What's for dinner with Andre?

February 5, 2013 4:28 AM

Can anybody who's seen the film please tell me what the actual dinner was in the movie My Dinner With Andre? Do you see the protagonists actually order and eat their food? What was the food? Do they comment on it? Does it look nice? Thanks a lot.
posted by Ted Maul to media & arts (6 answers total)

ANDRE: Oh! Absolutely. Oh, waiter? Uh, I think we can do without this. [He hands him the flower from the table.] Thank you. [Wally laughs.]

WALLY: What about this one? [He points to something on the menu.]

ANDRE: [Laughing:] "Seven swank shrimp" [?]! [They laugh.]

WAITER: Are you ready for your order?

ANDRE: Uh, yes. The aragna kalouska [?], how do you prepare that?

WALLY'S NARRATION: [André discusses his order with the waiter.] André seemed to know an awful lot about the menu. I didn't understand a word of it.

WAITER: Very good, I think.

ANDRE: Hum. No, I think I'll have the cailles aux raisins...

WAITER: Very good.

ANDRE: [For Wally's benefit:] ...quail.

WALLY: Oh, quails! I'll have that as well.

ANDRE: Two, great! [The waiter concurs.]

WALLY: Great!

ANDRE: And then I think to begin with, a terrine de poisson.

WAITER: Yes.

WALLY: What is that?

ANDRE: It's a sort of pâté, light, made of fish.

WALLY: Does it have bones in it?

ANDRE: [Laughing:] No bones. Very safe.

WALLY: Hunh. Well, uh. What is the, uh, "vromborova polevka"?

WAITER: It's a potato soup. It's quite delicious.

WALLY: Oh, well, that's great! I'll have that.

WAITER: Thank you.

ANDRE: Thank you very much.

posted by empath at 4:40 AM on February 5 [2 favorites]

I was just about the post the same thing as empath. Here's a link to the transcript of the movie.
posted by Defying Gravity at 4:42 AM on February 5

Do you see the protagonists actually order and eat their food?

Yes.

Do they comment on it?

The main example is that when Andre says, "It didn't use to be necessary, but today you have to learn something like: are you really hungry or are you just stuffing your face because because that's what you do, out of habit," there's a closeup of Wally eating his soup, and he starts to laugh ironically/self-deprecatingly.

There's also coffee and a drink after dinner:

WAITER: Are you ready for some desert?

ANDRE: Ah, I think I'll just have an espresso, thank you.

WAITER: Um-hum.

WALLY: I'll also have one. Thank you. And could I also have an Amaretto?

ANDRE: Certainly, sir.

WALLY: Thank you.

posted by John Cohen at 4:46 AM on February 5

Superb - thanks all. My only remaining question, and sorry if it's a bit chatty, is does the food look good?
posted by Ted Maul at 5:04 AM on February 5

I'm no restaurant critic, but the food in the movie always looked good to me. I suggest checking it out yourself; for instance, at 46:38 they are served the cailles aux raisins, which look a little movie-fake but still perfectly lovely.
posted by Chichibio at 6:02 AM on February 5 [1 favorite]

I thought the quail looked pretty dry. It's also worth noting that when Wally gets the quails, he says that he didn't know they were so small, and the waiter rolls his eyes. Also, Andre digs right in using his hands, whereas Wally uses cutlery.
posted by painquale at 6:18 AM on February 5