was unsuccessful so he can get his unemployment benefit. The job is to look after a man named Philippe who is a quadriplegic. No one is more surprised than Driss is when he is offered a trial period. Philippe is an aristocrat who lives in an amazing house in Paris, Driss grew up in the projects. Philippe loves classical music and expensive art. Driss grew up living off his wits and getting by however he could. What sets Driss apart from everyone else is that he doesn't see Philippe as just a quadriplegic man, he sees him as a man. A man who used to love extreme sports, a man who now has an accessible van to move around in but has a very expensive, fast car just sitting in the driveway.

The movie is a touching look at care and compassion and about seeing the best in each other, and it is even more touching given that it is based on a true story I am so pleased to have watched it now. 

Omar Sy is excellent as Driss!

Here's the trailer

Siddonie in Japan

Siddonie in Japan is a very quiet movie about an author who goes on a book tour to Japan. However, the ghost of her husband starts to appear to her as she begins to have feelings for her publisher. She visits some of the same places we went to in Japan. Only difference....there were no crowds! Here's the trailer

Have you seen any of these movies?

This week....

I'm reading

Our current theme for our read on a theme book club is Crime: Fact or Fiction, so I decided it was time for me to see what all the fuss is about and read Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club. I can see why people enjoy it. There are a lot of fun elements in it, and I love that we are only just getting to know all of the characters, especially Elizabeth. Can't wait to find out more about her past.

Speaking of book clubs, my next read was The Bordeaux Book Club by Gillian Harvey which I am need to review for a blog tour this week. I have always enjoyed this author's books and this was no exception.

Just this morning I started a book called The Lost Letters of Aisling by Cynthia Ellingsen. It was one of Amazon's First Read books this month and it was calling my name.

Finally I thought I better actually start reading Relish by Lucy Knisley which is this month's Cook the Book selection. This is actually a re-read for me but it was a VERY long time ago.

I'm watching

You know I love a foreign film festival and make an effort to see at least one film from each festival during the year. If I had to pick a favourite film festival though, it would be the French Film Festival and it is on right now! Hooray!! Looking at the list of films, there are at least 5 or 6 that I would like to see.

I occasionally gently encourage my husband to come with me to see festival films, so I thought I would start this year's festival viewing with a film he should really like. On Saturday night we went to see the The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan and it was a lot of fun. There have been so many version of The Three Musketeers over the years, and this one was a very good version. There were sufficient levels of buckle and swash, derring do and fair maidens! It was a lot of fun. We are planning to try and see the follow up movie, The Three Musketeers: Milady next weekend! 

Here's the trailer for D'Artagnan

Life

It's a long weekend here as we have Monday off for Labour Day, it is hot hot hot. We have 3 days in a row over 38 degrees. Now, in other parts of Australia they will scoff because they have that every second weekend, but here in Melbourne that is the longest streak we have had since 1942. We are therefore keeping a very low profile this weekend and not doing a lot. We went to the movies on Saturday night and today we are going to my sister's for dinner and maybe a swim!

In other news, I have been thinking about a blog redesign for years, and it is actually happening! Watch this space...literally!

Max and Nala

We did put the clam shell out for the dogs yesterday, although I do think we need a bigger pool for them! lol

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Sir Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction longlist

Blog Tour: A Villa with a View by Julie Caplin

Weekend Cooking: A Weekend in Sydney

Sunday Salon: Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - February stats

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

Weekend Cooking: Sweet Bean Paste

Sometimes I just need a palate cleanser in my reading - something that is easy to read and just makes you feel good, and this is exactly what Sweet Bean Paste provided. Originally written in Japanese, and translated by Alison Watts, this is a book which apparently is a Book Tok favourite alongside Before the Coffee Gets Cold and the sequels which I have previously read.

Sweet Bean Paste tells the story of a man named Sentaro. He works in a dorayaki shop where he spends all day making these pancake style treats which are filled with a sweet bean paste. It's fair to say that this isn't what he thought he would be doing, but given his past he doesn't have a lot of choice. He still owes the owner of the shop money. He gets up every day, makes the batter, sells the doriyaki and then goes home and drinks too much. 

Before I talk about the book I thought I would share a video to show exactly what a dorayaki is and how it would be made

One day Sentaro is at the shop when he is approached by an elderly woman to ask if she can work in the shop. The shop owner has veto over who Sentaro can hire and he knows that she would never agree to hiring the old woman, and not only because she has gnarled hands. Sentaro politely declines and offers the woman a dorayaki. She asks if he makes his own sweet bean paste, which Sentaro does not as that would be too much work.

