"I'm hungry. Let's get a taco."
When you think of a Quentin Tarantino film, you probably think of a few things…
violence
music
sharp dialogue
"And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger."
And most importantly, food.
"Don't you just love it when you come back from the bathroom to find your food waiting for you?"
Tarantino's characters talk about food…
"Pie for breakfast?"
"Anytime of the day is a good time for pie."
They order food…
"How do you want that cooked? Burnt to a crisp or bloody as hell?"
"Bloody as hell. And oh yeah, look at this, vanilla coke."
They make food…
and of course, they eat food.
Every one of Quentin Tarantino’s films features at least one memorable food
or beverage related scene.
But why?
What do these food scenes mean?
Well, more often than not, the meaning usually extends further than a character simply being hungry.
Food moments in a Tarantino film are usually loaded with meaning.
For example, in this scene from INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS,
Lt. Aldo Raine casually eats a sandwich
after just watching two German soldiers be murdered.
This illustrates his lack of compassion for the Nazis as well as his mental toughness
and apathy towards violence.
But most importantly, it illustrates his dominance.
Tarantino uses food as a way for his characters to exert dominance, to show their power over
another character.
Let’s take a look at what is arguably Tarantino’s most iconic food scene…
"This is yours right?"
"Yeah."
"This is a tasty burger."
On the surface, this is a somewhat amusing bit.
But what is really going on in this moment?
Why does Jules take a bite right out of the middle of a stranger’s hamburger?
It’s all about intimidation and showing his dominance.
He is showing that he is in control of the room and he can do whatever he wants.
Let’s listen to what Tarantino himself has to say about this moment...
"What's like the one thing you never do?"
"You don't offer your hamburger for a stranger to take a big bite right out the middle of it."
"He took it. He took it from him."
"Were you aware in writing that you basically knew that this was Jules planting a flag in the room..."
"'This is my room now.'"
"Oh yeah, absolutely."
The food is about dominance.
And that dominance can be expressed in a variety of ways.
In KILL BILL VOL. 2, Pai Mei literally withholds food from Beatrix in order to showcase his authority.
He will not allow her to eat until she exhibits her strength.
In THE HATEFUL 8, John Ruth The Hangman uses food as a retaliation after Daisy
embarrasses him.
And later on, food is used as a literal weapon when the coffee is poisoned.
One of the more loaded food scenes in Tarantino’s body of work
is the restaurant scene in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS.
This scene is a masterclass in tension and intimidation,
and it’s all done through food.
Not only does Hans force the strudel on Shoshana,
he also orders her a glass of milk,
recalling the glass of milk that he drank just before having her entire family slaughtered on a dairy farm.
He then taunts her even further by not allowing her to take a bite until the cream arrives,
again recalling the dairy farm and the death of her family.
When the cream arrives, he forces Shoshana to eat.
With the death of her family on her mind, and the man responsible right in front of her,
one can assume that indulging in a rich, sweet dessert is the last thing
she would like to do.
As the scene continues, Hans devours the strudel and Shoshana doesn’t eat another bite.
Here, he is illustrating complete dominance over her and the situation.
In a Quentin Tarantino film, a meal is never just a meal.