Boston is home to the Red Sox, the New England Patriots, more universities than you could possibly visit in one St. Patrick’s Day weekend, and lobster (or, as they call it there, “lobstah”). In fact, I regularly tell my international acquaintances that if they go to Boston, they have to try the lobster. Why? Because, of everything from there: Boston baked beans, cranberry juice, the fluffernutter, Sam Adams beer, Boston cream pie, New England clam chowdah, it is considered by all to be the food. Despite my high endorsement of the “spider of the sea,” I have a confession to make. I absolutely loathe the stuff.
So why then do I endorse it?
Because I am a fantasy writer.
As a fantasy writer, it is important for me to imagine what foods are most prevalent in the worlds I create. Once I have that, I can consider the deeper ramifications of that food on the culture. The lobster, for example, was once in such great abundance in Cape Cod and the greater Boston area that they washed onto the beaches in two-foot drifts. Because it was everywhere, serving it was a sign of poverty; it was like saying “Sorry, but lobster is all I can get my hands on.” Even if the host were able to spice it up as lobster bisque or a lobster roll or serving it with warm melted butter, it was still in poor taste.
But the variety in preparation that I mentioned above does show an indelible reality of dietary abundance:
creativity. The easiest way to prepare anything is raw. We can also boil it or put it in a fire, and voila! Cooked food! As creatures of infinite curiosity, people will soon find their “Yay, food!” of yesterday becoming the “This food again?” of tomorrow. In adapting to the demands of their patrons, cooks started dipping into more creative questions like “What happens if you boil it in sea water as compared to boiling it in fresh water?” “What will we get if we mix the big ingredient with the greens and grains from the garden?” Soon these creative cooks were serving things that have been parsed on menus as appetizers, main courses, and even desserts. Culinary geniuses even learned that letting certain items ferment resulted in a wonderful thing that played with people’s heads. Thanks to the ingenuity of these creators, the diversity of food preparation is virtually endless.
And yet, there is an end. In the USA, there is pork, beef, chicken, and a variety of fish. Add to these choices the occasional goose, turkey, or mystery meat, and Americans get a significantly restricted choice of meats. As I read histories, I find myself asking: Where are the pigeon pies of old? What has happened to the grouse or venison (the original meat – along with lobster – of Thanksgiving dinner)? Who says that we cannot enjoy a nice shredded rat soufflé? Or a rabbit stew? Or locusts deep fried and served with some nice guacamole?
While I am personally not adventurous enough to try all of these dishes, who is to say that the heroes of our novels do not eat such food on a daily basis? In fact, I think the most important thing good writers can do for the worlds they create is to consider just which animal is most in abundance and to create delicacies of varying means. Maybe just a boiled variety for the poor, a journeyman’s dish roasted with local grains or diced into a pudding, and for the rich, stews stuffed full of the meats, with a sweet chutney and salad made from bitter greens that include ferns, dandelions, and rosa rugosa hips; and a fruit pastry to wash it down. Yum!
There are countless varieties of plant and animal on our little planet earth. Sure, many of these are not the most nutritious of foods and, like many grasses, may make people sick, but if nobody ever tried anything new, we would never have had the wherewithal to move beyond our original habitat for lack of food. One of my favorite questions to ask my international students is what the 3 most common meats in their country are. The best answer I have ever gotten was from a Kazakh student: horse. I love that there are countries out there who are able to look at different animals as dietary necessities. Goat, snake, dog, cat, mutton, eagle, deer, llama, capybara, scorpion… all of these different creatures have the potential to be a complete part of someone’s diet.
Owing to the fact that most fantasy stories move outside of the immediate world and into places of sheer imagination that boast flora and fauna completely unique to the story, authors have another option. Sure, we can use real, established ingredients or we can channel our inner Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl and make the next generation’s green eggs and ham or frobscottle.
In my novel, “The Twelve Cataclysms,” I made hoosleberries as a means to explore my world a little deeper. Perhaps it was done too well, considering my envy of Vie and her children for being able to eat them. Luckily, there is a whole lot of yummy food in the “real” world so I am not heartbroken. What would be heartbreaking is if other authors refused to consider the amazing foods in their worlds simply because they would never deign to eat it themselves. So with that, let me remind you that if you ever find yourself in Boston, well… I think you know what I will say.
Bon appétit!
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Rob Queen is the author of The Twelve Cataclysms available from Amazon.
What a refreshing view on creating new worlds. And hoosleberries make my mouth water. Well done, Rob. Look forward to more.
Looking forward to reading your book….sounds fascinating.