The next day the woman, whose name is Tokue, comes back bringing with her the best tasting sweet bean paste. Sentaro agrees to let her come to the store and make the paste each morning, even though it means he has to get up earlier than normal. Soon the customers are flocking to the store each day, which pleases the owner no end. Among the regular customers is a young woman named Wakano who eventually plays an important part in the story. providing a further cross generational aspect to the story.

As Tokue works alongside Sentaro, she shares the wisdom she has learnt over the years, including the importance of taking the time to observe the natural world around him, inluding all the cherry blossom trees that line the road outside the shop. She teaches him the secrets of making the paste, of listening to it to determine when to take the next step in the process.

It isn't long though before people begin to notice Tokue's hands and suddenly the customers stop happening. It turns out that Tokue had Hansen's Disease (also known as leprosy) as a young woman and so people are afraid of her. Soon the owner notices and insists that Sentaro must send Tokue away.

There are so many reasons to love this book. The friendship between Tokue and Sentaro is beautiful. She helps Sentaro begin to deal with his past and to build an intent in him to have more belief in himself and passion for what he does! We also learn about Tokue's life. When she was diagnosed with Hansen's disease as a young woman she was institutionalised and so she has lived most of her life shut away, so for her the idea of being able to work in the little shop brings her intense joy.

This is a study of friendship, of food, of prejudice and it is a beautiful read.

This book was also made into a film back in 2015, so not long after I finished the book I watched the movie. The title of the film is An, or Sweet Bean. The movie is a lovely way to spend a couple of hours. I was surprised by the dorayaki shop and how it looked. I imagined a much darker shop, maybe similar to the cafe from Midnight Diner.

I enjoyed both reading the book and the movie and highly recommend both. I actually read and watched this movie mid last year, and wrote this post at the time, but I decided to hold onto it so I could share it for Weekend Cooking as part of the Japanese Literature Challenge hosted by Dolce Bellezza

Here's the trailer for the movie 

I actually had an opportunity to try doriyaki when I visited the Japanese Gardens in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco in November. It was delicious!!

I am sharing this review with the Japanese Literature Challenge, Translated Fiction Challenge and Foodies Read.

Weekly meals

Saturday -  Takeaway

Sunday -  Vietnamese Baked Chicken

Monday - Herbed steak and potatoes

Tuesday - Pressure cooker spaghetti bolognaise

Wednesday - Takeaway

Thursday - Rioja Beef Ribs

Friday - Away

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

Weekend Cooking: Midnight Diner

Every now and again I stumble across a TV series on Netflix which I haven't heard much about or, in this case, have a series recommended to me. If I'm lucky once I start watching it, I can't help but continue. This week was one of those fortuitous occasions and it also coincided with me having a week off work so I could indulge to my heart's content.

Midnight Diner is a Japanese series predominantly set in a small diner down a small laneway in Tokyo. It opens at midnight each night and seats no more than 10 people around the counter. Each episode features the stories of the regular patrons who come to eat. In theory, there is only one item on the menu (Pork Miso Soup Combo) but Master, the owner and cook, will make you anything else you want as long as he has the ingredients.

As much as it is about the people and culture, it is also about Japanese comfort food, how food reminds us of people and places from our past, as well as how it helps us to make new connections and memories. Interestingly, it is based on an anime series called Shin'ya Shokudō. There are actually 5 series of Midnight Diner but be careful because there are three series called Midnight Diner and then another two that are called Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories. They are linked and feature many of the same characters. I did originally confuse myself by watching the first three episodes of Tokyo Stories and the remaining episodes from the first series of Midnight Diner. I couldn't quite figure out why what I was watching didn't match the descriptions I could find but I figured it out eventually.

The Master is an enigmatic character, ever present, but never revealing much about himself or his past, but he offers a friendly ear and a word of advice where required. Most of the time though, he cooks and observes, and sits in his tiny kitchen puffing away on cigarette (there is a lot of smoking in this show). There is also some adult themes. 

At the end of most episodes there are handy little tips about the dishes that were featured during the episode. Plenty of food porn as well!

In the first series of Midnight Diner, the episodes were:

Akai wiener to tamagoyaki - A yakuza gang member and a gay man bond over weiner octupuses and sweet omelets. I have never heard of weiner octopuses. Basically you take cocktail sausages and slit them through without cutting all the way through and then fry them up so that they curl up and have tentacles.

