To say that food is important to Miyazaki films is the same, as to say that humans need to breathe. Many of the films produced by Studio Ghibli are filled with culinary Delights. It even has magical power such as transforming humans in swine.
It is my suspicion that food is in some way deeply important to Miyazaki films.
Certainly, I have found their to be something of a sub-fandom relating to the food in Miyazaki’s films.
Form collections of GIFs and images (and HERE), to numerous recipe blogs such as THIS (and THIS.)
Clearly the food in Miyazaki's work is important. This could possibly be because food plays a special part in the lives and work of Miyazaki Hayao and the animators at Studio Ghibli. The ancillary materials on the Ponyo DVD give us an insight into the work day at Studio Ghibli. It is worth noting that it was a tradition at the studio that, while working on a film, the end of the work day would involve a communal meal.
The communal and homely nature of food aspect of food found in Miyazaki's films are mirrored elsewhere. Both JRR tolkin(author of the hobbit and the lord of the rings) and Brian Jacques (author of the redwall books) spend considerable time talking about food, using it as a literary devic TVe make a place feel safe, loving and homely. For instance, the arrival of the dwarves at bilbo's door in the hobbit, is marked by a great feast, and while Bilbo may be shocked and worried, we are drawn into the festivities with description of food and song. Brian Jacques fans go to every bit the extremes that Miazaki fans do.
At their core many of the films of Hayao Miyazaki are fairy takes. This is another possible explanation for the importance of food in these films, as there is a long standing connection between food and magic in fairy tales. The magic of food in such tales takes a number of forms. For instance, in Hansel and Gretel, the witch has a house made from ginger bread, the eating of which is taboo. In the lion the witch and the wardrobe, the white witch is able to take some measure of control over Edmund Pevensie by feeding him Turkish delight and hot chocolate. Neil Gaiman's poem instructions informs us that we must not eat things in fairy tales and well he it should, if Christina Rossetti's poem the goblin market is any indication. Following in that form, in Spirited Away, Chihiro's parents are transmogrified into pigs because they stole food. In Alice in wonderland, food and drink transforms Alice's size. In the Japanese folk tale of Momotaro, Millet dumplings are used to attract allied in Momotaro's quest.
For a house near mother I will be focusing on three aspects
