Yes, Chef

It was just a couple of weeks ago.  We were on a work trip for him, a welcome respite from the hectic end-of-the-school-year chaos for me.  I could breathe again, if only for a few days.

“So, what do you want to do?” he asked that morning. I cringed inwardly.  Visions of sleeping the day away in a hotel bed were not in the cards for me.   I wanted to bask in the peace of not having to fill my day with tasks until I had to run children around all evening.  He wanted to walk, to sightsee, to DO.  I relented – the day would be beautiful, and I’d never been to this city before.

We walked the streets, took a trolley to some sights, went to a museum.  Ending up at a small bar, we chatted about the evening.  “What now?” he wanted to know.

“Um, give me a minute,” I replied.  We only had the rest of this day together, precious hours before his work took priority again.  His unease with downtime, a tendency to fill the space with ANYTHING often left me with few options other than just following him around.  I wanted to choose wisely, deliberately. 

“Why don’t we go to the movies?”  It’s always my dream to go to the movies, to see something good that makes me think, laugh, and cry.  I might have small dreams.

There was a movie theater by our hotel, and it was no surprise to me that there wasn’t much we could agree on seeing.  The latest superhero iteration was only mildly appealing; the inane college humor flick didn’t really look all that funny.  The action thriller was sure to be a bore.  I was holding out for the one that caught my eye at the start: Chef.

I rolled my eyes only slightly when he claimed not to have heard of it.  It was an indie release, sure to be under his radar, and starred Jon Favreau, who he remembered only when I mentioned Swingers.  But I knew it would be good.

And it was.  Chef follows a rising chef through a simple story.  We watch him lose his job, gain a food truck, strengthen the bond with his son, and ultimately live a life filled with love and fulfillment.  The events of his fall and rise were hilarious, relatable, and touching.  The relationships between characters were refreshing, and a well-known cast made the movie that much more enjoyable. 

Through it all, it had drool-worthy food scenes that rivaled any Food Network episode.  A grilled-cheese making scene even caused my husband to wonder if he could replicate at home the deliciousness that he saw on the screen.

We both loved Chef and agreed it was something our kids would also love.  We talked about it over dinner at a hot pot restaurant, and laughed as the noodles slipped between our chopsticks and we forgot about the piece of beef languishing in the boiling broth between us on the table.

We walked back to the hotel, happy to have the evening to ourselves before the busyness of the week began.   I was glad that I had convinced him to try something new; he was pleasantly surprised that he enjoyed it as much as he did.  For an odd couple like us with such disparate interests and personalities, Chef was a great choice.  For that, it earned a place in my heart as one of my favorites.


*Note:  This is not an official review of the movie Chef.  I just really liked the movie and you should go see it.  I was not compensated in any way for this post.  Although that would be awesome.

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This post inspired by:

Mama Kat's Writing Workshop

Prompt #3: Tell us about the last movie you saw… do you recommend it?