Food on Film is an occasional feature in which I explore some of the most significant food-related scenes in popular film.

The first Indiana Jones movie, Raider of the Lost Ark, featured poisoned dates. The third installment, The Last Crusade, didn’t have much in the way of edibles. But Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom… that, my friends, was a culinary horror show.

Let’s recap the exotic menu consumed (or mostly avoided) by Indy, Willie and Short Round at the infamous Pankot Palace:

Course 1 – Baby Snakes

If you didn’t swallow your gum when this behemoth was served, I can at least guarantee some seat squirming when those slimy snake infants escaped their momma. Catching them and slurping them up alive set the tone for one of the most cringe-inducing eating scenes this side of Fear Factor.

Course 2 – Beetle Backs

I want my baby back, baby back, baby back… beetles. Sorry, couldn’t resist. Compared to what came before and after, this was the most innocuous of the dinner courses. Like much of what we eat every day, the beetles were:

1. Small
2. Dead
3. Nutritious

Heck, I’d give ‘em a try.

Course 3: Eyeball Soup

Compared to the real deal (pictured), the movie soup looks downright appetizing. Couldn’t Willie just pick out the eyeballs and suck down the broth? The scarier thought is this: whose eyeballs are those?

Course 4: Chilled Monkey Brains

The perfect ending to both the dinner and this classic scene. Don’t you just love the way Willie’s dining neighbor slurps up the jiggly red mess?

It gets me every time.

Course 5: ??????????????????????????

In case you’ve been living under a rock (again, looking at you Osama!), there’s a fourth Indy adventure on its way called Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls. The early trailers don’t betray any food significance, but I’ll be there May 22 looking for some.

Previously on Food on Film:

• Star Wars
• Silence of the Lambs