1 RAM-DON, PARASITE (2019)
Ram-don is all the rage these days. Its two staple ingredients - Nongshim's Chapagetti Chajangmyun Noodles and udon-style Neoguri Seafood & Spicy Ramyun - were reportedly sold out in grocery stores all over the world after Parasite swept four Oscars at this year's Academy Awards.
In the movie, rich housewife Choi Yeon-gyo is unable to stand her son eating cheap noodles, so she casually instructs her housekeeper to add premium Hanwoo beef to the dish.
The tantalising montage that follows - of sizzling steak and springy noodles, coated in savoury gravy - is easily seared into the minds of audiences.
2 SAKUMA DROPS, GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES (1988)
While struggling to survive in war-torn Japan, Seita salvages this tin of fruit-flavoured boiled sweets for his little sister Setsuko.
He rations the pieces, diluting the last few chips in water to make a sweet drink, which she gulps down happily.
Long after the last sweet is gone, a starving Setsuko continues to suck on her toy marbles, mistaking them for the colourful hard candies.
3 RATATOUILLE, RATATOUILLE (2007)
One bite of this vegetable stew and the grim-faced Anton Ego is taken back to his childhood days.
The food critic relives a heartwarming memory of himself as a wide-eyed child, snivelling from a scraped knee, but comforted by his mum's cooking.
At Gusteau's restaurant, the zucchini, bell peppers and aubergine in this home-style dish are thinly sliced and drizzled with fragrant tomato sauce by rat chef Remy.
4 CHOCOLATE CAKE, MATILDA (1996)
Standing up to a tall, strapping headmistress with a mean streak is no piece of cake, but Bruce Bogtrotter does so with much gusto.
When Miss Trunchbull forces him to eat the entire mammoth confection as punishment for stealing a slice of chocolate cake, he shovels the rich, creamy slices down with an unwavering conviction. While on stage, he is cheered on by his spirited schoolmates.
5 SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS, LADY AND THE TRAMP (1955)
Simple but satisfying, this dish is as wholesome as the romance that blossoms over it. At a candlelit table, the Dear family's pampered cocker spaniel Lady shares a heaping plate of spaghetti and meatballs with stray mutt Tramp.
The two share a shy first kiss when they slurp up one of the final pasta strands at the same time, while the dreamy tune of Bella Notte (Italian for beautiful night) plays in the background.
6 MEE POK, MEE POK MAN (1995)
In an impoverished part of town, Johnny, a lonely hawker, runs his mee pok stall all night long. His noodles attract a crowd of stragglers, including prostitute Bunny, whom he is secretly infatuated with. Despite the grisly details and unnerving plot, Mee Pok Man is rich with cuts of local hawker food, from racks of meat hanging in stall windows to plates of satay sticks to, of course, flat yellow noodles glistening with dark vinegar and fish sauce.
7 TURKISH DELIGHT, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE (2005)
Sticky, sweet and dusted with powdered sugar, Turkish delight is a guilty pleasure like no other. While the confection is well-loved throughout Europe, children elsewhere recognise it as the magical treat the White Witch of Narnia uses to beguile Edmund Pevensie. At the snap of her fingers, a bejewelled box filled with the addictive sweets materialises.
8 BEEF BOURGUIGNON, JULIE & JULIA (2009)
For this classic French stew, tender chunks of beef are braised in a rich red wine sauce and infused with aromatic onion, carrots and crisp bacon bits.
Beef bourguignon, or beef burgundy, was a favourite of acclaimed American chef Julia Child, who praised it as one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man.
For aspiring cook Julie Powell, who admired Child fervently, the recipe was a landmark in her career, finally scoring her a publishing deal for her own cookbook.
9 CUBAN SANDWICH, CHEF (2014)
Food truck cooks Carl Casper and Martin sway to Latin music while they rub citrus and garlic marinade into pork, slather butter onto bread and grill them till perfectly golden brown. It is hard to watch a screening of Chef without craving a hot Cuban sandwich, oozing with melted cheese and spiced pork.
10 KOREAN YOGURT SMOOTHIE, TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE (2018)
This tangy probiotic drink rose to fame in the West after teenage heart-throb Peter Kavinsky took a swig of it, declaring: "Oh, wow, that is really good." While it is referred to in the movie only as a Korean yogurt smoothie, Yakult drinkers all over the world recognised the drink's distinctive red foil and grooved bottle. Yakult is from Japan, not South Korea, but the company's shares bumped up by about 2.6 per cent a month after the movie's release in August 2018 anyway, according to Bloomberg.
