Food makes the world go round. Obviously, we need to eat to survive, but the modern era of civilization has seen every culture develop its own unique cuisine. Nearly anything that can be consumed appears on one culture's table or another, and the combinations of meat, produce, carbohydrates, and everything in between has seemingly endless possible variations. Due to the modern world's fascination with flavor, the chef has become an increasingly artisanal figure in society. While this has done wonders for the palate of the average person, it has also made certain sectors of the culinary world inaccessible to anyone except a given society's elites.
The upcoming dark comedy/horror film The Menu will seek to explore the darker side of fine dining. In the movie, a young, well-to-do couple visits a remote island to eat at a high-end restaurant called Hawthorne that specializes in molecular gastronomy. The restaurant is owned by a celebrity chef named Slowik, who is as mysterious as he is culinarily inclined. Guests at the restaurant are hoping to have their taste buds tested. However, if early looks at the film are any indication, those individuals who find themselves trapped on Slowik's island will end up with an unsavory taste in their mouths.
Here's how The Menu will parody celebrity chefs and foodie culture.
Hollywood A-listers Will Drive Home The Menu's Commentary
It's almost ironic that The Menu will critique the upper crust of society while so many A-list actors have agreed to appear in the title. The dark comedy will feature an all-star cast. Among those announced to appear are Academy Award-nominated actor Ralph Fiennes (No Time to Die, Harry Potter's Lord Voldemort) as the intimidating Slowik, Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen's Gambit, The Northman) as Margot, Nicholas Hoult (Clash of the Titans, X-Men: First Class) as Tyler, Janet McTeer (Maleficent, Insurgent) as Lillian Bloom, and John Leguizamo (Bloodline, John Wick 1 and 2) as an unnamed movie star.
With such a stellar cast, the film is sure to deliver on all the horror and cultural commentary that has been promised by early teaser trailers. Ralph Fiennes has proven himself time and time again to be capable of portraying deeply unsettling characters. This, coupled with another one of the seemingly innocuous yet demonstrably powerful women that Anya Taylor-Joy tends to play, will undoubtedly make for an electrifying clash of characters.
Elitist Foodies and Gatekeeping 
Though high-end restaurants are not a new phenomenon, one being a foodie is a relatively new concept. Everyone enjoys delicious food, so the notion of setting yourself apart for enjoying the exploration of new and exciting flavors is, to be frank, elitist.
The Menu will attempt to critique culinary gatekeeping by making a fine dining establishment into the setting for a horror movie. Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with the science of molecular gastronomy, a field of food science that can break a meal down to its basic chemical components in order to create the best possible flavor profile. However, this style of cooking is often coupled with excessive artistry, which turns food from a pleasant experience to a series of puzzling plates that often cost diners a pretty penny.
A Cult-Like Atmosphere
In the teaser trailers that have already been released for The Menu, it appears that Margot is somewhat uncomfortable with dining at high-class establishments, as she feels the price points and atmosphere are excessive. She doesn't seem to fit in with the upper-class individuals who represent her fellow restaurant-goers and is immediately suspicious of the almost cult-like atmosphere that Slowik has created among the staff of Hawthorne.
It's unclear exactly what horrors await diners at Hawthorne. Early trailers show visitors to the remote island running through a dark forest to escape unseen assailants, which are likely Slowik's devoted staff members. Is Slowik simply punishing the elite restaurant-goers for their excess, or is the reason for his killing more macabre, and future diners at the establishment will unknowingly be chowing down on human meat made unrecognizable through the processes of molecular gastronomy?
Very little is known about The Menu outside its cast and the basics of its plot. However, everyone who will eventually go to see the movie is well aware of the increasingly inaccessible world of fine dining. Food is for everyone, and though intensive preparation and high-quality ingredients will raise the price of a dish, countless restaurants have taken this to ridiculous lengths, making dining experiences yet another method for upper-class folks to flex on the hoi polloi.
Between its terrifying horror moments and cultural critiques, The Menu will undoubtedly have a lot of meat for audiences to sink their teeth into.