Acorn TV's 'Recipes for Love and Murder' is a Sweet Treat
Acorn TV's newest offering, Recipes for Love and Murder, is a delight. Episodes 1 and 2 dropped on Monday, Sept. 5, and the remaining eight episodes will air, two per night, every Monday, for the next four weeks. It's the first production from Acorn TV set in South Africa, directed by Christiaan Olwagen (The Seagull), based on Sally Andrew's Tannie Maria novels, adapted by writer Karen Jeynes (Africa and I). Except for the lead character, everyone in the excellent cast is from South Africa, and some dialogue is in Afrikaans or Xhosa. And there are lots of great foodstuffs.
In some ways, the series is very familiar. The scenery of the Karoo Region of South Africa is spectacular, and the small town setting is predictably awash with cute, idiosyncratic characters. There's plenty of humor and wit, and the mystery elements fairly snap along. The handsome, reserved police chief, Khaya Meyer, possibly a transplant from the big city, is played with brooding intensity by Black Sails' Tony Kgoroge (everyone, even the butcher, fancies him). The heroine of a certain age? That's Tannie (Aunty) Maria (Maria Doyle Kennedy), a quirky, gifted cook, author of the local newspaper's cooking column, and eventually, reluctant amateur detective.
We meet Maria leaving her house, clad in mismatched floral garments, a chicken under her arm. She picks up an ax as she makes her way to an outbuilding. There's a thud and an alarmed squawk. But the chicken appears (its name is Morag), and so does Maria, munching watermelon. The titles run over an astonishing series of food preparation vignettes, beautiful and visceral, with more than a hint of violence, crushed fruits, pools of red juice, and a bloody knife sluiced clean. For Maria, food is a philosophy, her view of the world. It can change moods, evoke love, bring unity (there are echoes of Chocolat in this series), and reveal emotional truth. It's no coincidence the entrance to the town's newspaper office is through a butcher's shop.
