Chocolat and Mediation

If you missed it, check out Jennifer L. Schulz's Confectionery and Conflict
Resolution? What Chocolat Reveals about Mediation, Negotiation Journal, July 2006, at 251. Here's the abstract.

A close analysis of the film Chocolat discloses a new metaphor for the
mediator — the mediator as cook. The use of this metaphor throughout
the film suggests new insights about mediator style and practice.
Specifically, the mediator–protagonist in Chocolat demonstrates that:
(1) mediations need not be voluntary to be sound, (2) non-neutral,
directive, evaluative mediators can be effective if they individualize
their approaches to each disputant and dispute, and (3) effective
approaches to mediation celebrate emotion and pleasure, contrary to
many conflict resolution theorists who write about the importance of
emotions, but do not privilege them in practice.