Feel-good picks from the kitchen
Some days nothing does you more good than a pot simmering on the stove and a table laid for the people you love. This list has a woman searching for the perfect ramen recipe, a rat secretly cooking in Paris's finest kitchen, an old woman making sweet bean paste under the cherry trees, Barış Manço's song about sharing your table, an essay on the simplicity of a cup of tea and Renoir's lunch stretching out by the river. Pick one, and cook something you love to go with it.
Films
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1 Film
Ratatouille
A delicious film that says "anyone can cook" and reminds us dreams are forbidden to no one.
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2 Film
Tampopo
A widow searches for the perfect ramen recipe in a merry journey full of love for food and for life.
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3 Film
Chef
The passion for food, family ties, and the energy of a fresh start.
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4 Film
Julie & Julia
The flavor of rediscovering yourself in small steps, as a passion that starts in the kitchen gives life meaning.
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5 Film
Eat Drink Man Woman
A master chef laying out grand Sunday feasts for his daughters reminds you that love is sometimes best said with food.
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6 Film
Sweet Bean
An old woman cooking bean paste under cherry blossoms shows the calm hidden in small tasks done with patience.
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7 Film
Little Forest
A peaceful film in which a young woman returns to her village and heals herself by cooking through the seasons.
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8 Film
Kamome Diner
The calm of a Japanese woman opening a tiny diner in Helsinki leaves a kindness as simple and filling as rice balls.
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9 Film
The Hundred-Foot Journey
As a rivalry between two facing restaurants turns into a spice-scented friendship, your heart quietly warms.
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10 Film
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
The calm devotion of a master who has spent his life perfecting sushi at one counter teaches you to love your craft again.
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11 Film
Kitchen Stories
The friendship between a researcher silently taking notes from a kitchen corner and a stubborn farmer leaves a simple, sweet smile.
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12 Film
Chocolat (2000)
A small chocolate shop opening in a rigid town shows how healing it is to savour life.
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13 Film
Dondurmam Gaymak
A film in a Muğla village, told in Aegean dialect, where ice-cream seller Ali stands up to the big brands.
Songs
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14 Song
Halil İbrahim Sofrası
A heart-warming song of advice on the value of sharing, abundance and a generous spirit.
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15 Song
Domates Biber Patlıcan
The sweet, smile-inducing story of a love confession interrupted by the call of a street vendor rising from below.
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16 Song
Nane Limon Kabuğu
A cheerful Manço classic that recalls the loving home remedies of childhood and tea brewed with care.
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17 Song
Kara Üzüm Habbesi
A joyful folk song that turns Anatolia's colorful sounds into a spirited circle dance that gets you on your feet.
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18 Song
Banana Pancakes
Warm music for lazy, happy moments spent in bed on a rainy morning.
Books
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19 Book
The Book of Tea
An elegant essay on finding beauty, humility and the value of the moment in the simplicity of a cup of tea.
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20 Book
The Book of Coffeehouses
Recalling the talk, aromas and mischievous humour of old Istanbul coffeehouses, it seats you at a cosy corner table.
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21 Book
Semaver
Stories that bring tenderness to ordinary moments, with the warmth of Ali thinking of his mother over the first tea of the morning.
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22 Book
Chocolat
The story of a woman who brings tolerance and joy, along with the smell of chocolate, to a small French town.
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23 Book
Before the Coffee Gets Cold
A tender, coffee-scented Tokyo tale that whispers that even if the past cannot change, the future is always open.
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24 Book
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
Old small-town stories told in a nursing home let you feel how friendship and laughter warm the years.
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25 Book
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
A novel about friendships built through letters and books bringing people together.
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26 Book
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Kind-hearted Charlie's wonderful adventure in a factory full of sweets.
Paintings
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27 Painting
Luncheon of the Boating Party
Friends, laughter and a lunch stretching on by the river; a painting that celebrates the warmth of sharing.
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28 Painting
Breakfast under the Big Birch
A family table set in the shade of a tree shows that even an ordinary morning can be a celebration.
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29 Painting
Yörük Woman Rolling Dough
A Yörük woman rolling dough beside her children; a scene where neither food nor love is ever missing from the home.
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30 Painting
Fruits of Amasya
A table full of apples, pears and grapes; a generous painting that offers the bounty of the Amasya plain to the eye.
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31 Painting
Basket of Wild Strawberries
Carefully piled strawberries and a glass of water: a small miracle showing how fulfilling simplicity can be.
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32 Painting
Basket of Apples
Apples scattered on a table and a bottle; the work of a calm gaze that finds harmony even in ordinary objects.
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33 Painting
Still Life with Watermelon (Hikmet Onat)
A table laden with watermelon, bunches of grapes and figs; a colorful painting celebrating the abundance of summer fruit.
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34 Painting
Still Life with Eggplants
Purple eggplants glowing on the table turn an ordinary kitchen moment into a feast of color.
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35 Painting
The Chocolate Girl
The soft colours of the girl carefully carrying her tray recall the small happiness of a warm cup.
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36 Painting
Viva la Vida, Watermelons
Those two words written on a slice of watermelon are the most heartfelt way of holding on to life's sweetness.