This evening at the Gastroplex indulge in a sensory journey through the heart of America with this trio of Les Blank's tastiest creations

Main Course: Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers (A film by Les Blank with Maureen Gosling, 51 minutes, 1980)

A zesty paean of praise to the greater glories of garlic. This lip-smacking foray into the history, consumption, cultivation and culinary/curative powers of the stinking rose features chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, and a flavorful musical soundtrack.

The SF Chronicle called this loving ode to garlic “a joyous, nose-tweaking, ear-tingling, mouth-watering tribute to a Life Force.” Nothing less than a hymn to the stinking rose of the kitchen, this beautifully photographed documentary is an odyssey of garlic feasts blended with uniquely individual interviews of garlic aficionados. Not only does the film promote garlic as our first line of defense against all forms of blandness, it also titillates the taste buds with shots of garlic dishes sizzling in their pans. Les Blank shows once again that he knows how to have a good time and share it on film – especially if it involves food!

Side Dish: Yum, Yum, Yum! A Taste of Cajun and Creole Cooking (Les Blank  and Maureen Gosling, 31 minutes, 1990)

Les Blank marries his passion for spicy, down home food and his love for Cajuns and Creoles in this mouth-watering, exploration of the cooking, and other enthusiasms, of French-speaking Louisiana. Accordionist Marc Savoy and his family and friends show us how to make goo courtbouillon, gumbo, étouffée, boudin, and other Cajun and Creole delights

Dessert: Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (1980) (Les Blank with Maureen Gosling, Produced by Tom Luddy, 22 Minutes, 1980)

Yes, German film director Werner Herzog really does eat his shoe to fulfill a vow to fellow filmmaker Errol Morris — boldly exemplifying his belief that people must have the guts to attempt what they dream of. Inspiring. Werner Herzog is forging ahead in his unique cinematic quest for truth. 

An uncompromisingly independent filmmaker, Les Blank made documentaries for nearly fifty years, elegantly disappearing with his camera into cultural spots rarely seen on-screen—mostly on the peripheries of the United States, but also occasionally abroad. Seemingly off-the-cuff yet poetically constructed, these films are humane, sometimes wry, always engaging tributes to music, food, and all sorts of regionally specific delights.