The ``mother's taste'' that impressed Mitterrand in ``The Haute Cuisine.'' What was the bitter secret ingredient there?

Are women really not suited to be chefs?

In an interview to coincide with the film's release, Delpsch himself said, ``The chefs were so mean to Hortense, like how they wouldn't lend me the gauze to use for ``salmon farsi'' even though I asked for it, and how they wouldn't lend me cheese for dessert.'' "Then they complained that cheese wasn't dessert. It's all a little dramatized, but it's all true. They were so hard-headed that there was nothing they could do about it," he recalls with a laugh.

Nowadays, many female chefs are working alongside men in the main kitchen of the Elysée Palace. However, when it comes to three-star chefs, this is not the case. As of October 2019, Sophie Pic of the restaurant "Maison Pic" is the only female chef in France to have received three stars. In 2007, she successfully regained the three Michelin stars she had lost due to her father's death. It is surprising that she is only the fourth woman in history to achieve this feat, and the first in 56 years. Michelin began awarding stars in 1931.

   "The Haute Cuisine" Les Saveurs du Palais (C)2012 -Armada Films- Vendome Production -Wild Bunch -France 2 Cinema

Why are there so few women in the chef world? Why has the image of the world of craftsmen been established as a man's world for so long? I can't think of any right away.

Isn't home cooking, a source of power for workers, primarily women's work? Additionally, research on taste that has been ongoing since the 19th century has shown that women are better at taste than men. In other words, women should be treated equally to men in the world of chefs. Gender inequality in the culinary world may be the last remaining issue of the #MeToo era.

No, in the first place, authority and gender have nothing to do with cooking. If the menu is simple and familiar, rather than elaborately seasoned, the taste and heart of the eater will be instantly satisfied. The reason Hortense responds with a big smile to men (including the president) who praise her food by saying, "It's delicious" is because she deeply understands the essence of cooking.

Hortense aims for simple dishes, is particular about the ingredients, and breaks away from all constraints. The place she ends up in after traveling to the Elysée Palace and Antarctica seems to be Hortense. She tries to fulfill her cooking philosophy by keeping in mind the words that the president, who was in the same situation as her, told her in the official residence, ``It's because of adversity that you can do your best.'' Her appearance is so refreshing that I envy her.

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Text: Kiyoto Kiyoto

Transitioned from the apparel industry to a movie writer. He regularly writes reviews for Eiga.com, Pia, J.COM Magazine, Tokyo Walker, Yahoo! News personal "Kiyoto Seito's Cinema Gym", etc. She has written books such as ``Learn from Audrey's Stylish Practice Book'' (published by Kindai Eigasha), which utilizes her knowledge of fashion. Currently in charge of commentary on BS10 Star Channel's movie information program "More Movies."

"The Haute Cuisine"

Blu-ray: ¥2,000 (excluding tax)

DVD: ¥1,143 (excluding tax)

Publisher/Distributor: Gaga

Les Saveurs du Palais (C)2012 -Armada Films- Vendome Production -Wild Bunch -France 2 Cinema