Blogger: Etta Wilson
Location: Books & Such Nashville Office
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Every way I turn in the last few days, I see something about food. A letter to the editor from an acquaintance complained about the unreasonable emphasis on losing weight rather than eating sensibly. The evening news on NBC had a segment on the dangers to long-term health among the increasing number of obese children, and the next morning the Today show had a special on making key lime pie. The popularity of the food network keeps growing, and the local paper not only features new restaurants weekly but also has interviews with chefs around town; yet, I read that, in this country, 4 out of every 10 children do not have enough food to eat. In my physical therapy sessions, I note that people getting artificial knees and hips are by and large (can’t resist the pun!) very overweight. Granted some of them are dealing with metabolism problems as well.
What is it with a culture that seems so overly attentive to food but can’t agree on what constitutes a good basic diet? Those of us who had parents or grandparents who lived in the Great Depression can understand how food became a major life pursuit, but the matters of quantity and taste are far more complex than this. Has anybody written a cookbook? They seem to be recession-proof.
I wonder how much we think of a character’s food tastes in writing fiction. Certainly Jan Karon did in her Mitford series, and a number of other female novelists have incorporated recipes in their novels. I don’t think male writers use kitchen scenes or food much. A recent manuscript from a client starts as a young teen returns to a resort area and remembers all the great foods he loved tasting and smelling at different spots along the boardwalk. It was a perfect way to pull readers into the scene.
Do you have a favorite food-in-fiction book? What do you remember most about it–the food and recipes or the plot? Or did the plot include an individual’s love of food or wrestling with a food issue? And how about the mention of food in titles? Is that a plus or a minus? Just wondering . . . .
Interesting thoughts. I am a huge fan of Robert B. Parker’s “Spenser” novels. When Spenser whips up a dinner from the sparse contents of Susan’s refrigerator, I not only marvel at his ingenuity, but actually feel myself getting hungry for the meal he’s created. I’m pretty sure that Parker is a good cook himself, and his inclusion of food-related scenes really draws me into the story.
I can remember reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Farmer Boy outloud to my children and getting so bogged down on all the food descriptions. Later, a biography of Laura explained that because she had so little food growing up, she always was fascinated by the magnitude of eating that went on in Almanzo’s family–which is why she recorded it in such detail.
Growing up in Southern California in the 1960’s, I read a lot of children’s books which took place in New England. When we moved there, it felt completely familiar because of all those books–especially the blueberries, even if my name wasn’t Sal. 🙂
I think a lot of times food in fiction adds to the story. For instance, reading about cajun food in a story set in New Orleans adds to the setting. I did read one novel, though, where the author not only mentioned the food, but tended to list all the ingredients as well. I’m not making this up. She did it more than once, and I finally decided if I wanted to read a cookbook, I wouldn’t pick up a novel!
Off-hand, I can’t think of a favorite food-in-fiction book, but, I do use food quite a lot in my own writing! I know when people read my Love Inspired, I was told that reading about all that food made them hungry! Also, one of my former critique partners said that my scenes always made her hungry.
I suppose most people like to eat – we get hungry, right? When an author does a great job of describing the taste or scent of food, making the reader’s mouth water, I think that’s a strong talent.
I believe that the mention of food in titles is a plus!
Dorothy Allison’s “Bastard Out of Carolina” pulls me in completely with mention of food.
The book takes place in the south. The young narrator sets scenes with seemingly subtle references to food. There is one particular scene where she prepares a glass of sweet tea for her mama; by the end of that scene-I kid you not-I could taste the tea, hear the clinking of ice in the glass, and feel the sweat on the side of it. I also could feel the humid southern breeze and smell the sweet magnolia.
Perhaps the food scenes in this book would not have such a profound effect on someone who has never lived in the south, but even the smallest mention of hushpuppies in the narrative brings me to a adirondack chair on a wide porch down south.
Food aside, this book is all at once beautiful and heart-wrenching. I have read it multiple times and I often recommend it to friends.
I won’t lie though-I often read it when I am missing the south.
I think food definitely adds to fiction. I love being able to visualize a meal–the smells and tastes.
I know this is a little different than what you are talking about, but one of my favorite stories that uses food is Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. 🙂
Though you didn’t mention picture books, one of my favorites is Marjorie Priceman’s How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World. It’s all about gathering the ingredients needed in order to make the pie, and what the girl finds as she travels from England to Jamaica to Sri Lanka to Vermont. There’s a recipe for making apple pie at the end. This is one of those books that I think is so brilliant in its concept… I only wish I had thought of it myself.
Food is so basic to our everyday life. I’ve lived abroad and see that other cultures can be just as obsessed as Americans, yet they have cultivated better habits of self control than we have, and respect food on a completely different level. I hope we’re moving in that direction in this country–and maybe some of the authors reading this blog will help to pave that long road for us–and for our children.
I recently read Cathy Lamb’s debut novel “Julia’s Chocolates.”
It started a little slow, but it ended up being a delicious read. 🙂
Rachel, you’ve got me hooked on “Bastard Out of Carolina.” I’ve been looking for a good southern novel. Thanks.
Etta
I’m reading Man Gone Down, and food is used in an unusual way–the main character can’t stomach food. About halfway through the book, I wondered how the guy was staying alive. But then he met this woman, and the next thing he knew, he was eating the pineapple slice she had offered him. Ah, love is just around the corner. But what a creative way to show a character shut down emotionally and then opening up just a bit.
I just finished reading Sweet Life by Mia King and it had a ton of food recipes in it and a whole section at the end of recipes. Loved it ! Can’t wait to make the macadamia bars !
The first novel I remember reading that used recipes was Laura Esquivel’s LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE. It was also my introduction to magical realism, and may also have been the first novel I attempted to read in the original Spanish. I think that was too much, and I found a copy in translation. It was still pretty mind-bending, and food was at the center of it. Whatever she cooked held her emotions so that anyone who ate it felt those emotions. Every chapter, if I remember right, ended with a recipe, but it never felt forced. It flowed as part of the story.
Etta-
I am glad you want to read “Bastard Out of Carolina” now. I adore that book!
Another great southern novel that has pulled me in with the southern food (both times I read it) is “The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc” by Loraine Despres. It is more of a light, beach read than Dorothy Allison’s more poignant, heartbreaking novel.
Rachel