Ever tried food after reading about it in a novel?

[ian]

Obviously, I don't include recipe books! But have you ever read a book where someone eats or cooks (or drinks) something, and you just thought, I gotta try that?

 

After 40 years on earth I finally got round to trying a Vodka Martini (shaken, not stirred), from Dr No, of course. I currently reading a book based in texas, so there are a lot of southern foods which sound VERY appetising .

 

 

Ian

[Janet]

Often! Our Bookclub members often conjure up stuff we've read about in our book choices. Recently we even had Potato Peel Pie!!

[poppyshake]

Often! Our Bookclub members often conjure up stuff we've read about in our book choices. Recently we even had Potato Peel Pie!!

 

Fantastic, was it nice Janet?.

 

I often get the munchies when reading about food, I love the cooking of the deep south so when reading 'The Help' & 'Fried Green Tomato's at the Whistle Stop Cafe' my mouth was watering constantly. All that talk of lemon ice box pie, chocolate chiffon cake, southern fried chicken, cornbread and ham cooked in coca cola .. mmmm mm ... I love all the unhealthy stuff .. but I didn't make any of it cos it would never taste as good as it did in my imagination (plus in my imagination it didn't have calories or turn my thighs wobbly)

Reading 'Chocolat' was a real test too .. I constantly wanted to eat good quality chocolate (I wanted Vianne to tell me which chocolate was my favourite) and I desperately wanted to drink some of that exquisite hot chocolate she was forever making .. I had to make do with Cadbury's drinking chocolate from a tin

[Charm]

I read a lot of crime an horror/supernatural, so everytime the hero has had a rough time of it, then wakes up to breakfast, I can almost smell and taste the coffee, pancakes & eggs or other breakfast pastries they scoff. I always end up making a coffee

[SaraPepparkaka]

I do it a lot less than I'd like. Funnily enough, it doesn't have the same effect seeing someone eat in a movie as it has when I read about food and eating.

[Lucybird]

I tried Treacle Tart after reading about it in Harry Potter, was quite tasty.

 

Reading 'Chocolat' was a real test too .. I constantly wanted to eat good quality chocolate (I wanted Vianne to tell me which chocolate was my favourite) and I desperately wanted to drink some of that exquisite hot chocolate she was forever making .. I had to make do with Cadbury's drinking chocolate from a tin

 

 

I was the same when reading Chocolat. Luckily I don't like wine otherwise it might have been the same for Blackberry Wine.

 

 

[Vladd]

Reading 'Chocolat' was a real test too .. I constantly wanted to eat good quality chocolate (I wanted Vianne to tell me which chocolate was my favourite) and I desperately wanted to drink some of that exquisite hot chocolate she was forever making .. I had to make do with Cadbury's drinking chocolate from a tin

 

You may want to give these people a miss then

http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/?gclid=CN2wqNnTtKQCFWMA4wodW0Bn1Q

[SueK]

Once, years ago after reading One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, I cooked myself up a "Gulag special" of cabbage soup and fish - hmmmm what was I thinking

[poppyshake]

You may want to give these people a miss then

http://www.hotelchoc...CFWMA4wodW0Bn1Q

 

OMG I've just put on a stone browsing their website! Love the little chocolate vampires and halloween stuff.

[twingijon]

What about Like Water for Chocolate. There are 12 chapters and everyone not only starts off with a dish... but also the recipe for it!!

 

cheers...

 

twingijon

[Ali9321]

Ahem This might be considering lowering the tone of the books but I recently finished The Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley and I really wanted to try the recipes at the back of the book. Unfortunately I've lent the book to a friend so I will have to wait but one of the recipes was a bready saffron roll type thing which was traditional for New Year - sounded very good Well all the recipes that didn't mention raisins etc sounded so good I wanted to try em!

[willoyd]

The Inspector Brunetti books get me going every time - they are always cooking something up and the family obviously use food as its social focus. I adore Venetian food. There is a recipe book that now goes with the series, and I've tried several - all of them excellent.

[LittleW]

I read a book which contains the making (and drinking and taste) of Whiskey. And the drink was described so good that I wanted to drink some.

AND I HATE WHISKEY and knew it at that time!

But that's the magic of words, isn't it?

[Hayley]

When I read the bits in the first Harry Potter book where they're having those big banquets (as far as I can remember there's a dinner one when they first get to Hogwarts and a breakfast one a bit later on) I wanted to eat absolutely everything described, particularly 'hot buttered toast' (one of the things I can actually make) mmmm...

