Tampopo!

“Tampopo” (Dandelion)

Do you have an unhealthy obsession with noodles?, do you think that American cowboys are just too.... conventional?, how do you feel about live langoustine in alcohol dancing on your stomach?, ever snowballed an egg yolk?

If these questions have sparked your interest then Tampopo is the film for you.

Tampopo is a Japanese noodle eastern style film of the schizophrenic genre, crazily flitting from one scene to another but retaining the theme of culinary perfection.

The film starts set in a cinema where a man eating curry flavoured crisps gets violently accosted by ‘white suit man’ (who we later learn is a bit of a kinky bastard).

The film then progresses into a lorry drives stopping at a noodle bar.

Finding that the noodle bar is clearly very under performing the lorry driver, who also appears to be a cowboy wannabe gets into a hilarious slapstick style fight where he is beaten but wakes up being nursed by the noodle restaurant owner (Tampopo).

They then start an odd partnership too hard to explain in detail where the lorry driver goes on to teach Tampopo the art of top quality noodle making.

The twists and turns of this film are too many to mention but notable moments are the ‘vagabonds’ who are a group of homeless people who are incredibly experienced in the ways of fine dining.

The snowballing of an egg yolk was an interesting twist... however I’m not sure who won this particular activity.

Then an oyster diving stranger licking the blood of the man in the white suits lips (this was mid 80’s so surely AIDS was a consideration?).

Some madness with a man with a dental abbess that lead to the whole dental team hanging out of the window heaving in disgust.

Tampopo is a hard film to review and categorise as the madness is pretty polarising.

However I award Tampopo 5 snowballed yolks out of 5. A must see for anyone with a fetish for egg yolk, langoustine, noodles or obsessive culinary perfection.