- Thread starter
- #21
Finchbearer
Istar
Oh capitalism, le sigh…
I know that I’ve never gone to Subway in order to eat healthily, although whatever they ordered sounds a wee bit excessive.
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Food porn in fantasy writing
- Thread starter Finchbearer
- Start date
I know that I’ve never gone to Subway in order to eat healthily, although whatever they ordered sounds a wee bit excessive.
Orc Knight
Auror
I missed an entire new thread about food. I use it as a matter of course (that may be a pun, if so, totally meant it) having grown up on things like Redwall and the feasting in such books. Like the Hobbit and some of the aSoIaF books. Been trying to make at least one fantasy book centered around an adventurer sort not only being a foodie but trying to set up her own diner. But everything from my usual fantasy and even sci-fi will have some sort of food being mentioned, ate or otherwise in it at some point.
Demesnedenoir
Myth Weaver
When reading, if the food details get too great, I tend to read blah blah blah and skip! Sex scenes are basically the same.
pmmg
Myth Weaver
Wait…. Are you saying food and porn don't go together? I’ll say food…blah blah blah, sex…um…. Sex and food, now thats just prolog.
Queshire
Istar
I entirely missed the Redwall series growing up which, ya know, might go a ways towards explaining my stance.
- Thread starter
- #26
Finchbearer
Istar
Hobbits and food go together like birds of a feather.
There is a Tolkien ‘inspired’ cookbook…it actually looks pretty good.
- Thread starter
- #27
Finchbearer
Istar
Don’t
OR SHOULD I
Don’t worry I shan’t make a thread about sex/romance in fantasy novels…
OR SHOULD I
Mad Swede
Auror
Yes, I do include descriptions of food and drink, particularly their flavours. That written, those descriptions need to be relevant. For example, showing that a character has a sense of taste or that a character flaunts their wealth by buying some ridiculously expensive meal without appreciating how good (or bad) what they've just eaten is. It's like anything else in my world building - it's there to set the scene and to provide more information about the characters and their motivations.
psychotick
Auror
Hi,
Given the sort of fantasy situations I often write, I find myself wondering - how do you make gruel pornographic?!
Cheers, Greg.
Given the sort of fantasy situations I often write, I find myself wondering - how do you make gruel pornographic?!
Cheers, Greg.
- Thread starter
- #30
Finchbearer
Istar
Gruel may not be the most appealing foodstuff…
But, what’s it made from? Are it’s base ingredients sexy?
I played hockey/softball with the top food blogger where I live. So for a period of around 10 years, there's a written/photographic record of what I ate every Friday in the winters and Mondays in the summers. Hahah.
For me, I consider food to be like any other tool in the writer's toolbox. It's a way to reveal lots of different things about the world and characters within. But it's like anything else, it needs to be the right tool for the job. And overindulgence of it, that's a tummy ache on the page, making some push away from the table, thinking no thanks, I'm done.
For me, I consider food to be like any other tool in the writer's toolbox. It's a way to reveal lots of different things about the world and characters within. But it's like anything else, it needs to be the right tool for the job. And overindulgence of it, that's a tummy ache on the page, making some push away from the table, thinking no thanks, I'm done.
But at the same time, too little can make some guests question where their food is. A fully realised world where food plays no role? That would stand out to me personally.
"I was told there was an all you can eat buffet!"
pmmg
Myth Weaver
Sex and gruelty? I there’s bound to already be a category for that. This sounds like low hanging fruit. Maybe that’s what my story needs, more gruel.
pmmg
Myth Weaver
Along the lines of food, i do often myself thinking not on what specifically ppl are eating but where it’s comes from. Cause a big city needs the farms and livestock to supply it. So i do like include them as part of scenery when i can. In my story I’ve pointed out goats and chickens and lambs but so far no cows. It seems there is not too much beef in their diet. Thinking on it now i may draw more attention to it later. When a cow shows up have the characters be like WTF is that? A OMG is it yummy. And then the cow god grows angry…
In our second book, we make checking the tune on a cloth-draped grand piano a turn-on. It's all about the character's reaction.
From Ties of Blood and Bone...
Alerich slipped his hand beneath the fluttering cloth covering the grand piano in a languid way that made Winter think of a skirt and played a short melody. “It’s in tune.” He sounded surprised and pleased.
Winter blinked once, trying to keep her attention off his hand, and nodded.
I maybe should have used a very silly movie quote from a very silly movie.
You go into the creamed corn. Set an example for the other girls.
Frighteningly enough, I saw this in theaters.
Striptease (1996) - IMDb
Sydnie
Dreamer
I'd say I probably hate it more than I love it. I'm an impatient kinda person, so when a writer spends a long time describing anything, including food, it gets me feeling like, "C'mon, get on with the story already". And it's also kinda frustrating when the writer does a really good job making the food sound appetizing and I'm sitting here wishing I could have some.
On the other hand, I'd count it as a success if I get hit with that kind of reaction. And I've always kinda liked the idea of this sort of heroic badass who also makes pastries as a hobby. Unfortunately, I'm not a foodie, so I don't think my knowledge is nearly enough to convincingly write a character who is. I'll just have to settle for little details like "food in VR worlds is hit or miss"~
On the other hand, I'd count it as a success if I get hit with that kind of reaction. And I've always kinda liked the idea of this sort of heroic badass who also makes pastries as a hobby. Unfortunately, I'm not a foodie, so I don't think my knowledge is nearly enough to convincingly write a character who is. I'll just have to settle for little details like "food in VR worlds is hit or miss"~
- Thread starter
- #38
Finchbearer
Istar
It’s so interesting how differently we perceive things, like if I read a passage that describes food being made and it sounds delish, I’ll be inspired to make that meal at some point, and it usually tells me a lot about the character too.
And when I’ve read about food being made it’s usually only a paragraphs worth, I don’t think I’d stomach whole passages of it. And that’s actually really interesting that you’ve pointed out what it says about a character, your example of a badass character going home and making delicate pastries is one way to use food to really make statement. Like I’ve read books before with unsavoury characters that eat horrible food, and that’s a clever use of using cuisine to character build.
Sorry for the puns.
pmmg
Myth Weaver
Maybe if he ate better food hed be less evil.
And never apologize for seeing a good use for creamed corn.
What if my whole story came down to lack of cows. The baddies just want a better diet. That would be greatly unexpected.
And never apologize for seeing a good use for creamed corn.
What if my whole story came down to lack of cows. The baddies just want a better diet. That would be greatly unexpected.
S J Lee
Inkling
to ME, food on its OWN is dead boring. Now, if he food sarked some flashback memory ... or the character made aDECISION to eat it refuse it ... which had consequences, that would be interesting
