On April 14, UNR Film Club and freshman Rebecca Lim, self-proclaimed as “The Musubi Girl,” hosted their first Fork n’ Film event that transported the audience into the magical world of “Ponyo.”
A Fork n’ Film event isn’t simply a movie showing, but rather an interactive, cinematic experience where viewers eat everything they see on screen. These events first garnered popularity across social platforms such as TikTok with official locations spanning in several locations across the U.S. As the film plays, viewers are served food that corresponds to the scene on the screen.
Time and time again, Studio Ghibli has animated delectable food, but “Ponyo” in particular includes famous meals that give a sense of familiarity and comfort.
Junior Liz Goutsaliouk, vice president of UNR Film Club, said, “It’s easy to incorporate [food] into a film like ‘Ponyo,’ because it really just makes everything seem more magical on the screen.”
Lim, or, “The Musubi Girl,” prepared all of the food served at the Fork n’ Film as the movie played. The small business is self-run by Lim, who curated the “Ponyo”-inspired menu herself to make the iconic meals even more sensational.
As “Ponyo” opened with a scene of Ponyo and her sisters swimming in the ocean, audience members were refreshed with a Sea Foam Bubble Drink. The cerulean dirty soda was made of Swedish Fish swimming (or rather floating) in a concoction of blue lemonade and Sprite. The cool drink was just as rejuvenating as taking a dip in the bright blue sea.
After the Sea Foam Bubble Drink came Ponyo’s Favorite Ham Sandwich. “Ponyo” lovers know her all-time favorite food has been ham ever since she was still a little goldfish, and Ponyo doesn’t let viewers forget it as she shouts “Ponyo loves ham!” throughout the film. The sandwich was made of ham, lettuce, tomato, cheese and Japanese mayo between thick, soft slices of white bread. After eating it, the audience felt Ponyo’s love of ham.
Next came the star of the show, Sosuke’s Mom’s Magical Ramen. Sold out during pre-orders, the room was full of the savory, delicious aroma of the same style of ramen that warmed up Sosuke and Ponyo. The tantalizing homemade ramen broth was combined with ham, scallions and a soft boiled egg, truly giving that authentic, homey taste.
To keep the cold away after Sosuke and Ponyo narrowly avoided a tsunami (that Ponyo caused), a slow sip of Sweet Warm Honey Milk was served. The honey milk was crafted with whole milk swirled with honey, cinnamon and vanilla to satisfy a sweet tooth and soothe the soul.
The mystical, mouthwatering journey was topped off with Sosuke’s Ice Cream Cone. Although the ice cream in a cone didn’t lift Sosuke’s spirits after losing Ponyo, it was the perfect way for viewers to end a night of magic and flavor.
To create a special experience for UNR students, Lim’s combined love of making food and watching movies led her to reach out to the UNR Film Club, who were in full support of the idea of a Fork n’ Film.
Goutsaliouk said, “We honestly thought it was going to be like a really great idea to have something like this, where you can get the dishes that you’re seeing in the movie.”
And they were right. The large turnout was so unexpected, the event was moved to another room. UNR Film Club had not predicted more attendees than the usual club members, so they were overjoyed at the support for the club and for The Musubi Girl who put her heart and soul into crafting an immersive movie experience.
“I’m really glad that we were able to pull this off and pull it off at such a big scale,” Lim said, “and just seeing everyone enjoy the food that my friends and I made really made a heavy impact on me, and so I hope I’m able to do it again. Thank you.”