A few months ago, I plopped down in my trusty rocker, grabbed a book, and pored over the pages. As I read along, the character suddenly smelled bacon frying. The author described the tiny pieces of pork in vivid detail, the precious little lamb chop.
My stomach rumbled as I flipped to the next page. Bacon. Hmm.
I eyed the clock: 2:00 a.m. It was too late to go out, unless I wanted someone to mug me, which I didn’t, so I pushed myself onward, trying to stay focused on the story.
Then the salivating began. A BLT doesn't sound bad right now.
Ahem. I wonder where that thought came from?
I set the book aside, tiptoed to the kitchen, and discovered I didn’t have any bacon, let alone the rest of the ingredients to make a BLT. (It was probably a good thing. I mean, who really wants to cook in the middle of the night? Although I've done it before, it doesn't make my husband too happy, let me tell you.)
Anyway, this has happened to me more times than I can count. I think authors should put food disclaimers on their novels.
Since there’s no such thing, though, I decided to compile a short list to prevent other readers from going through what I did.
- For an Amish novel, stockpile lots of sweets. Those gals do some serious baking.
- If you’re reading a mystery/suspense/thriller, as well as supernatural suspense, have something crunchy on hand to get you through those edge-of-your-seat moments. Chips, nachos, or pretzels should do.
- For a romance, well, let’s be honest. Food’s the last thing y’all are thinking about.
- Oh, and for historical novels, I suggest bacon, potatoes, and other hearty morsels of food. Those women knew how to put out quite the spread.
Novel Morsels: Your Favorite Authors Bringing Recipes to Life (These authors definitely had us readers in mind, God bless their hearts.)
Just think, you can write down what you need for the recipes in the book, go to the store, and stock your cupboards first. When one of those cravings hits you, you'll be all set.
LOL! The one I remember most vividly wasn't a novel but a book by Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A. About the time I got halfway through the book and he's describing how he came up with the Chick-fil-A sandwich and such, my mouth was absolutely watering.
ReplyDeleteThe only problem?
It was Sunday.
This loses some of its punch unless the person reading it knows that Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays. And Christmas weekend to boot. So they were closed the next day too.
It was pure evil of our friend to give us the book that weekend - even if he, as the owner of the local Chick-fil-A, did put coupons in the book...
;)
Carol
I've had this happen so often. I was reading a book a few weeks ago that had characters eating M&Ms. Suddenly M&Ms appeared on my shopping list. There's a whole mystery series by Laura Childs set in a tea shop. Oh that does not do good things for my hips.
ReplyDeleteSo, long answer short - I always end up craving what they're eating in the books.
Deb, what a provocative post.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I'm reading a book that has good food in it, it stirs my appetite.
I recently was reading Beverly Lewis' "The Crossroad" again (this time to my friend Jeri in the nursing home) and we drooled through the parts with food. When we got to the Christmas dinner (pg 160) I thought we each could use a napkin.
While cooking late-night meals may not be unusual in many places, I know for a fact that in the South it's a tradition. Sisters and cousins getting together , when someone says "I'd like to have ......", we'd all converge on the kitchen. One of my favorites? Fried tater sandwiches. mmm,mmm.
Thanks for stopping by, Carol.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I've never had a Chick-fil-A. After reading your post, though, I can picture what one might look like. :-)
I know what you mean, Mary. Isn't it funny how that happens, how the food items wind up on your grocery list? :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping in.
I love Beverly Lewis novels, Pat. That's why I included the tip for the Amish books.
ReplyDeleteI've never had a fried tater sandwich, but you can bet I'll probably be wanting to try one now. :-)
Hugs to you (and Jeri).
Rene Gutteridge's first novel, Ghost Writer, described a cup of Earl Grey tea so wonderfully that I put the book down, and didn't resume reading until I'd gone to the grocery store, bought a box of Earl Grey and fixed myself a cup!
ReplyDeleteThis was a really neat post! And made me consider what delectable treat I might describe in my next novel! : )
Deb~
I know what you mean, Deb. Although I haven't read Rene's book yet, I'll make sure and stock up on some Earl Grey before I do.
ReplyDeleteOh, could you let me know what treat will be in the next book? You know, so I can be prepared. :-)
Thanks so much for stopping by.