[Prologue]

  “Present from time, the delicious taste of braised chestnuts means autumn is getting deeper.” (Little Forest)
  “Working is unpredictable, but cooking is definite, so I like cooking.” (Julie & Julia)
  “f someone makes food only for you, it tastes deeper.” (Kamome Diner)
  Food is an essential part of existence for everyone. If you don’t eat anything all day, your nerves are on edge and you can’t concentrate on your work. Above all, cooking is extremely special, because you could feel colorful emotions. When I get a gloomy feeling, there are three movies I like to watch to shake off the bad sentiment. Through movies, you can experience the magic that makes you all fuzzy and warm. 

[Little Forest]

  Dating, finding employment, and dreaming, wouldn’t these be the things that most people in their 20s worry about? In summary, the heroine gets tired of her life, and she turns to farm in her hometown. In this movie, the main scenes are all of cooking. With the passage of four seasons, she makes seasonal food like cabbage pancake and soybean cucumber noodles. These were memorable scenes. Kim Tae-ri’s voice and the sound of cooking is extremely soothing to stressed minds. In urban settings, people are always pressed for time. However, in the country, according to the flow of the season, a leisurely life brings healing. ‘As time goes by, wounds close up and sprouts grow up.’ I think this is what the writer wants to say. Humans are not machines; humans cannot always give 100%. They need time to rest for a while. There will be few people who are always happy and joyful, so it would be nice to have space for each person to breathe. Thus, people can go back to their special quiet space when they are tired and weary. 

[Julie & Julia]

  In summary, this movie shows how Julie has low self-esteem compared to her friends.  She decides to set a goal of baking 524 recipes of Julia’s cookbook within 365 days. While Julie reaches the goal she did have some setbacks, like burning the food, but finally, she completed all recipes and gained confidence. From this we learn that an independent life invigorates a person. People are happier when they do what they like than when they do something they don’t want to do. There was a clear difference in the scene where Julie laughed more as she practiced the recipe than before cooking. As often as I watch the movie, I found the importance of having a role model. Thinking ‘I want to be a role model’ makes a positive change in your life. As soon as Julie got home from her hard work life, she cooked just like her role model Julia. It looks very splendid. The positive personality of the two main characters also affects me outside the screen, helping me live a stronger life.

[Kamome Diner]

  This movie is about Sachie, the owner of a Japanese restaurant who runs a store in Finland. Here, Sachie’s thoughtful consideration stands out in the scene. Whenever  guests come in, she greets them brightly and listens to their stories attentively. She nurses an unknown person and makes room for someone to live in her house. Thanks to her warm heart, movie goers were warmed. The movie was very calm, but that was the exact point. The scenes of making onigiri and chatting affectionately with guests are healing. There were no main contents, and insignificant scenes filled the slow parts. As if all of our normal days gathered, and then it was one year.

[Epilogue]

  After watching these three movies, I started cooking. The most charming point is that I could forget worldly thoughts. It’s good that I can focus only on the process of cooking, without thinking about anything. I could listen carefully to nature sounds, such as cutting in silence and boiling and bubbling of a pot, without hearing any artificial sounds. Also, it’s amazing that if I just make food according to the recipe, it’s guaranteed to taste delicious. When I made it for my loved ones, I felt proud. Therefore, it plays a big part in the reason why l like cooking. Now I can vaguely understand why my parents often said, “I’m full just by watching you eat.” Why don’t you try cooking at least one meal like the main characters in the movie without eating delivery food? If you think of it as a gift to yourself, you will be happy.