In 2012, Alfred Hitchcock's (1899-1980) Vertigo finally dislodged Citizen Kane as the best film ever made. Hitchcock's obsession with detail in his filmmaking is legendary. This ranged from his attention to the minutest details in his script, the costumes of his leading ladies (usually blondes), the visuals (he visualized his script to the last detail before shooting), the music (only Bernard Hermann could create that unmistakable sound of dread). It can be argued that it was Hitchcock who brought the director firmly into the forefront from behind the shadows of the producer. But what did Hitchcock obsess about outside films? Turns out is was - food. As can be expected from Hitchcock, he had specific likes, dislikes and even fears. He was horrified of raw eggs (blood was a better option), yet the Quiché Lorraine (egg pastry with a ham filling) was his favorite. Other favorites include foie gras (which he ate straight from the can), dover sole (which was imported from England during his Hollywood years), and fine wine (only his select guests got a tour of his famous wine cellar).
But more than his tastes, it is Hitchcock's enormous appetite which is legendary. In a delightful interview about his dinner with Hitchcock, Mel Brooks remembers his amazement as Hitchcock easily downed a shrimp cocktail, a two inch thick sirloin steak, a tomato salad, a baked potato, asparagus with hollandaise dressing, and two bowls of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. But then, he- repeated the entire order- as he still feeling slightly "peckish". In a typical Hitchcockian twist, at the end of this two course - five course meal, he drank his coffee black to keep the calories down! Food was his solace, obsession and lifelong friend. Indeed, as Hitchcock remarked "cinema to me is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake"
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