Anyone Can Cook
As the rain pours in this picturesque small town in Patagonia where I am staying, I struggle to find entertainment for the kids (and for yours truly), so we decide to watch a movie to kill time and keep things under some control. Off we go to watch a classic: Ratatouille.
Ratatouille (2007) is a heartwarming animated film by Pixar about an ambitious rat named Remy who dreams of becoming a chef. Living in Paris, Remy is passionate about cooking and idolizes the late chef Auguste Gusteau, whose motto, "Anyone can cook", inspires him. After being separated from his family, Remy finds himself in the kitchen of Gusteau’s once-famous but now struggling restaurant.
There, he befriends a clumsy young kitchen worker, Linguini, who discovers Remy’s incredible cooking talent. The two form an unlikely partnership: Remy hides under Linguini’s chef hat and guides him by pulling his hair, helping him cook dishes that amaze the restaurant’s patrons. Together, they bring new life to the restaurant, impressing even the harshest food critics.
As the story unfolds, Remy faces challenges, including revealing his identity as a rat and dealing with the restaurant’s scheming head chef. Ultimately, Remy’s determination and love for cooking prove that talent and passion can come from the most unexpected places. The film ends with critics’ glowing reviews and the opening of a new bistro where Remy cooks freely.
Ratatouille, at first approximation, is a celebration of creativity, friendship, and the idea that anyone, regardless of their background, can achieve greatness.
On a deeper level—and yes, I am on the way to over-intellectualize a goddamn Pixar movie, so deal with it— I think the dynamic between Linguini and Remy in the movie serves as a metaphor for collaboration, trust, and the idea that achievement tends to require some symbiosis.
Linguini is not a skilled chef, and his inability to cook represents a lack of inherent talent for the craft. In contrast, Remy, a rat, embodies extraordinary talent and a deep love for cooking but lacks the acceptance to pursue his dream openly.
The act of Remy puppeteering Linguini by his hair highlights the idea that success often requires combining strengths. Linguini provides the human presence and access to the environment—the restaurant—that Remy cannot achieve on his own, while Remy contributes the creativity and skill needed to create culinary masterpieces. Together, they demonstrate how partnerships can overcome individual limitations, suggesting that greatness is rarely achieved alone.
All in all, their dynamic challenges the norms about who is "allowed" to achieve success. Linguini’s reliance on Remy questions the traditional notion of individual merit and instead celebrates shared effort and the breaking of conventions. It also emphasizes the humility needed to recognize one’s weaknesses and seek help, as well as the courage to embrace unconventional paths to success.
In the movie, as Remy and an imaginary, ghostly Gusteau peep at the hectic kitchen from above, Remy talks dismissively of Linguini’s clumsiness and obvious incompetence, and they share this dialogue:
Gusteau: — What do I always say? Anyone can cook!
Remy: — Well, yeah, anyone *can*, but that doesn't mean that anyone *should*.
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