Ratatouille: Anyone can cook

Now I know why the animated film Ratatouille topped all movie sales in the world, even over and above the latest Harry Potter film.

Just as there is “haute couture” in French high fashion, there is “haute cuisine” for French cooking. The latter originated from the French royal court, according to Marcel Proust, author of the 33 volumes of La France Gastronomique. (One finds these dishes in Michelin-starred restaurant in France.) The other two classifications of French food are cuisine bourgeois or town cuisine for office employees who have less time cooking, but have access to la traiteur (delicatessen) cooked food and provençale cooking, which makes use of fresh meat, fish and vegetables harvested in the countryside.

Ratatouille screenwriter and director Brad Bird is definitely not French. He is an American who is so knowledgeable about French cooking. He broke down the French’s sense of superiority that only French chefs can cook with the slogan, “Anyone can cook”. The movie invents the story of the great Parisienne chef Augusto Gusteau, the author of the book entitled, “Anyone Can Cook”, whose contents were drawn from his televised cooking series.

In French gourmet restaurants, one books 5 months in advance

The narrator begins: “Although each of the world’s country would like to dispute it, we, French know the truth — the best food in the world is made in France. The best food in France is made in Paris and the best food in Paris is made by French chef Augusto Gusteau, whose restaurant is booked five months in advance.”

The scene begins at the kitchen of a countryhouse outside Paris where mouse Remy observes a grandmother fall asleep while watching Chef Gusteau’s cooking demo on television. Watching from the spice shelf, Remy leafs through Gusteau’s best selling cookbook and shows off his culinary knowledge to his brother mouse who prefers to nibble food morsels left on the shelf.

Remy is inspired when Chef Gusteau said, “Great cooking is not for the gentle heart. You must be imaginative and strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work. You must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul.”

Remy is startled when the TV interrupts the cooking demo to announce that “The famous Chef Gusteau received a severe blow from critic Anton Ego that made him lose one of his five stars.” He was so heartbroken, he died.

Chef Gusteau’s son is guided by Mouse Chef Remy

Mouse Remy got separated in the underground Paris cistern from the rest of the rat colony headed by his father. When he clambers out, he sees the famous Gusteau restaurant. He is dazzled by the gourmet kitchen where four chefs are busy filling orders. The little figure of Chef Gusteau, as a ghost, flutters before his vision, at the same time, a young French man Linguini presents his mother Valentina’s letter of recommendation to the chef for him to work in the restaurant. (Unknown to the chefs, he was really the secret son of Gusteau and Valentina, the Italian lady cook.) The letter included Gusteaus’s last will and testament that upon his death the restaurant will go to his heir.

Without any experience, he was made the dishwasher. The ghost Gusteau persuaded Remy to help Linguini, reminding him his motto, “Anyone Can Cook.” Linguini watched in amazement how the “mouse chef” threw in all sorts of spices and cream into the soup kettle. All the customers enjoyed it to the surprise of all the professional chefs. Linguini rose in the rank as a junior cook, but under the tutelage of Collette, the only female chef.

Remy and Collette demonstrates how to master the French kitchen

More and more culinary schools are opening all over the Philippines. Students think that like nursing it will enable them to work and earn big salaries in five star hotels abroad, in cruiser lines or in the numerous airline kitchens. They do not realize the discipline required – getting up early and staying up late preparing the various tools and equipment for cooking the hors d’oeuvres (appetizers), consommé, the entrees, patisserie and desserts, which are eaten with a variety of fromage (cheese) and wine. In addition, one must be familiar with the Latin language, like French, Italian or Spanish – although most executive chefs are either Germans or Swiss.

Going back to our chef mouse Remy, Linguini made a pact with him: “I can’t cook, but you can. We’re in this together. What is mine is yours.” Linguini housed him in his small Parisienne flat. A dream come true for Remy. He is in Paris and sleeps by the window sill overlooking the lighted Eiffel Tower. In the morning, he surprises Linguini with a French omelet for breakfast, “crispy outside and frothy inside”.

The mouse under Linguini’s toque formulated a communication code by pulling the latter’s hair in various directions. Remy trains Linguini blindfolded where to reach for all ingredients, including basic kitchen techniques of breaking eggs and whipping it, chopping fine herbs, how to cook pasta and various sauces – the mainstay of French cuisine.

Collette is more demanding: “Always observe the rules – Everything has its own place… Keep your station clean… Keep hands close to the body when cooking so sleeves are kept clean… Every minute counts… Follow Chef Gusteau’s recipe to the letter.”

Is Ratatouille a rat?

Ratatouille is a vegetable provencale dish. My friend, Jacqueline Oudin, a Montessori school directress, would feed me Ratatouille in her huge house in Boulevard Duchesse Anne. (Her father, a retired general and a very religious man, volunteers in the soup kitchen of the town feeding the poor homeless old people.)

The recipe states: Fry 2 aubergines (eggplants), cubed, in olive oil with a little salt and sugar. Set aside to drain in a sieve. Fry two, thinly sliced and seeded, red peppers and chili with a little sugar. Again drain in a sieve. Lastly, fry three courgettes, sliced; two onions, finely sliced; four garlic cloves; three ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced. Mix together with 1-1/2 tsp. each of rosemary and thyme, and pepper to taste.

When the dreaded food critic Anton Ego, who caused Chef Gusteau’s death, announced his visit to test the “nouvelle cuisine” of Chef Linguini, Mouse Chef prepared Ratatouille. Looked down as an ordinary peasant dish, Anton Ego looked at it with contempt, but tasted it. His eyes lit up with the first spoonful and recalled his innocent childhood days when his loving mother would serve it to him to make him strong and healthy. His hardened face softened and suddenly realized he was enjoying it. He said, “This is the first time in years that I have said this – Complements to the chef.”

Food critic restores ‘the Star’ to Chef Linguini

That night, critic Anton Ego sat down to write his observation of Chef Linguini’s cooking. He wrote:

“In many ways, the work of the critic is easy. We risk very little. We enjoy a position where others offer their work and themselves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticisms, which is fun to write and read. But, the bitter truth we, critics, must face is that in the grand scheming of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticisms designating itself. But, there are times when the critic truly risks something and that is in the discovery and defense of something new.

“The world is unkind to new talents… to new creations. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconception of fine cooking is a gross understatement – they have rocked me to my core.

“In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain of Chef Gusteau’s famous motto, ‘Anyone can cook’. But, I realized only now and I understand what he truly meant… Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine a more humble beginning than those of the genius now cooking for Gusteau, who is in this critic’s opinion nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau’s – hungry for more.”

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