Babettes  Feast
2016
with

Susan Marquesen

Master Food Preserver, ​Penn State University

Babette's Feast— Canned vs. Fresh: What's the Difference?

Susan Marquesen discussed whether there is a substantial difference in vitamin and mineral values of canned foods compared to fresh, featuring a demonstration by Sara Blumenstein and Rob Burrows of the Pittsburgh Canning Exchange. Part of the 2016 National Evening of Science on Screen.

Pittsburgh Filmmakers / Regent Square Theater Pittsburgh, PA

Film Synopsis

In a remote 19th-century Danish village, two sisters lead a rigid life centered around their father, the local minister, and their church.

Set in a remote Danish fishing village in the latter part of the 19th century, Babette’s Feast tells of two beautiful sisters (Birgitte Federspiel, Bodil Kjer) who give up their chance for romance and worldly success in order to care for their father, a strict pastor who preaches salvation through self-denial. After his death, they carry on his work, tending to his aging and increasingly quarrelsome flock with saintly devotion. When Babette (Stéphane Audran), a French political refugee, appears on their doorstep seeking shelter, they engage her to keep house and cook their meager meals. Years later, Babette wins the lottery and asks to prepare a sumptuous French feast for the community. Everyone accepts, but the thought of such decadence makes them fear for their Christian souls, and they agree not to show any pleasure. Aided by the exquisite food and wine, the parishioners can’t help but be transported by Babette’s culinary artistry, and soon rediscover their bonds of love and fellowship. Gabriel Axel directed this Oscar-winning Danish film.



About the Speaker

Susan Marquesen is a Penn State Master Gardener and a Penn State Food Preserver.