Last time, we talked about how something as simple as a grocery store run could help you develop and reveal your characters in a way that lets your reader intuit their situations through story. What your character buys, what they can and cannot afford, and what mood they bring can convey a lot of background information.
When I come across these writerly tidbits, I like to consider how a technique works in practice. In this case, I started thinking about where I’ve encountered memorable settings or scenes that involved buying, making, or eating dinners.
Food might play a central role in your plot. Your family may have a serious confrontation over dinner, as in August: Osage County, or your protagonist may channel emotions through her cooking, as in Like Water for Chocolate. Fans of Agatha Christie can probably name a dozen murders committed during or after a grand dinner or party.
Your protagonist might be a real-world chef or someone inspired by her (Julie and Julia) or a cartoon rat with a taste for fine dining (Ratatouille). Your heroine’s struggles and her eventual rebound might be revealed in how she avoids or embraces her skill as a baker (Bridesmaids).
The World War II setting of Marge Piercy’s Gone to Soldiers – my favorite novel – subtly centers food in nearly every chapter. Soldiers get by on MREs while their families at home have to ration staples. Refugees and the resistance must make do with what they can forage or pilfer, and concentration camp victims are starved.
Every post-apocalyptic story – The Road, The Walking Dead, A Quiet Place, Cloverfield 8 – is naturally filled with characters wondering where their next meal is coming from. Most feature a raid on an abandoned grocery story or pharmacy. In Dune, water is both more prominent and scarce than food. In A Game of Thrones, King Robert’s insistence on holding a tournament in Ned Stark’s honor deepens the kingdom’s reliance on its creditors, and his gluttony contributes to his downfall. And let’s not forget the Red Wedding or its later echo, when winter comes for House Frey.
And if you want to go deep in the paint, consider the backyard barbeque or Edie and the Eggman in Pink Flamingos or the climactic scenes in Eating Raoul and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover.
Those are all stories where the search or consumption of food set the scene, reveal character, or create a mood. And that’s just off the top of my head. I’m sure you have plenty of your own examples in mind.
Does food figure prominently in one of your stories? What are some of your favorite examples of fiction that uses food at a pivotal moment?