With award season in full swing, the film industry’s most coveted award show is just around the corner on March 2. The culmination of actors and actresses’ hard work, this year’s Oscars are bound to be filled with heartwarming wins and surprises. The lineup of nominees for Best Picture are particularly fascinating — with fan-favorite blockbusters like Wicked and Dune: Part Two, well-liked artsier films like Anora and The Substance, and polarizing head-scratchers (ahem, Emilia Pérez).
But what is better than watching an Oscar-nominated film? Watching it alongside food. Here are some Oscars foods associated with this year’s Best Picture nominees, just in time for the big awards.
Anora: Bubblegum
Specifically, blue bubblegum. In Sean Baker’s masterpiece of a film that respectfully explores sex work and class inequality, Ani (Mikey Madison) is a stripper who, like many other strippers, has resorted to sex work as a means of making money to survive. She falls in love with a client, the spoiled son of a Russian oligarch, and walks the fine line between being wanted for her body, or actually being wanted for herself. When she works in the club, Ani often chews blue bubblegum, blowing bubbles to distract her mind while giving performances to men. Bubblegum is also a nod to the candy shop that Ani’s lover’s friends work at — which is ultimately destroyed.
The Brutalist: Bagels
Set mainly in New York City, The Brutalist tells the story of a Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor, László Tóth, who immigrates to America. Tóth, who is an architect specializing in Brutalism, tries to cope with his starting past in the concentration camps while making a new life for himself in the United States. Bagels signify this Tóth’s intersection of culture, where Jewish foods meet New York City. Now a New York staple, these chewy and soft breads are the ideal breakfast treat.
A Complete Unknown: New York-Style Pizza
This biopic starring Timothée Chalamet as singer-songwriter Bob Dylan is a masterful ode to 1960s music culture in New York City. Following a young Dylan on his rise to fame in the folk music industry and culminating in his controversial transition to rock music, A Complete Unknown feels nostalgic and heartwarmingly familiar. New York-style pizza is the perfect pairing for this film; like Dylan, it has no frills, yet it is deeply complex and there’s more to it than the eye sees.
Conclave: Ravioli
Conclave is a political drama that tells the story of Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) as he leads the College of Cardinals to elect a new pope. Heated discussions, opposing views, and a bomb attack culminate in the revealing of the new pope’s big secret. The selection of a new pope is called a papal conclave. During papal conclaves, cardinals dine on a variety of foods, including ravioli — Vatican City is located right inside Italy. Ravioli also symbolizes the secret revealed at the film’s conclusion: something outwardly unassuming has a surprise on the inside.
Dune: Part Two: Trader Joe’s Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips
This epic space opera starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, and more is set on the dry and sandy planet of Arrakis. An important part of the planet’s commerce is melange, typically called “the spice.” Spice is rare and highly valuable, giving those who consume it longer life spans, greater vitality and awareness, and the potential to unlock prescience — which allows safe interstellar travel possible. On the flip side, spice is highly addictive and causes severe withdrawals. A close food item in the real world is Trader Joe’s Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips. Flavored to perfection with a variety of spices, these chips are addictive with a good balance of salty and spicy, and absolutely mouth watering. These are excellent movie snacks, too.
Emilia Pérez: Taco Bell
Yes, there is a commonality between Emilia Pérez and Taco Bell: a white-washed and inauthentic take on Hispanic culture. The difference is that Taco Bell is sometimes good, whereas Emilia Pérez is frankly bad. Following an ex-cartel leader who transitions from male to female, wiping away her former life of crime and drugs, this film poorly deals with moral ethics and is offensive to both Hispanic people and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
I’m Still Here: Brigadeiro
I’m Still Here is a Brazilian film that follows mother and activist Eunice Paiva coping with the forced disappearance of her husband, politician Rubens Paiva, during the military dictatorship in Brazil. A true story of loss, new beginnings, and closure: this film is an insightful look into the 1964 to 1985 Brazilian military dictatorship’s effect on individual lives. For a taste of Brazilian culture, try brigadeiro, a small dessert made from condensed milk, cocoa powder, butter, and chocolate sprinkles. It’s a good sweet to combat the heavy topics of I’m Still Here.
Nickel Boys: Coffee
Set during the segregated 1960’s, Nickel Boys is the story of two young Black boys who get sent to an abusive reform school in Florida. At the reform school, segregation is apparent, with white boys being given attention and personal accommodations, and Black boys being ignored with little effort put in to educate and reform them. During the Civil Rights Movement, coffee became a symbol of solidarity and resistance, with coffee shops being a main target for desegregation through sit-ins. Coffee production is deeply intertwined with the history of black oppression — making coffee all the more important to be something in control of.
The Substance: Granola
In The Substance, Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) injects herself with a mysterious serum in an attempt to make herself look more youthful and beautiful. She creates a new life for herself as the gorgeous Sue (Margaret Qualley), but things go horribly wrong when Sparkle becomes dependent on the serum. When she runs out of the serum, she turns into a monster: older than old, skin hanging everywhere, grotesque. Of course, granola won’t do this to you — but it is a food often perceived as healthy, yet is full of processed sugars. In a much subtler way, it mimics the trajectory of The Substance.
Wicked: Cotton Candy
Whimsical and dramatic, this musical adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Galinda is simply movie magic. Following Elphaba’s journey through school at Shiz University, to visiting the Wizard of Oz, and culminating in Elphaba’s fall into infamy during the epic song “Defying Gravity” — Wicked is sweet, intense, and short-feeling despite its 160-minute run time. Cotton candy captures these features well: whimsy-looking, light and airy, immensely sweet, and ephemeral.