Neko Mamma - An enza singer visits the diner early in the morning to have Cat Rice -  rice with bonito flakes and soy sauce. The Master invites her to perform with the hope that he can help connect her to a lyricist.

Ochazuke - Three women regularly visit the diner and always have Ochazuke and therefore are called the Ochazuke Girls. One always has salmon ochazuke (rice with green tea topped with other ingredients), another with cod roe and the third pickled plum ochazuke. In the description they are described as middle aged but honestly they look about 30. 35 tops. They are always looking for true love, talking about men, but their friendship suffers when one of them goes to see a marriage broker. They continue to appear throughout the series. 

Butter Rice - A famous food critic comes to the diner and eats the simplest of dishes, butter rice, which is steamed rice topped with butter. When it is melted, add just a touch of soy sauce. At the same time, a travelling singer visits. The food critic keeps returning with the hope of meeting the singer again. 

Potato Salad - A famous porn star meets a young man at the diner. The Master's potato salad reminds him of home, a place he hasn't visited for many years..

Katsudon - A boxer celebrates every win with a pork katsudon (pork cutlet and eggs served with rice and broth) at the diner. He meets a young widow and her daughter in the diner. 

Tamago sando (egg sandwich) - A young actress meets a poor but hard working man and they strike up a relationship after they share egg sandwiches. 

Sauce yakisoba - A former pop idol is trying to become an actress but her current role seems to be very reminiscent of her own life.

Aji no hiraki-(horse mackerel) - One of the regular customers that we have met in the series previously is Marilyn who is a stripper. She meets a mysterious older woman at the diner who tells Marilyn the story of her life.



Ramen -  Gen is a member of the yakuza who takes revenge on a rival gang member and then goes into hiding.

And now I want to eat some Japanese food!

Weekly Meals

Saturday - Fancy dinner

Sunday - 

Monday - Steak, mushrooms and broccoline

Tuesday - Soup

Wednesday - Beggars Chicken

Thursday - Pork Nachos

Friday - Dinner from the pub

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

This Week I.....

I'm Reading...

I haven't done one of these posts for a while because, well, I didn't even finish a book for a month until last week. How bad is that? Work is still/always crazy, crazy busy which give me time to basically eat dinner and then go to bed. I don't know whether working from home is a lifesaver because it enables me to do the extra hours easily or if I am working the extra hours because I am working from home. Maybe a bit of both. I did take a long weekend this week because I needed a break, no matter how small.

I did finish The Jam Queens by Josephine Moon last week. I had been trying to listen to it but wasn't making a lot of progress so ended up borrowing it from the library. Turns out you need to return library books so other people can read them, so all of a sudden I was getting overdue notices so I thought I better finally read it. And I enjoyed it a lot.

I am currently reading Rogue Protocol, the third Murderbot book by Martha Wells. I need to get reading as I have at least half a dozen books I want to read next. 

I'm watching....

We have actually watched quite a lot recently. We seem to be watching more than reading, because when you are watching you can do other things. For example, as I type this, I have the Olympics on.

This weekend I have binge watched both seasons of  Never Have I Ever. What a great show! I don't know that I am the target audience, but I laughed out loud and I cried (a lot) as we watched Devi navigate high school, friendships, grief, the challenges of being a young Indian woman with the familial and cultural challenges she faces.  John McEnroe as the narrator is an inspired choice. I can't wait for the next series.

We also watching  Last Letter from Your Lover, based on the book by Jojo Moyes, which was a good way to spend Friday night.

We also started watching an older series called Leverage which is a clever heist style show. There are five series of that and then a reboot, so I think that might keep us entertained for a while.

The other show that we binge watched yesterday was Penguin Town which is also on Netflix. Comedian Patton Oswald is the narrator and he brings the story of the penguins which take over Simon's Town,  a suburb of Cape Town in South Africa. It's by turns funny, sad, uplifting. Oh, and the scenery in that part of South Africa is stunning!  Bought back memories of my time in Cape Town a few years.

Life

As I mentioned we have been in lockdown again here for a couple of weeks, so once again all our plans have changed. We had really nice plans over the last couple of weeks, and then this coming weekend we were supposed to be going to Sydney to see Hamilton, which isn't going to happen. We have pretty much decided it's not worth planning anything in advance because we have had to cancel four trips so far. We have another trip planned in September, so we will anticipate that one with everything crossed that it doesn't get cancelled.

Posts from last week

Music A-Z: I

Paris in July: Visiting Shakespeare and Co

Weekend Cooking: Easy Skillet French-Style Chicken

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date