[Easy Reader]

I had to try salted peanuts and coke (the drink) together after reading "The Secret Life of Bees" and I have tried salted nuts and chocolate in the same handful together but can't remember where I came across that one both of these I will indulge in every now and again.

 

I read a book which contains the making (and drinking and taste) of Whiskey. And the drink was described so good that I wanted to drink some.

AND I HATE WHISKEY and knew it at that time!

But that's the magic of words, isn't it?

 

I don't like coffee and find some books the main characters have coffee every five pags or so to the point I start thinking yeah I'll have a coffee too, particularly The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo I was getting a real taste for coffee and sandwiches

 

When I read the bits in the first Harry Potter book where they're having those big banquets (as far as I can remember there's a dinner one when they first get to Hogwarts and a breakfast one a bit later on) I wanted to eat absolutely everything described, particularly 'hot buttered toast' (one of the things I can actually make) mmmm...

now I like buttered toast but for some weird reason the hot in front of it always makes me think that thats just too much butter ??? Now if it was hot buttered crumpets then I would be there and I would happily sit at a table where the food just appears in front of you.

[Vladd]

I remember reading a book where the hero drinks whisky with peppermint cordial in it, I gave it a try out of curiosity, wasn't bad. However someone asked me in a bar what I wanted so I said this drink, I was given a very weird looking drink it appeared the only mint drink they had behind the bar was crème de menthe.

[Deborah]

I recently read a passage in a book (well, a children's book I have forgotten the name of, for my son) which beautifully described French Brie. I then tried it a few days later, and it was delicious!

[Jackdaw]

I grew up on a steady diet of Enid Blyton and the characters always seemed to have fantastical midnight feasts made up of crumpets, scones and other mysterious food I'd never heard of ! I grew up in France you see, and they don't have any of those here... Now everytime I get a chance to go to England I bring back a nice big stock of midnight feast worthy food to keep me going. I still have two packets of crumpets left, in my freezer.

 

Also, does anybody know how to make a good Harry Potter butterbeer ?

 

Ooh Fried Green Tomatoes At the Whistle Stop Cafe always makes me hungry...

[ian]

I grew up on a steady diet of Enid Blyton and the characters always seemed to have fantastical midnight feasts made up of crumpets, scones and other mysterious food I'd never heard of ! I grew up in France you see, and they don't have any of those here... Now everytime I get a chance to go to England I bring back a nice big stock of midnight feast worthy food to keep me going. I still have two packets of crumpets left, in my freezer.

 

Also, does anybody know how to make a good Harry Potter butterbeer ?

 

Ooh Fried Green Tomatoes At the Whistle Stop Cafe always makes me hungry...

 

I've always assumed the Butterbeer is a completely made up thing, but who knows?

 

The copy of FGT that I read had a recipe in the back for it. Wish I'd tried it at the time!

[Easy Reader]

I've always assumed the Butterbeer is a completely made up thing, but who knows?

 

I think Heston made it once on one of his tv programmes using an olde receipe

Edited June 22, 2012 by Easy Reader

[Jackdaw]

I've always assumed the Butterbeer is a completely made up thing, but who knows?

 

You're right I think, all the recipes I found seem to be pure speculation... but they aren't that different, they mostly involve apple cider, nutmeg, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and vanilla ice cream. I'm going to have to try it I'll report back later !

[Kylie]

I'll be interested to hear how it goes, Jackdaw! I'd love to try butterbeer.

[Coryographies]

I loved reading about the cooking methods in Jane Auel's Earth's Children series. I want to stuff a ptarmigin with its own eggs and bury it in a pit stove lol!!

 

And to just boil water using rocks, or in a skin over a fire...

[Peahen]

As a former smoker, I have smoked every time it is referenced in a book in the past. 

 

Foodwise, Marukami had me hankering a lot for noodles and miso soup, my local carryout was in profit the weeks I was reading all Marukami's books.

I have had a book turn me off food, thankfully in regards to this one.  A book at school about a boy in the War who gets blown out of his own garden and instead of looking for his parents, decides they are dead, wanders around with his savings adn spends it on cold fish and chips as he sleeps on the beach with his dog, that turned me for life. 

[Charm]

Butterbeer always sounds delish!

 

Every time a character in a book I'm reading has a coffee, especially something like a latte or mocca, I have to have coffee of some description too. I even try different types as they always sound so good. My latest is the addition of a sugar free caramel shot after reading about it in a book, I didn't even know you could get sugar free shots!