I found myself watching The Devil Wears Prada one afternoon while getting my nails done; it was on in the salon and I couldn’t help but watch. Since I wasn’t able to see the whole thing (they encourage you to leave after your nails are dry), I was happy when I found it on TV this week. I was even happier when I came to the food scene, and decided it would be a nice way to get back into posting after my long summer break.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with this film, it is based on Lauren Weisberger’s  2003 novel of the same name.  The story follows Andrea (Andy) Sachs, a college graduate who lands a job as fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly’s co-assistant. At first, Andy fumbles with her job and fits in poorly with her gossipy, fashion-conscious co-workers. However, she does find an ally in art director Nigel, and gradually learns her responsibilities and begins to dress more stylishly to show her effort and commitment to the position. She also meets an attractive young writer, Christian Thompson, who offers to help her with her career. As she spends increasing amounts of time at Miranda’s beck and call, problems arise in her relationships with her college friends and her live-in boyfriend, Nate. As she is whisked away to Paris with Miranda and faces all the glamor that could be hers, she is forced to make a decision about where she wants to be in her life.

The food scene in this film happens on Andy’s first day at the magazine when at lunch she heads to the cafeteria and chooses a corn chowder to eat. Nigel sees her there and he informs Andy that cellulite is one of the main ingredients of corn chowder. He then goes on being subtly mean to her as they move through the line. I like this scene because I really enjoy the character of Nigel throughout the film and of course, the chowder.

The soup is a signifier of many things for this film. It signifies Andy’s first look at the culture of the magazine and her co-workers. The soup also could represent Andy herself as being plain, unremarkable and not very well liked by the people at Runway. Just like the fattening soup, Andy just doesn’t fit in at the fashion magazine. The soup also plays into the stereotypes of those in the fashion industry as being overly weight conscious which is why no one but Andy is choosing to eat it.

However, I like the idea that this scene is significant because it marks a point in Andy and Nigel’s relationship. It is in this scene that his subtly vicious nature is on display. He is never outright mean to Andy but he cuts her with loaded comments about everything from her lunch choice to how she performs her job. Eventually Andy wears him down and he becomes her friend and ally but I like this scene because it demonstrates the starting point of their relationship and what the initial general opinion everyone at Runway has of Andy. Throughout the film we see their opinion and Andy herself, transform.

I have made a corn chowder once and I really like it,so I was excited to make it for this film. I started with softening the veggies in some butter. I recommend using real butter for this only because it gives a fullness of flavor that this dish deserves even if it feeds into Nigel’s notion about the cellulite. If you are watching your butter intake it’s totally fine to use a substitute.

After about 10 minutes you’ll want to add half the corn, the potatoes, and the broth. You want to blend the rest of the corn in a blender-this will give the soup it’s thickness and kick the corn flavor up a notch. Add the blended corn to the pot and let the soup thicken up. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf!

With or without the film, this soup is delicious. It is warm and comforting which is what Andy really needed on her first day of dealing with Miranda and the rest of the people at Runway. I highly recommend eating it after a long hard day at the office, regardless of what Nigel says is in it.

Corn Chowder:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 scallions (the white bulbs)
• 1 red or green bell pepper, chopped (I used a little of both)
• 1 pound boiling potatoes (about 3), peeled and diced
• 4 cups corn kernels
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper