It is five in the afternoon, and I am struggling to wrap my head around what I have to finish at work, looking at the mess on the table which hosted eight magnificent guests the evening before. In the blink of an eye, I decide to avoid it all. Running from grown-up activities has been something I’ve been particularly talented at. Viennale! There’s Viennale, I am reminded by my friend who is still waiting for me to pick a few films to watch together at the weekend.
As I browse through the few options with available tickets, I find my perfect excuse for intellectual procrastination. Diners Plaisirs - Les Troisgros, a four hour long documentary by Frederick Wiseman. I have one hour to get ready and arrive at the cinema, no time to tidy up, but enough time to pick which of the colourful scarves I wish to wear, and take a moment to decide whether I wish to paint my lips red or purple. Red it is.
**
I get onto my bike and arrive at the cinema, down a bottle of Coca Cola before I even go into the screening room and hope that I will make it through the whole documentary.
The seat is perfect, so close to the screen that I can almost sit in a sleeping position. My left side neighbour nods in approval: “Das is eine echt gute Idee für den Film”, scrutinising my large bag of popcorn.
The moment the film starts, I find myself smiling. Farmers markets. Touch. Smell. Talk about what’s in season. The best mint. Le Central. Cesar Troisgrois. Leo Troisgrois, Michel Troisgros. Asparagus. Rhubarb. Ingredient pairings. Acidity. Texture. Simplicity. Cut!
I start nibbling on my popcorn, at last, feeling proud that I had managed to watch about fifteen minutes of the documentary completely still. I am fascinated. Captivated. I follow every move, listen to every word, follow every detail. I smile, laugh, roll my eyes. I love this industry, I remind myself, realising that four hours of what I just started watching will fly by fast.
In Menus Plaisirs - Les Troisgros, Frederick Wiseman manages to keep the viewer focused in an intelligent way. The story of the Troisgros family, mostly revolving around their three Michelin star restaurant, La Maison Troisgros, is intertwined with short incursions into the stories of local farmers, producers and winemakers. They are like mini documentaries, designed to make the flow of the story dynamic and keep the audience engaged.
As a rare cinema goer, I also enjoy paying attention to what is going on around me. The couple next to me quietly cheer with their mini bottles of beer. About an hour later, they open a bottle of wine. I am still nibbling on my popcorn, worrying that the amount of water I bought is not going to suffice in relation to the amount of salt on my puffs. I decide to make it my challenge to not abandon my seat until the documentary is over and the lights are on.
The room giggles when the maître fromager asks his guests which of the many types of cheese he just listed they would like to have. I too, laugh quietly, remembering how I felt when the bread basket arrived in front of me at Steirereck and among the twenty something loaves, all I remembered were the first, and the last two. Aaaargh, behavioural economics over boasting, the paradox of choice, people, I tell myself, empathising with the pressure the guests in question showcased in the documentary.
**
Idealising fine dining is a fallacy of our time, one which is in the process of changing with films and series like The Menu, or The Bear, as well as with journalists curious to investigate what’s going on behind the scenes. Frederick Wiseman’s documentary can be perceived as an ode to the three Michelin stars standards if you, as the viewer, are not watching it with a critical eye. However, what the director achieves well, is to show that behind an almost clinical perfection, lies normality. I’m not sure if the scene of the fly hovering over Michel Troisgros’ plate was left in on purpose, but I stopped imagining staff running around the restaurant with an insect zapper right before service.
I applaud the end of the documentary, as well as my newly discovered impeccable patience and head home.
