Best food movies of all time, rejecting Michelin stars, a bagel Toronto can call its own

• A good food movie should have good food scenes, says an astute L.A. Weekly. More specifically, those scenes should be “passionate, visual and sometimes absurd.” With those criteria in mind, the magazine rates the top 10 food movies of all time. There are some predictable choices in there—Julie and Julia at number six, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at number five—but topping the chart is the Danish film Babette’s Feast, a film about a maid who spends her lottery winnings on the most lavish meal imaginable. Notably missing from the list: 9½ Weeks. [LA Weekly]

• While this city has never been known for its bagels in quite the same way as Montreal or New York, a Toronto entrepreneur is seeking to change that with the “twister,” an oversized bagel that is twisted by hand. He thinks the twister has what it takes to put Toronto on the bagel map, but others aren’t so sure. As one reader commented, “Putting cute twists in them is not going to make them more palatable.” [Toronto Star]

• Everyone knows that eating fewer calories is essential to losing weight, but a new study shows that those who eat more fibre are less likely to be overweight. Fibre helps promote a healthy body weight in a number of ways; namely, it slows the digestion of food, creating a feeling of fullness. Foods high in fibre also tend to be lower in calories. Unfortunately, most Canadians probably get only half the fibre their bodies need. [Globe and Mail]

• One of Italy’s top chefs has repudiated his Michelin stars, saying he doesn’t need them to be successful. Enzio Santin, head chef at Antica Osteria, says the Internet is helping him attract customers from around the world and he is sick of having to meet the guide’s demanding requirements. Santin is the second Italian chef to have recently rejected the stars, but a Michelin representative was undaunted by their decision. “They are elderly men,” the representative said, “and it is right that they should be thinking about retirement.” Zing. [Reuters]

• China has lifted its ban on imports of Canadian pork, opening up a market that once provided $50 million in annual revenue. China had halted imports of Canadian pork as an anti-H1N1 measure. At the time of the ban, the chair of the Canadian Pork Council stressed that eating pork does not pose a flu threat, and said that China had made a “knee-jerk” reaction. [CBC]