39
celebratedliving.com
summer 2010
cel bratedliving.com
fall
Eat/Pray/Love=
Italy/India/Indonesia
The runaway best-seller-turned-film
EatPrayLove
weaves a tale and travelogue of
author ElizabethGilbert’s soul-searching and self-discovery through three countries—
Italy, India, and Indonesia— each representing a segment of her psyche: culinary, spiritual,
and emotional. Gilbert experiences gastronomic delights in Italy, finds her spiritual center
in India, and receives the best gift of all inBali: themanof her dreams.
Italy
In Italy, food stylist and cook-
book author SusanSpungen
was responsible for thefilm’s
many restaurant scenes that
played such a predominant
role. Shot on location in the
trattorias andpizzerias of
Rome andNaples, the food
scenes allowedSpungen to
craft plates of pappardelle
with rabbit; prosciutto and
melon; spaghetti with clam
sauce; and, of course, pizza
for thefilm’s numerous res-
taurant scenes that depicted
virtual buffet feasts.
Working on foreign soil
proved a challenge for the
veteran food stylist (whose
credits include
Julie
&
Julia
and
It’sComplicated
), asmany
items were out of season during the shoot —with the exception of pasta, pizza, and
gelato. “Oneof themost challengingandharrowingdays involved frying individual zucchini
blossoms for a key scenewithGilbert [played by Julia Roberts] and one of her Italian
friends.”Artichokeswerealsoout of seasonandhad tobe located inFrance, andSpungen’s
makeshift kitchenwas often the film studio’s parking lot. “
Eat Pray Love
was challenging.
Having a home basewith a kitchen and stock is a real plus, and a lot of the arrangement
needed to be done ahead of time.We basically jumped into any kitchen that we could
find,” explains Spungen.
Readers of the book alongwith fans of Italywill recognize the Santa Lucia restaurant
on Largo Febo inRome’s PiazzaNavona and theworld-famous pizza found at L’Antica Piz-
zeriaDaMichele inNaples.
➤
COVer sTOrY
Javier Bardem
© FRANÇOISDUHAMEL (3)
