Is anybody else around here a foodie? I mean, seriously, at one time I had wanted to be a chef, or at least attend culinary school to understand food creation better, but then I realized that I can enjoy food even more when somebody else makes it. 🙂
That hasn’t stopped me, however, from including scrumptious food choices in my books. Yes, I did, indeed. I couldn’t seem to help it.
I love some good food. I try really hard not to love it too much, but come on, sometimes ya just need a good slice of pizza, right? I know someone who’d agree with me.
She’s hilarious, and is also well known for liking to eat. Yeah, she’s a foodie hero of mine.
Anywho…
I had a beta reader mention to me that I discuss food too often in my books. I re-read it and counted, and I think I mention it all of maybe five times, and usually it was at turning points in the story. But I also think it adds a depth of understanding in the story. Especially in fantasy, when peoples and worlds can be so completely different from our own, mentioning a few tidbits about food can be essential, don’t you think?
So, let me ask you? What’s the weirdest food/eating scene or item you’ve included in your writing? Or what do you wish you’d included? Or what’s the weirdest foodie question you asked while writing? You can even share you favorite writing snack. I know I have a few…
Tortilla chips and/or fresh veggies with homemade dairy free ranch dip. Bowls of fresh fruit. Ice cream. Popcorn (makes it hard to type, though). Many, many tall glasses of ice water (not technically a snack, but I’m a water hound).
Please share!
And happy (foodie) writing!
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
― Charles M. Schulz
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien
“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”
― Julia Child
Inkcouragement 
Let me see. There was lasagna. And steak. And salmon. And tacos al carbon. Salad. Nothing weird.
Well ramp it up, then!!
Nope. I don’t think I’ve mentioned food at all in book numero dos.
Bummer. Some of the food in my books is a little… Um… Odd. But it’s fantasy, so what the heck.
Do they eat turtles?
Haha! No. My MC has a special connection with animals, especially sea creatures, so she doesn’t eat fish or water animals. Besides, turtles are so cute! I don’t think I’d be able to look at myself in the mirror every morning if they ate turtles.
Well you said it was odd. That would be odd. Haha
Okay, maybe odd wasn’t the right word. How about eccentric? No, that probably gets you thinking along the same lines.
More than likely, it’s non-American food. More Europeanish in its influences. So the folks across the foam won’t blink twice, but we in the good ol’ U.S. of A may wonder at it.
Haha give me an example. Just one. So you don’t go telling all your foodie secrets.
Lingonberry pie. And I have a TON of foodie secrets, so giving away one doesn’t hurt that much.
Is that a real thing? Sounds fake.
Lingonberries are very real. I’ve had them in a flavored soda format and as a dip/side kind of like our cranberry sauce. I don’t know if there’s a pie, so that part I made up.
Hm. Cranberry sauce is kind of okay.
I’m not really a fan. Especially when it just blobs out of a can for thanksgiving dinner.
Haha that’s so true!
I posted twice about this topic. After you read them, you can tell your anorexic beta reader to stop worrying about getting thunder thighs from reading your books.
http://irishfirebrands.wordpress.com/2014/04/04/fire-burne-and-cauldron-bubble/
http://irishfirebrands.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/novel-nibbles-celtic-connections/
The weirdest food-related thing I’ve done so far with the WIP is to spend a whole morning researching the history of cheese.
I like those posts!
And you know what’s funny? She’s not even anorexic. She’s just as much of a foodie as I am! Which is why I didn’t understand her comments.
To me, food is hearth and home and conversation and laughter and comfort. I like to include it in my writing, and I’m glad you do, as well.
And yum-o!! Cheese??? Oh, I miss cheese. 🙂
Being autistic, I don’t like a lot of foods or eat very many different foods. So when I write, I always like to research and give the characters different meals. I think my most fun foodie research was for a character who is a chef at a French restaurant. 🙂 Great post!
Ooo… French food! Yummy!
Oh gosh, I’m terrible about describing food or food scenes in my novels! Wow, I really should start adding it in because that is one of my favorite things about my favorite author, Emilie Loring. She describes these elegant designer meals that almost seem impossible in the 1930’s. Broiled grapefruits, delicately sauteed mushrooms with some fancy sauce, she goes on for paragraphs. It’s quite wonderful because I love food. When I think of any place to travel, food is the first reason why I might want to go there.
As for writing food….. Coffee, tea, water, Jameson’s or Crown Royale, (very small amounts with ice so it’s watered down.) Clearly I don’t ‘eat’ when I write. Lol. Usually I write at random moments, so food is not part of it.
I would love to read something of yours that’s food related. Care to share?
I would love to share, but since I’m pursuing traditional publishing, I don’t want to put anything online that hasn’t been published yet. I’ve heard agents and publishers don’t like that. I am planning a series of short story blogs in a a few months. I’m sure food will come up then. 🙂
I don’t include paragraphs and paragraphs of food description, as much as I’d like to. I’m sure for middle grade fantasy it would be edited right out by an agent or editor, but the idea is nice. Since I’m a foodie, talking about/writing about food can be so fun!
Oh, I totally understand about not sharing on your blog. I mean just a paragraph or two in an email, but no worries. Oh, you write middle grade. Yeah, that is probably going to be edited out unless it’s the whole creep factor for something really strange. But I can totally get wanting to write about food. (I am always writing about coffee)
Haha! I hate coffee. And I’m not sorry to admit it. 🙂 Sometimes I wish I did because that would make my life a whole lot easier. There’s coffee everywhere!
Well if you hate coffee, it is impossible to wax poetic about it.Yep, coffee is a certified legal drug of choice.