Wendy Sparrow has stopped by to share a guest post with us about reading and cravings. Give it a read and then leave us a comment to tell us what books have made you crave food \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
Wendy Sparrow<\/p>\n
The first, but not the last, book I read that had me searching for recipes was Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. Twenty-something years ago, I read that book, and I wanted to try Chicken Marsala. Immediately. I wanted my grubby little hands on it instantly. Other books have had me craving rice pilaf, lemon tarts, chocolate cake, and the list goes on.<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re an author, you\u2019re often going over the same words again and again. It\u2019s a little like being pregnant with that book. For whatever length of time you spend on it, that book is a part of you. I even sometimes make facial expressions while writing that correspond to my characters or the mood of the scene. (One reason why I don\u2019t write in public very often.) I live in that world, though. My characters\u2019 cravings become my cravings. One of my characters loves orange chicken, and so do I while working on those books. Omelets and pancakes make reappearances in many of my books, and I\u2019ll find myself announcing to the family that we\u2019re having pancakes, again, while editing them. In Stealing Time, chocolate oranges feature heavily\u2014and, wow, just talking about it, I need one.<\/p>\n
I have a love\/hate relationship with food in books. On the one hand, food in books creates a sensory cue in our brain that helps us get a deeper read. Even if it\u2019s subconscious, scents and tastes build a world in a reader\u2019s mind, just as much as sights. Have you ever gotten cold while reading about someone eating a frozen treat? Or felt a sense of relief when you read about a hungry person eating? Maybe you haven\u2019t been aware of it, but you might have experienced both.<\/p>\n
However, we can\u2019t always get our hands on Chicken Marsala easily, can we, Jennifer? And, some of us have allergies. I\u2019m looking at you, authors who include fragrant popcorn and buttery corn on the cob in their books. Or maybe we haven\u2019t spent enough time on the treadmill for a decadent chocolate cake. Cravings go unfulfilled. *sobs*<\/p>\n
But, at the time, we\u2019re in that world\u2014seeing, hearing, smelling, and tasting alongside the characters, and it allows us to be there, in our minds. Not to mention, our sensory indulgence through reading and visualizing is free from carbs, sugar, and calories. You can fill your plate and not have to run it off. Reading is even gluten-free.<\/p>\n
Food can be a significant part of building a setting and much of life centers around meals. During the director\u2019s commentary on Ocean\u2019s Eleven, the topic of why Brad Pitt is always eating came up. If you\u2019ve watched any movie with him in it, he eats. A lot. While filming Ocean\u2019s Eleven, Pitt supposedly said that Hollywood never showed people eating so he felt like it was a normal thing that he wanted to include, especially since Ocean\u2019s group was so busy that they\u2019d grab food whenever they could. Speculation online has suggested that eating makes Pitt\u2019s jawline look good. Factually, that\u2019s true. We can\u2019t dispute that. But, for whatever reason, take after take, he suffered through nachos and peanut butter for us. Thank you, Brad.<\/p>\n