Excerpt from my Research Essay Women and Pâte

Women and Pate

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       "When I watched Marco Ferreri’s 1973 film, La Grande Bouffe, I was impressed
by the array of elaborate and extravagant dishes displayed in the mansion, especially the variety of pâtes that Ugo made for his friends and guests. Even though this movie represents both opulence and decadence of society through a parade of dishes that make you sick to the stomach, one of the them transported me straight to my childhood. The triple liver pâte that Ugo made in the shape of Saint Peter’s Basilica represents Ugo’s “last supper” and the accomplishment of his self-destructive plan. He is actually force fed by his friend Philippe while the cook is lying on the kitchen table, his domain.
According to Marsha Kinder, Hugo’s masterpiece, the “pâte monument adorned with eggs” is a Jewish symbol of death (1), which explains its length in elaboration and the director’s intention to save it toward the end of the film.

I used to spend some weekends with my grandmother’s sister, Tía Tota, who was an outstanding woman and a creative cook. I absolutely loved to watch the whole ceremony involved in the making of homemade pâte. Surprisingly, Ferreri did not provoke a negative or sickening reaction in me. The more I saw chef Ugo’s chef d'oeuvre the more I craved Tia Tota’s pâte. This was motivation enough to get in contact with my cousin and get the recipe from her to complete the final project in the Food and Film class at the MAAS program at UNCG. Tota’s daughter, Maria Magdalena (a.k.a. Mane), directed me to Doña Petrona’s recipe cook, which is considered the “Kitchen Bible” in my home country, Argentina. Mane also added her personal tips and tricks on how to sauté the chicken liver to avoid having a pate tasting like sawdust. The pâte recipe was actually the best excuse to reconnect with Tia Tota’s side of the family. To our mutual surprise, we had not talked to each other since our last encounter in Patagonia in 1994."