Maria Danette Suyosa #124566

A Reflection on “The Hundred­Foot Journey” Cultural contrasts/similarities between the French and the Indians

Most Evident Cultural Difference in the Movie: The Indians are casual while the French are formal in their taste and demeanor.

Expressions in the Indian culture as found in the movie

When we pause the movie as it shows the two restaurants separated by a road, it is obvious how casual, informal and self­expressive the Indian restarant was as a reflection of their culture

At the right side of the road, this Indian restaurant is embellished with bright lights and loud colors. The name of the restaurant, Maison Mumbai, was lavishly displayed in the entrance.

The owner of the restaurant, who happens to be the father of the family, steps out of the restaurant wearing traditional garish Indian clothing. He stands outside his restaurant, as was traditional to do in their country

The father invites guests in by talking to them personally, Once, he even took a couple’s dog and brought it in to feed it. They turn the music up and welcome people in as if they were family.

Expressions in the French culture as found in the movie

Once again pausing the movie as it shows the restaurants, we see the traditional one­michelin star French restaurant on the side of the road

The architecture of the restaurant is classical. The colors for the paint used to design the building are neutral and it expresses sophistication

The owner of the restaurant, Madame Mallory, is an old French woman who acts and dresses professionally. She is strict with her staff and she doesn’t take anything lower than her standards.

Resulting Clashes between the French and Indians

As we’ve laid out all the expressions, we can now see that there is a big possibility for these two cultures to clash. These clashing characteristics are:

The rigidity of the French and the loose personas of the Indians. This can be further digested into different expressions found in the movie:

When Madame Mallory went in the restaurant and heard the very loud music

When the Indian family had an insistent French Woman in their home When the traditional Indian father had to let his son go and pursue a career

which would, finally, be resume­worthy by western standards

An insight on the Cultures in relation to the Culture Map

Now that I’ve laid out the expressions and clashes of the culture, below are the insights I have come up with in relation to the movie:

Given the fact that India is actually one of the oldest known civilizations in the world, it appears in their culture that they truly give importance to tradition. The father was giving Hassan his spices when he was “crossing over” to the French restaurant because in their culture, such spices go hand­in­hand with cooking. Even more than the culture giving importance to tradition, they have a hard time adjusting to

modernization. When Hassan was given the opportunity to work in a one­star Michelin restaurant, the father did not see the significance of it. For him, it was just a random French restaurant. This is expressed in the chart shown below, where Indians are more “applications first” than “principles first.” Even more so, they are very hierarchical especially in the family context. They trust people according to whether or not they like them. As much as possible, they also don’t like confrontation, unlike the French. Madame Mallory was very straightforward when she wanted to confront the father for Hassan. This is expressed in the Disagreeing factor where the French are more confrontational. Even more so, they find structure pleasing; having a linear time, putting principles first and having direct negative feedbacks when needed. They don’t “play around.” Although they are that way, they are very much egalitarian as shown by Madame Mallory. When one of her chefs crossed the line in the feud between them and the Indian family, she put her sword down and fired the misbehaving chef even if it meant dismissing one of her seemingly favorite chefs.

Now that we’ve talked enough about the Indian and the French, we are finally able to mix­in the Filipino culture in the bullet points below:

The Filipinos are much less confrontational than the French, as seen in Madame Mallory’s character Unlike the Indian culture shown in the movie, Filipinos are aware that there are set standards and

regulations in various career ladders (i.e. Michelin star restaurants and culinary schools) so they are able to adjust and cope with such standards

But like the Indian culture, FIlipinos are very family­oriented. There are numberous family businesses in the country; even more so, the biggest companies in the Philippines are family businesses (the Sy’s and the Ayala’s, for example).

Also in that same page, most Filipino fathers have a huge say in the family. Although not all fathers are sole breadwinners anymore (some mothers are working moms), they still have a powerful authority over the family

Culture Map