Feasting on Sex And The City

I have been dreaming in Manolos and Middle Eastern Delights after watching Sex And The City 2 last night and now I am suffering with a one-too-many-Cosmopolitan-head, but a girl’s gotta do, what a girl’s gotta do!  You have to hand it to Sex And The City (SATC), love it or loathe it, it is a phenomenon and for many it has shaped fashion, friendships, and how we spend our free time. 

I was in New York recently with a group of friends, all seasoned tourists of the Big Apple, and on more than one occasion the motivations that drove us around Manhattan had less to do with guide books and more to do with Sex And The City.  From cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery in the West Village to SATC style dining at Buddakan in Chelsea.  If you are a fan of the show and you have visited New York then I am certain that at some point in your trip - most likely when you have a Martini glass in your hand and the New York skyline behind you – you have uttered the words: “This is so Sex And The City”.  It is impossible not to.   

Yet it is not just the city that is synonymous with the show, it is the style, the culture and the social life that is integral too.  Prior to going into the movie last night I started to think about the role that food and drink has had in SATC and without giving away too much, the Cosmopolitans are the same, the brunch is ever present and dining out on a nightly basis is a central feature of the whole movie.  The brunch has been a staple of the show since it started and it has acted as the backdrop for glistening one-liners, shared secrets and harsh truths.  Arguably, what is on their plate tells a story too: Charlotte eats fruit and counts her calories when she’s feeling threatened by another woman.  Samantha pigs out when she thinks she has lost her mojo and Carrie simply can’t eat after she has been left at the altar.  The beauty of it is, we can relate to it.  What is more, these girls can eat: pizza slices, cupcakes, hot dogs, frozen yoghurts – the star power of these food items and the restaurants that they are devoured in are boosted each time we see them eating something on-screen.  Then there is food and sex: most memorable of which involved Miranda, a glazed Krispy Kreme donut and the guy from her Weight Watchers class.  Need I say anymore?  And would the show be so much fun if it wasn’t for all of those Cosmos?  That single cocktail has become a bar staple the world over, thanks to four well-heeled ladies. 

Personally, I would like to see an episode that discusses a hangover cure for a Cosmopolitan induced headache but I guess that is why brunch is so necessary…

Carrie: There are very few things this New Yorker loves as much as Sunday brunch. You can sleep until noon and still get eggs anywhere in the city, alcohol is often included with the meal, and Sunday is the one day a week you get the single woman's sports pages: the New York Times wedding section.

                                                          Images from HBO