It was a meal that we shall never forget; more accurately, it was several meals that we shall never forget, because it went beyond the gastronomic frontiers of anything we had ever experienced, both in quantity and length.
Food and books ... no, not edible books ... nope. But there are so many feast scenes in books. Discuss one or both of these:
1) Why do feasts play such a large part in many popular books?
2) Talk about your favorite food (or feast) scene in a book. Why do you like it? Tell us, in detail, just what is so wonderful about this particular part of the book. Is it the food itself? Is it the interaction of the characters? Is it the setting? Or is it a combination of everything?
You need a minimum of 100 words in your post to count towards for Beans and the Award. Remember that the deadline for everything is January 20th, 11:59pm HOL time.
*Avatar & Siggy by Cheeky XVIx!Cosmo*...Siggy image by Susan Seddon Boulet *** Avatar from Leverage "You have the inborn natural right to remain silent. Don't think about it, don't talk about it, shuush ....... STILL." ~ Xaris
I think that my favorite book centered around food has to be Chocolat by Joanne Harris and it is mostly due to the role chocolate plays in the story.
Chocolate is described on almost every page with such vigor and decadence that I could almost feel it melting in my mouth. Characters in the book are transformed by the little chocolate shop that was opened by Vianne Rocher in the village that very much follows the rules set by its religious and other leaders.
The story, granted is less about the food than what that food brings forth. The chocolate seems to be the hidden cause of everything. It brings forth tolerance between people, finding happiness in life, and how to help deal with losing someone close to you and letting go.
I really enjoy how food, or rather chocolate, is present in the story and I leave you with this description that gives you a glimpse of how chocolate is described.
The air is hot and rich with the scent of chocolate. Quite unlike the white powdery chocolate I knew as a boy, this has a throaty richness like the perfumed beans from the coffee stall on the market, a redolence of amaretto and tiramisù, a smoky, burned flavor that enters my mouth somehow and makes it water. There is a silver jug of the stuff on the counter, from which a vapor rises. I recall that I have not breakfasted this morning.
...also a platonic soulmate and a hot mess of a human being.
I think food is such a key part of so many books because it’s a direct appeal to our senses and imagination. If you hear food described, it’s almost impossible not to imagine the taste, smell and feel of it as you tuck in, so it’s a very immersive moment. With feasts, I think it also appeals to our sense of luxury: feasts aren’t really an everyday thing, so it really fires up our imagination and makes a scene feel particularly rich.
Food is also really relatable. Most people get pleasure out of food (or at least have vivid experience of eating it to draw on), so it’s a really easy way to help a reader inhabit a moment, even if the world around them is totally unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. By that logic, it can also be useful when introducing new cultures or characters too. You can learn a lot about someone and where they live through the food they serve.
Speaking as a writer, it’s also just really, really fun. I love describing meals I’ve had in intricate detail, trying to get as close to the reality of eating them as I can with words. And then there’s a bit of wishful thinking too: I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had a character presented with something I’d love to be chowing down on in that moment.
The picnic scene from the Wind in the Willows and the various feasts in The Hogwarts Great Hall always get my sense of luxury going, though if I had to pick a favourite, it would be the much simpler meal of “hot soup, cold meats, a blackberry tart, new loaves, slabs of butter, and half a ripe cheese.” That the Hobbits enjoy at the Prancing Pony in the Lord of the Rings. I’m not quite sure why, save that I can imagine every single thing listed perfectly. There’s just something so hearty and generous about it that makes me feel instantly at home.
"Growing up doesn't have to mean I lose the cape, the faith, the dream. I'm so done with that... I'm taking it back."
(Av/sig by S. Elf)
1. I think that food feasts have such an important role in the books (and movies too) is because of how much meaning they actually have. I think the feasts are essential for people to get to know each other a bit more and it also creates a proper sense of belonging. Additionally, it gives you an idea that you are getting closer to the characters, and also the characters get closer to each other at the same time. It also gives us an insight into the habits of the characters - whether they are messy or not, are they lazy or not.
"He who fights too long against the dragons becomes a dragon himself; and if you gaze too long into the abyss, the abyss will gaze into you" ~ Nietzsche
2. My favourite feast scene was definitely the one from the first book of Harry Potter - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The reason behind is I believe it was an excellent way to start the journey in Hogwarts and experience the magic of this place first hand. The rich variety of dishes on the table during the welcoming feast gave me the feeling of the magic that is in that building and gave the feeling of being surrounded by the magic. It also gave me a good idea of the main characters in the series and I could get to know them better.
I believe that feasts in literature can serve a much deeper purpose than the mere description of food. These scenes can be used to convey a feeling, a mood, or even reveal something about the character/author in a way that allows the reader a deeper insight into things.
For example, one of the most memorable feasts is that of Almanzo Wilder’s Christmas feast in Farmer Boy. The meal is described in mouth-watering detail, and while it may not reveal much about Almanzo himself, it does offer insight into his future wife and author of the book, namely, Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Laura and her family grew up very poor and knew bouts of hunger and want. To her, the Wilder’s feast must have seemed almost like a fairy tale, the stuff that dreams are made of really. That hungry little girl never quite left the woman, and it is through her eyes that we can only marvel at the foods Almanzo enjoyed at his childhood celebration. We are offered a glimpse into Laura’s mindset through her colorful descriptions and become partners with her in her envy and awe at what she, herself, had been denied. It is a powerful literary moment, and one that has stayed with me throughout the years.
“The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who’s going to stop me.”
Head Student/Slytherin Prefect/Student Teacher/Library & Book Club Head
I'll be a bit cliche here and say my favorite memories of feast scenes were the feasts in the first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I had first opened the book to read it in the summer of 2007, when I was working in a particularly boring town in the mountains of New Mexico. Much of the food in the feasts could have been fairly ordinary food that I would eat for a regular dinner (but not so many things all at once - and Yorkshire puddings aren't exactly easy to come by in the US) but the ambiance reminded me of one of the best times in my life: the year I studied for a degree in England (just two or three years earlier). There, we had a "super hall" ("super" is short for "super-formal", though "super-formal" just meant "try to wear at least a suit and tie") feast every week on Friday, complete with gongs, ritual words in Latin, games, and multiple courses. But several times a term - including the day before I left England at the end of the year - we would have true feasts, which were events for my entire college with still better food and conversation. The discussions of feasts and the Great Hall took me back to my residential college in that year... and reminded me of not just the tasty food I ate there but one of the happiest and most productive years of my life!
1. Food has an important role in life, especially in terms of getting to know each other. A friend once said, "If there is food, they will talk." During the feast we can meet many people, whether the one we have known already or not yet, and we can spend that time talking to each other about anything we would like to, and it is a chance to get to know, also to make new friends. More importantly, we can learn about their favorite foods during the feast, whether they like or can cook or not, and also about their eating habits.
