Chapter 14

Rebecca L. Epstein's fourteenth chapter deals with the use of food in the movie Pulp Fiction. This chapter relates to The Godfather in that both films use food to represent culture, and in many scenes food is associated with violence. Culture is represented in the food eaten by the Corleone family in The Godfather, for example in the first scene the godfather Don Vito Corleone is serving lasagna at his daughter's wedding. Eating Italian food is one way the family tries to hold on to their Italian heritage in a new country. Also, in Pulp Fiction as well as The Godfather meal time is a time for communication. The Italians believe that meal time is a very important time as family is very important to them. In Pulp Fiction the food is more American, such as the Denver Omelet shown in the first scene. American food is used throughout the film.

Violence is prevalent throughout both movies, and food is seen in many of these violent scenes. In The Godfather food is used as a symbol of death, when the Tattaglia family sends fish wrapped in newspaper to symbolize that Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes. In Pulp Fiction major use of food is the Big Kahuna burger, which is shown in a scene that eventually leads to a massacre. Both movies use food in scenes that end with death, and to show cultural connection. Food seems to be used for foreshadowing in both movies.