With all the recent talk about what NASA types eat in orbit (Swedish meatballs whipped up by Rachael Ray and jambalaya BAM!-ed out by Emeril), and following last month's furor over just what and how much astronauts drink, it seems an appropriate time for The Celluloid Pantry to take a telescopic look at space food.
There are so many movies to choose from—and we want to hear some favorite picks from you (TV counts too)—but to get things started, here are three from the 50s, 60s, and 70s:
Forbidden Planet (1956)
“Whatever that lunch was, it was certainly delicious.”
In this pre-space program classic, a robot named Robby (right) does kitchen patrol on a desolate planet. When Commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen, left) and his crew marvel at the lavish spread their host Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon, center) lays out in his stylish mid-century modern pad, props go out to the droid. Not only does Robby cook, but, amazingly, he also synthesizes all the raw ingredients, thanks to “a small built-in chemical lab” in his gut. “Sounds like a housewife’s dream!” exclaims one of the crew.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Airline food goes futuristic.
On an interplanetary Pan Am flight, helmeted, pantsuited stewardesses serve up liquid meals from compartmentalized containers. Each weightlessness-proof course is equipped with a built-in straw, making it all look uncannily similar to the Tetra Pak juice boxes in kids’ lunches today. Only here the flavors are fish, French fry, coffee, carrot, corn, pea, strawberry, and cheese.
Star Wars (1977)
Family dinner-table tension happens on other planets too.
Tatooine-ian farm boy Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill, top) wants to join the Academy, but Uncle Owen says he has to wait until after the harvest. Luke ruminates as he pours himself a beverage from a 70s space-age white plastic pitcher with a molded handle (can anyone out there ID it for us?). A little later on Aunt Beru busies herself in the kitchen, pulling apart stalks from a strange looking vegetable (fennel!) and dropping them into a futuristic stew pot. She and Owen discuss the Luke issue over the whirring and blip-bleep-blopping of dinner being cooked.
What’s your favorite space food scene?
- Nora
Copyright © 2008 Apartment Therapy
Hands down 2001 Space Odyssey -- but I confess I don't recall those graphics -- fantastic -- they warm my mid-century heart!!!! I do recall that when they reached the space station, there was a Howard Johnson's (which they didn't enter) -- HoJo Cola in space, anyone?
view Mid-C Frank's profile
it's not in the movies; but in babylon 5 they actually show people eating *real* food- coffee and swedish meatballs.
also- the mimbari have a dish they call "flarn" as well as another dish that both the centauri and narn eat that is called "spoo"
they even have a babylon 5 cookbook-
http://www.amazon.com/Dining-Babylon-5-Emerson-Briggs-Wallace/dp/0752211439
view jillrenee from boston's profile
I'm outing myself as a Trekkie here, but I still love the statement that the classic Klingon dish, qagh, is best if served live.
view Michelle of Montreal's profile
it's not in the movies; but in babylon 5 they actually show people eating *real* food- coffee and swedish meatballs.
Oh good, there's an IKEA in space.
view Melinda's profile
Melinda, I just laughed so hard I scared my girlfriend.
view AMLitt's profile
Any Red Dwarf fans? Got to be the anti-matter chopsticks and telekenesic wine in the Legion episode!
view tin_angel's profile
outing myself as a trekkie, too:
"Tea. Earl Grey. Hot."
You can get anything you want at the replicator restaurant!
view mae's profile
There is also plenty of Chinese food in the future..."The Fifth Element" and "Blade Runner"
view labchick's profile
yeah, they seem to only eat soba noodles on Battlestar Galactica (err, the new version). Oh, and drink a lot of hard liquor. A lot.
view faith's profile
i think in 'firefly' it seems that real food was scarce and they had packages of "protein" to eat. looked nasty.
view saya*'s profile
In Firefly (the TV show on which the movie Serenity is based--rent it on DVD if you haven't seen it!) Kaylee bakes Simon a birthday cake which she says is mostly protein because she couldn't get ahold of any flour.
view Jenny in DC's profile
Food and drink are almost a supporting players in many Red Dwarf episodes. Lister and his curries, Cat and his many feline delacacies, the toaster and the vending machine, just to name a few.
view Careen's profile
Jenny in DC, that cake! It's solid soy protein!
Indeed Chinese/Asian food is everywhere in the Serenity future. The dreamy look the crew gets when their captain's "wife" makes him homemade bao buns is priceless.
And apparently a few fresh, real strawberries given to the engineer can get you a much-needed seat in on a spaceship!
view beelzabean's profile