[snip for space]

Actually, "Tampopo" is about _everything_ and how it can all be related

to food.

Very true, but since the Yakuza and his Moll keep making appearances
throughout the film with sexual overtones (or just good clean(?) sex
involving whipped cream/egg yolks/live crawfish) sex is a major theme in
the film.

Since the sex parts were done is such a wonderfully weird way, they tend to
stick in people's minds.  Heck, I know a few people who refer to "Tampopo"
as the "live shrimp" movie. *grin*  Still, I guess you're right about the
major theme part.  I mean, remember when Tampopo washes Goro's underwear and
almost swoons from the passion of the moment?  Very sexual. *grin*
 
[more snippage]

Anyway, since I've gone and changed the subject line, here's why:

B-ko and I watched "Tampopo" last night (after we put The Mouse to bed
of course!) and we started laughing as Goro issues "The Fish Cake
Challenge" to some toughs in Tampopo's ramen shop, thus calling them
outside for the fistfight that brings Goro into the story. The scene was
so eerily similar to Ranma's challenge to Mikado Sanzenin, that we began
to wonder which came first? "Tampopo" was released in 1987. Does that
put it before or after Takahashi wrote/drew her scene?

You gotta wonder.  Actually, it could even be bigger than that.  Movies can
be enormously influential.  Two examples:  Policemen never, ever hollered
"Freeze!!" at suspects before the movie "The French Connection" came out.
After, it became more or less the standard thing to holler.  Before "Lethal
Weapon" came out virtually all cops in the U.S. carried revolvers on duty.
After, and in only a couple of years, nearly all cops carry 9mm pistols.
True, both of my examples relate to cops rather than thugs, but if Tampopo
was as popular in Japan as I think it was, maybe fish cake flipping became
the standard way for one thug to challenge another in a restaurant.  Can you
imagine flying fish cakes in restaurants all over Japan?

Also, the bit where the dying woman gets up from her deathbed to cook a
final meal for her family before finally expiring to the glowing praise
of her food reminds me greatly of Kasumi. 

Hmmm... perhaps the fate of Mrs. Tendo?

And finally, a line was uttered that I can only see coming from Tatewaki
Kuno:

"They live deeply; these vagabonds."

Except... I honestly don't think Kuno would or could see beyond the dirty,
homeless men to their souls, nor could he appreciate what was there if he did.

Best,

Bob Barnes
rbarnes@moscow.com
Moscow, Idaho

When opportunity comes, the trick is to CATCH the red hat.