Do you remember that scene in Casino Royale, Daniel Craig's first outing as James Bond, when an overeager bartender asks him about his martini. "Shaken or stirred?"
Craig looks disgusted. "Do I look like I give a damn?" he responds.
The scene was supposed to tell us that this was a Bond for our times. It served as a self-referential jab at the (mostly phoney) snobbery that has characterised 007. Much is made of Bond's love for, and knowledge of, wine. In the climax of Diamonds Are Forever, the villains enter Bond's cabin on a luxury liner pretending to be waiters. They show him a bottle of Château Mouton Rothschild. Bond (Sean Connery), smelling a rat, says "I am surprised you haven't served a claret," using the traditional English term for a red wine from Bordeaux.
The waiters make excuses for not having a claret on the ship and Bond knows at once that they are imposters.
"Château Mouton Rothschild is a claret," he responds and proceeds to kill them.
Ah, movies and food and wine! When James Bond does eat, it is steak, lamb chops, and lots of eggs.
But at least he eats!
When I was a child, I used to read Superman and
Batman comics and think to myself, "Don't these guys ever eat?" Superman, a Kryptonian, perhaps did not need to eat at all. But Batman? He must have had to live on solid protein to build those muscles, right? Yet, every time Batman and Robin took on the Joker they seemed to do so on empty stomachs.
This story is from the July 27, 2024 edition of Brunch.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 27, 2024 edition of Brunch.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Pragya Kapoor
Film producer, @PragyaKapoor_
Press play. Join the chorus
Stage musicals can go quite wrong as they jump to screen. These 10 films had song and dance, but none of the cringe
Indian artist, Tokyo drift
Kunel Gaur's Kumi series turns geometric shapes and Japanese graphic design into art. Are you getting early 2000s vibes too?
Please note the change of address
We'll readily use Mister for a man, but call women by their first name in the press, on social media, in life. Something's amiss
Recipe for a perfect desert
When in Egypt, see the pyramids, by all means. But why let the adventure stop there? The ancient land comes alive with luxury hotels and leisurely Nile cruises
Comfort eats, all dressed up
Sanjyot Keer's food videos turn even everyday sabzi into art. It's why we're hooked to the foods he cooks
An easier lesson in lessening
Failed the No-Buy challenges from a few years ago? Meet the Low-Buy, a more chill, doable, younger version
In love with love
Indie singer Anuv Jain is on top of the playlists. His DMs are exploding.Hearts beat in his songs, but they also take a beating. How does he make breakups sound so poetic? And where are all these feels coming from?
Ahilya Bamroo
How Ahilya Bamroo is treating herself. With more than just skincare
Now, binge with your ears
Hear us out: These 10 series are worth a watch just for their killer background scores