1**. Mid-August Lunch** (Italy, 2008) This cinema verite gem, set in mid-summer Rome, follows a middle-aged slacker called upon to feed and entertain four elderly ladies. Now in U.S. theaters.
2. The Fish Fall in Love (Iran, 2006) In this elegy to post-revolutionary Iran, a freed prisoner returns to his house, only to find that his former lover has opened a restaurant inside it. On DVD.
3. Kitchen Stories (Sweden, 2003) This spoof of Sweden's social experiments in the 1950s depicts a researcher studying the kitchen habits of Norwegian men. Instead of data, he finds friendship over coffee and herring. On DVD.
4. Dinner Rush (USA, 2001) A winning twist on mob-movie conventions: gangland murder, gorgeous food, and Danny Aiello as a beleaguered New York restaurateur and bookie. On DVD.
5. The Great Chef: Peking Restaurant (South Korea, 1999) The inexperienced Yang takes over a shuttered restaurant and revives its famous noodle dish; a cinematic love letter to Korean-Chinese cooking. On DVD.
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