Food in literature

When I thought about food in literature, I was instantly reminded of times spent tucked up in bed, my sister and I eagerly anticipating the reading of whatever story one of our parents had picked to read that particular night. A story I remember fondly, and perhaps the first time I noticed the connection between food and literature, was The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

On the surface, this book is simply the story of a caterpillar that eats and eats and eats but, when I looked at it in light of this blog post, I realised that it’s also a story about eating to nourish and grow.

An image of The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Soon enough, my sister and I grew and our taste in literature grew with us. We were no longer interested in the story of a caterpillar with an insatiable appetite, we’d moved on to the weird and wonderful illustrated tales of Roald Dahl (a writer who I regard, even today, as one of the greatest storytellers of all time).

It was interesting to look back at his books in order to write this post as it made me realise that food plays a big part in them, too. Not only does food provide humorous moments, such as Violet turning violet in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the moment Bruce is forced to eat a huge chocolate cake in Matilda, food is also a source of comfort (James lives in a giant foodstuff in James and the Giant Peach) and a way of bringing people together (a band of animal friends team up to gather food in Fantastic Mr Fox).

An illustration of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

When I began my studies at university, I began to realise that the inclusion of food in literature isn’t just a way to add humour to stories or to bring people together, it also illustrates how unsavoury food or a lack of food in general can affect a person and the story framed around them. In novels such as Jane Eyre and Factotum, I saw firsthand how a lack of good food, or a lack of food in general, greatly affects the narrator. It is only when they eat proper meals, and engross themselves in writing and literature, that their stories flow.

Throughout my childhood, and studies at university, I realised through the literature of Eric Carle, Roald Dahl and later Charlotte Brontë amongst others that food and literature are more than something to eat and something to read.

As students, it may be hard to get ourselves out there and strike up that first conversation but literature and food can be a way of understanding someone better (after all, you can learn a lot about someone from their favourite book and their favourite food) and bringing people together (through hosting your own Come Dine with Me or bringing food to a ‘potluck’, something which will be the feature of more posts to come).

All the difficulties of student life (money worries, missing home, fitting in) can be made just a little easier by spending time cooking a meal or reading a book. Plus, eating right and taking the time to read (things both in and out of the academic reading lists) is great for your body and mind.

By Jennifer Rose

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