Sandworm Salad + Spice in Dune: Part Two

Dune-Inspired Recipes + Sci-Fi’s Obsession with Mind-Altering Substances

Mar 18, 2024

As someone who relishes science fiction epics, Dune: Part One was a dream come true. Director Denis Villeneuve assembled a team of craftsmen all at the top of their game, and the resulting film was everything I wanted out of a blockbuster sci-fi movie. Whereas many blockbusters use VFX and visually striking sequences to mask the inferior writing riddled with tropes, cheese and cliché, Dune’s technical feats only add to an already entertaining and provocative story.

To top it off, I wasn’t alone in this feeling: People around the globe were overflowing with excitement and rave reviews for the first installment in the Dune film series. In 2021, after pandemic lockdowns and political turmoil, the release of Dune felt exciting, like we were witnessing cultural history.

When Dune: Part Two began its marketing campaign, I admit my confidence in the franchise began to waver: While much better versions were released online, the trailer playing in the theaters I visited was, in my humble opinion, abysmal. The entire trailer felt like it was edited by an intern of Cameron Diaz’s character from The Holiday, formulaic and stale with little regard for the film’s actual vibes. Unless… this trailer was indicative of the upcoming film’s vibes… I shuddered at the thought.

On the way to my local IMAX theater, I held my breath. Luckily, within minutes of the film’s start, I realized I had nothing to worry about.

It’s no secret that the source material, the book series by the mid-century American author Frank Herbert, is a cautionary tale; an allegory for our modern-day penchant for imperialism and pillaging other countries for their resources, while exploring themes of religion and destiny.

Needless to say, mass cultural appreciation for this story is long overdue.

Even with its problematic whitewashed casting, which is concerning, the story of Dune being displayed so precisely for all to see holds a value that is difficult for the uninitiated to comprehend.

To me, I fear the momentous success of Dune: Part Two is not due to Warner Bros. marketing team, but in spite of it… Which leads me to the reason why you all clicked on this email: The Dune Popcorn Bucket.

The Dune Popcorn Bucket

I’m not going to spend too much time rehashing what others have already said about this delightfully impractical food-related merchandise, but rest assured I did NOT eat out of one. I repeat, I did not have relations with that popcorn bucket.

Why not, you may ask? Logistically, the sandworm’s... Um… mouth? face?... doesn’t allow one to grab a full fistful of popcorn. That might not sound too bad for calorie-counters, but I can only imagine the rubbery worm-teeth creating sensations I don’t particularly want to be involved in my sacred movie theater experience. But if paying extra for such a device floats your boat, or surfs your sandworm, then by all means, pop off.

While this review is spoiler-free, I feel a brief overview of the films is needed for Dune-uninitiated before we can continue: Dune is set roughly 20,000 years from now, in a future where humanity has colonized planets across the galaxy and reverted to a feudalist society. Generally, noble houses each control their own planet’s resources, but everyone is clamoring for control of Arrakis. This harsh desert planet is the only source of “spice,” a psychoactive drug and a substance necessary for interstellar travel. The story of Dune and Dune: Part Two follows the Duke of Atreides (Oscar Issac), his concubine Lady Jessica (the brilliant Rebecca Ferguson), and their son Paul Atredies (Timothée Chalamet) as they take control of Arrakis, assimilate with the Arrakan natives (the Fremen, including Chani, played by Zendaya, and Javier Bardem), and fight against the land’s previous rulers, the Harkonnens (this is where Stellan Skarsgård and Austin Butler come in.)

The kicker? Paul believes he has persistent visions of a horrible future that only he can foresee, and only he is in a position to prevent.

What Does Spice Taste Like?

Just a few minutes into Dune: Part Two — after the long, traumatizing journey that was Part One — Paul and his mother Jessica finally sit down for what is seemingly their first meal in days. On their plates appears to be cooked meat (presumably from some sort of cave bat and not a revolting sandworm or adorable desert mouse, one would hope.)

“There’s spice in the food,” Paul says as he watches the light bounce off of the spice’s distinct red glitter. Chani (Zendaya) and her friends giggle, saying something to the effect of “What’s wrong, too spicy for you?”

Now, in the books, spice supposedly tastes like cinnamon. Obviously, most people I know would never describe a cinnamon-seasoned dish as “too spicy”, so this raised a myriad of questions for me.

Questions re: Spice in the Duniverse

How have human tastebuds changed over the 20,000+ years between now and Dune?
Do people in the Duniverse even know what cinnamon is?
How does this influence the meaning of the term “spicy.”
In the scene in question, the Fremen said “spicy” in their own language, and the dialogue was subtitled. In Fremen culture, does “spicy” simply mean filled with spice, the drug?
Realistically, could a “spice” double entendre exist in the Dune universe, or did Denis Villeneuve and his writing partner Jon Spaihts just throw a bone to those craving your typical Blockbuster comedic relief?

While I may never get the answer to these questions, I’m going to spend the rest of my life thinking about them and attempting to gain enough clout to interview Villeneuve and Spaihts to get to the bottom of this. (Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share!)

I digress. At this point in the film, Paul is still an outsider getting used to being high on the galaxy’s hottest drug. The realization that he’s going to have to eat spice in his food every day for the foreseeable future is concerning, to say the least. If Paul is consuming spice 24/7, how will he know if his visions of the future are due to messianic psychic powers or just a bad trip?

The Water of Life and Sci-Fi’s Obsession with Mind-Altering Substances

A little further into the Dune: Part Two film, a seemingly magical elixir comes into play: The Water of Life. This drink kills anyone who is not carefully trained to transmute its poison. The only reason why anyone goes near the stuff is so members of the Bene Gesserit — the universe’s mysterious-religious-political sisterhood — can gain access to the memories of their female ancestors. To make matters even more appetizing, the Water of Life is basically just harvested toxic sandworm bile…

(That Dune popcorn bucket is looking more and more appetizing, isn’t it now?)

In short, the society in the Dune movies leans heavily on the consumption of mind-altering drugs, poisons, and interstellar substances.

Mind-altering substances that affect each individual uniquely are certainly a science fiction trope that has become more popular in recent years. In the 2018 Netflix series Maniac, Emma Stone’s character becomes addicted to an experimental drug that forces her to relive the worst day of her life. Again in 2018, in the film Aniara, passengers stuck on a nightmare spaceship cruise become addicted to an artificial intelligence that helps humans imagine the good ol’ days on Earth.

Perhaps in a world filled with content made for the masses, we are yearning for worthy individual experiences. Or perhaps narcotics are just a convenient storytelling device writers pull out whenever they’ve written themselves into a corner.

All I know is Dune’s exploration of the powerful making decisions with wildly clouded judgment is something worth watching.

Recipes Inspired by Dune: Part Two

In my own life, I have taken rather stringent measures to ensure my personal judgment remains sounder than a Dune character: I have vowed never to believe any thought I have after ~10PM (“fear is the mindkiller” after all), I take my mental health seriously, and above all, I eat when I am hungry. Nothing quite spells disaster like the hangry rampage of a woman.

Luckily, I have rounded up the most delightful Dune-inspired recipes from around the internet. Each and every one of these makes me giddy with glee. The creativity! The flavors! The worms!