I'm not sure why I can't write a story that doesn't have food in it. It's like food is a recurring character across all my manuscripts, regardless of setting, plot, or genre. I'm starting to think my personal paradise would be the Hobbiton Public Library, if such a place existed--nothing like a good novel over second breakfast, after all!
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| Today, second breakfast will be doughnuts, apparently. |
This means cooking will be a part of my literary research! If I'm going to have my character preparing plot-critical dishes, I'd darn well better know how to make them myself! It's not enough to go out & find them at a restaurant or bakery (which is a little challenging at the moment, regardless). I need to know about the ingredients. I need to hear the sound of my knife against the cutting board. I need to feel the texture of the dough. I need to experience the changes in aroma as the recipe progresses, and the satisfaction of eating things freshly made from scratch.
Have I made you hungry yet? No? Well, here's the growing list of what I need to learn to cook for this novel:
- Kimchi
- Golabki
- Pierogi
- Conchas
- Pan de Muertos
- Cookies
Yes, it's a motley list. It's a complicated plot.
"Cookies" I intentionally left vague, because these have to be mind-blowingly delicious cookies, so I anticipate baking several. They will probably be some variation of chocolate-chip, because chocolate. If you have an outstanding recipe for chocolate chip cookies you would like to share with me I would be very grateful.
As I try my hand at these dishes I will document my efforts here, & let you see my glorious mistakes and tasty triumphs as they occur. In the meantime, I have writing to do...& doughnuts to find.