imaginary food

[truepenny]

Talk to me about food in fantasy. (And science fiction, if you like.)

Readers, what kinds of details do you like to see? What makes a culture's eating habits come alive for you?

Writers (oh, please, writers, you're my only hope), how do you go about inventing cuisines and delicacies and what the street vendors sell? Especially when you are not relying on the old trick of, "I'll make this culture !Japan or !India or !France." How do you figure out what people eat?

Comments

[oceankitty1.livejournal.com]

I have to add: In the instances the writer has been able to convey the idea of what people eat and describe it in a plausible way, it has made the reading experience more real to me. I love food. Food is one of the basics of the everyday life, and it should have it's place in any work of fiction. Describing food that has no common link to the food we eat every day would be fruitless I guess. There has to be some recognition.