Based on the cookbook (or, Mangeurs On A Train)

Le goût du crime (A Taste for Crime), runtime 1:28:39
Subtitles download link


Laure Grenadier (Cecile Bois, Candice Renoir) is a Lyon-based food vlogger and chef– who no longer cooks. We’re supposed to guess that Something Happened to take her out of the kitchen, but a priori she seems fine: hanging with her best friend Olivier the coroner, living with her militant vegan daughter Amandine, and building a successful influencer brand with a quarter-million followers.

Cecile Bois, with Charlie Dupont as ‘Nicolas’

And then tragedy strikes: her beloved uncle Jérôme, a star chef, is killed in his kitchen. Complicating matters is that Laure’s ex Nicolas– Commander Garnier– is leading the investigation. Nicolas has been saddled with new team member Baptiste, who arrives with golden retriever energy. But just when Laure decides to let Nicolas get on with it, she discovers another body– another star chef, killed exactly the same way.

And then they’re off, into the cutthroat world of Lyon cuisine– Laure, tagging along with a reluctant Nicolas and fanboy Baptiste.

Based on the first in a series of books, it’s a little film that holds your attention. And it’s always nice to see Bois, especially her sunny laugh and ‘you’re SO underestimating me’ smile. So hopefully this isn’t the last we’ll see of Grenadier & Co.


MISC

I picked this one because, other than Cherif, I know nothing about Lyon,

Uncle Jérôme is played by Bernard Le Coq, a big-time César-winning movie and TV star.

NOTES

00’29”: In the brigade system of kitchen jobs, seconde is another name for the deputy or sous chef, and commis is the junior, or assistant cook.

English doesn’t do justice to Jérôme rhyming l’or (gold) and Laure (00’43”).

An andouillette (1’04”) is basically a (ugh) chitlin sausage. I once had one at Le Wilson, 2 Place du Trocadero in Paris; I think the waiter was impressed by my gastronomic bravery (or stupidity).

4’40”: Laure is walking north across the Saint Vincent de Lyon footbridge over the Saône River. North is the opposite direction from where she actually winds up, Rue de la Bombarde. ‘Jérôme’s’ establishment Les Lyonnais is a real restaurant at the corner of Bombarde & Rue de Tramassac.

For the life of me, I don’t get either the casting of Nicolas (08’22”) or the makeup artist’s choices. He’s pale and colorless; ‘heroin addict’ is the first description that came to mind.  Did he have the COVID while shooting this? Laure is well rid of him.

Les Lyonnais is in hauteurs des Lyon, ‘Lyon Heights’ (9’53”), which gets even higher to the west. There’s a spectacular view from the park at the top, also the location of the Notre-Dame de Fourviere basilica.

It sounds like fast-talker Amandine says Absent on nom? (16’20”), I’m translating it ‘Forget his name?’

There are a number of Villefranches (21’03”), presumably Céline means Villefranche-sur-Saone 22 km north of Lyon, and not the creepy Villefranche from Zone Blanche/Black Spot.

“Get me the David Boreanaz of France,” said the casting director! Antoine Férey as ‘Baptiste.’

Panier à salade, ‘salad basket’ (22’54”), is slang for ‘police car,’ because that’s what prisoner transports resembled in the old days.

…ça coûte un bras, ‘that costs an arm’ (26’13”) usually means ‘costs an arm and a leg.’ I don’t know why it’s a contraction here.
      Saint-Trivier-de-Courtes (on trailer) is a village about 45 miles north of Lyon. Presumably that is the location of Marchand’s farm. The village throws an annual county fair-type event that includes a food fair (foire gastronomique).

Marché Saint-Antoine (26’39”) is a farmers market that takes over the sidewalk of Quai Saint-Antoine Tuesdays through Sunday.
      Saint-Marcellin is a soft, brie-like cheese.
      The best I can tell is that when discussing cheese, fais un point means ‘just right’ or ‘perfectly ripe.’
      A bouchon is a type of eaterie specific to Lyon serving traditional local cuisine. Oddly, bouchon usually means ‘cap,’ ‘plug,’ ‘cork,’ ‘traffic jam,’ and related.

We’ve encountered boiteux (28’04”) before. It means ‘lame,’ which doesn’t sound good except when Wayne & Garth say it, so I’m putting ‘limpy.’

Laure, Nicolas, and Baptiste are having bad burgers at a cart on Place Gerson (28’39”), next to the Saint-Paul Church & Sainte Marguerite Chapel.

