Rarely do I see a movie based on a book before I read the book. Rarely. But I did this time. Last weekend, Rob and I went to see "The Hundred-Foot Journey" and I fell in love with the amazing adaptation of the movie version of the book. It made me so excited to read the book to see how the stories might be different, or if the movie was true to the book. Oh my, how these two are different stories. Like night and day. So, for those of you who might have read the book first and don't want to see the movie, please know that the movie is sweet and wonderful and, in my opinion, more truly captures Hassan's gift of food. And, for those of you who think that once you've seen the movie you don't need to read the book because you've got the whole story, you are mistaken. The movie covers only a brief period of the time that elapses in the book. The movie and the book of this brilliant story are two totally different works. Totally different.
For those of you who have no idea what this story is even about, let me fill you in briefly. The Hundred Foot Journey is the story of Hassan Haji, an Indian boy with a gift for cooking. His story takes him from Mumbai, to London, to Lumiere, and finally to Paris (and then back to Lumiere in the movie version) as he learns and grows as a chef. The movie focuses on three other characters: Hassan's father, Madame Mallory (who owns the French restaurant 100 feet across the street from the Haji home/restaurant), and Margaret. These characters, along with a cast and crew of many others, are in the book, which details a much longer period of Hassan's life than in the movie. It is a beautiful story of love and food and encouragement to fulfill your destiny, sometimes with an angel or two on your shoulders.
Many say that you need to be a "foodie" to appreciate this story. Well, I am no foodie, and I adored it. So don't be turned away if you are no "gourmand." I do admit, once again, that I prefer the movie version of this story because I do think that the movie was able to more accurately convey, because movies have the means to evoke senses in a way that books sometimes can't, Hassan's gift for cooking and "knowing" foods. It was brilliant.
This is a great story. And don't miss the movie!
:) Dodie
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