The Mistress of Spices
Originally published on June 9th, 2022
The last time I saw this film was a decade ago, and I only remembered two things about it: her spice shop was aesthetically pleasing and I got giggly with the romantic scenes. Well, I thought watching this now at 24 years old that I wouldn’t get giggly again, but I did. More on that later.
Let me introduce you to the mistress of spices. She is from India and was taught about all the spices and their abilities from a young age. Since she was a child, she knew that her purpose was to help people by giving them the exact spices they needed. She was taught to never break the strict rules of the spices and in following these rules, her life in her spice shop became lonely.
The values discussed in this film are rooted in Indian culture and religion.There are definitely elements to this film that talk about karma. Being a Christ follower myself, this aspect of the film was not my cup of tea, but it was very appropriate for the storyline. Even so, I’m not intimidated to learn about another culture .
In fact, one of the things I really enjoyed about this film was the diverse community. Some of her customers shared the same values as her, but others came from different backgrounds. Her shop was for everyone and she welcomed all who came in. I love that. In this way, everyone had the chance to learn from each other and that only enhanced their lives. Best of all, food was in the center of it. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, food brings people together in such a beautiful way.
What inspired me to watch this film again was the general discussions of what different spices can do. Granted, I think some of the discussion surrounding spices was romanticized to keep the rom com audience hooked, but I think learning about spices and their nutritional value is awesome! Plus, spices are the keys to expanding our taste buds.
Speaking of spices, here’s what got me laughing. The romance was spicy…to say the least. The way they filmed the romantic scenes wasn’t naughty, but it reminded me of the covers of romance novels. Need I say more?