28’58”: The influence of Klingon culture is strong in Lyon.

Laure does something with her phone that makes it go Snap (30’32”). It doesn’t look like a folding phone.

Marchand alleges Gilles beat his wife Celine, saying (what sounds like) Il y allez battait la morve d'enfoiré (31’07”), which… doesn’t really make sense as a sentence. The key words mean ‘beat,’ ‘snot,’ and ‘bastard,’ thus the translation. I did my best.

Oddly enough, Tâter le terrain, ‘feel out the ground’ (31’56”), usually translates to ‘test the waters.’

36’50”: Finally, one of the Somethings that Happened to Laure is revealed.

Bonne dégustation (‘Good tasting,’ 38’28”) sounds like a less cliche form of bon appetit. So I’m letting the direct translation stand.
      Saint-Jacques en noir et blanc (scallops in black & white sauce) is scallops paired with something dark, like squid ink or blood sausage. Here chorizo subs for blood sausage.

40’23”: Why go back to Place Gerson for bad burgers?

A fondant is usually a small chocolate cake.

Le démon de midi (literally, ‘midday demon’), ‘midlife crisis,’ can also be translated ‘seven-year itch.’

Céline lives at 19 Rue des Trois-Maries (42’19”). In real life it was once a camera shop, today it’s a collectibles store. The Digicode panel isn’t there in Streetview.
      The American Bar sign at #13 normally reads (or used to read) Hotesses Pub, ‘Hostess Bar,’ a dated euphemism for a place for meeting sex workers. I’ve seen it translated ‘breastaurant.’
      Celine describes her late husband Gilles as Il prenait de la place, ‘he took up space.’ Does she mean it in a good way? I’m putting ‘he had so much presence.’

Laure arrives at Rue des Trois-Maries.

#13

Camera shop sign over #19 in 2014.

44’25”: Jeanette mumbles something that sounds like laisse au je donc, roughly, ‘leave it to me,’ but that can’t be it.

44’44”: Laure begins the interview by saying she knew Mother Brazier and Mother Guy. Mère Brazier was Eugenie Brazier, a Lyon chef and restaurateur who was the first woman to have three Michelin stars. She died in 1977, 48 years ago, meaning Laure had to have known her when she was a petit enfant.
      As far as I can tell there were two Mère Guys who cooked, one in the 1700s, the other her granddaughter in the 1800s, so Laure couldn't have known either. Therefore I’ve taken a small liberty with the translation.

The dessert (45’30”) contains bouquet au café du chocolat, a coffee-chocolate blend.

The next victim was attacked while having a smoke in the cour of his restaurant (47’32”). Cour often means ‘court,’ ‘yard,’ ‘courtyard,’ and even ‘backyard.’ But we’re talking about where restaurant workers take smoke breaks, so ‘out back’ is more accurate.

Laure follows Marion into the Parc de la Tete d'Or (50’14”), the large city park which includes the zoo, botanical garden, conservatory, and many other facilities and activities.

      (Above) They enter through the gate at 1 Rue de Créqui, by the carousel.

      Marion’s route takes her into a tunnel under the park’s lake to L'ile du Souvenir (Remembrance Island)-- where she must turn right around and go back through the tunnel, because it's the only way on and off the island and her destination is elsewhere…
      Marion crosses a footbridge to another island, L’ile du Mahatma Gandhi, where a gazebo houses an upright piano. Lots of visitors take photos here; different pianos come and go.

54’59”: Oh, this is why they go back for bad burgers. Laure likes to help.
      …il traînait quelques casseroles, ‘dragging some pots,’ I guess means ‘skeletons in the closet.’

62’43”: Why can you see a bit of daylight through Baptiste’s gun?

66’47”: Earlier Nicolas was referred to as a Commander, but here he gives himself a promotion to Commissioner.

70’15”: This whole conversation between Nicolas and Laure about timers/clocks/stopwatches (chronos), what is that? Is it supposed to be double entendre or something? Is it in the book?

72’00”: A little domestic violence is always something to have a good laugh over.
      Chloe is an uncredited role.

80’13”: The French for ‘melts in the mouth’ is fondent sous la dent (melts under the tooth).

86’59”: Laure is making Amandine un déroulé de panais confits, candied parsnips. I can’t figure out what déroulé (unrolled/unfolded) means when applied to vegetables.