by dan pine
staff writer
Everybody loves the scene in “Annie Hall” when Woody Allen, trying to coax a runaway lobster out from behind the fridge, says to Diane Keaton: “Talk to him. You speak shellfish.”
Alisa Braun loves that scene, too. As a Jewish studies professor at U.C. Davis, she also has insights into the film that might escape casual viewers.
“Food marks the division between Jewish and gentile culture,” Braun says. “The way in which food is used [in film] is an important cultural touchstone.”
“Annie Hall,” “Crossing Delancey” and Steven Spielberg’s “Munich” all feature scenes of Jews and food. Braun uses scenes from these three to illustrate what she calls “Kosher Hollywood,” a lecture about Jews, food and film. She presents the lecture Nov. 11 at the Contra Costa Jewish Book & Arts Festival.
No, she won’t be serving bagels or bialys, but the clips she plans to show might make her audience hungry. The pickles in “Crossing Delancey,” or the spread in the dinner scene with Golda Meir and Mossad agents in “Munich,” look good enough to eat.
Braun says the link between Jews and food goes way back in film history. The very first talkie, “The Jazz Singer,” depicts Al Jolson first as a pious Jew, then, after chucking his heritage for a shot at the big time, shows him gobbling up a helping of bacon, eggs and sausage.
“He is eating it with gusto,” Braun notes. “Traif food signifies a transition. The question is: Why are Jews always eating in films? Through scenes of eating, films communicate important ideas about what it means to be Jewish.”
Although her specialty is contemporary Jewish American literature, Braun has always loved cinema. Growing up in a modern Orthodox home, she has an equally strong affinity for Jewish food.
“There was always lots of good food on the table Friday nights and the holidays,” she says. “I had a good upbringing of stuffed cabbage, cholent and kishkas. Food is the major manifestation of Jewish identity for most American Jews. It’s not only an intimate part of ritual and calendar life, but for those distant from ritual, eating is a connection to culture.”
For many, Eastern European deli fare remains the quintessential Jewish food. Nevertheless, Braun points out that kugel and knishes would taste downright weird to many Jews around the world. Perhaps, she says, it’s time to expand the menu.
“We might have to add falafel and hummus to our understanding.”
Alisa Braun presents “Kosher Hollywood” at noon Sunday, Nov. 11, at the CCJCC in Walnut Creek. Tickets: $7. Information: (510) 839-2900 ext. 256, or online at www.ccjcc.org.
CopyrightJ, the Jewish news weekly of Northern California