Film Food: Buddha jumps over the wall

18:30 – Film Screening: Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, dir. Pedro Peira, Spain, 2024, 83’ | Cercul Militar

20:30 – Dinner prepared by Chef Radu Dumitrescu at Da Pino, presented by URSUS

"Buddha Jumps Over the Wall" is the name of a shark fin soup specific to the Fujian cuisine in China, considered a delicacy. It is said that when a Buddhist monk first smelled this soup, he couldn't resist and jumped over a wall to reach it, and that Buddha himself would have done the same if he were in his place. This is also the title of the documentary directed by Pedro Peira, which follows the journey of chef David Yárnoz to Taiwan, where he opened a Spanish restaurant. Once there, he befriends Kai Ho, a local chef, and together they try to find new ways to innovate classic dishes.

After the film screening, spectators are invited to Da Pino afterward for a dinner prepared by Chef Radu Dumitrescu. He describes himself as not the typical classical chef, and even though he has always had a passion for cooking, he only pursued it when the time was right, which was 15 years ago. He insists that taste should be developed from childhood and that, always, less is more: "I believe that the ingredient should be the star and the chef less so. I travel a lot to find inspiration and to realize every day that food is a lifestyle and brings people together like nothing else."