table, teapot, plates, candle

Savouring the Plot: Food In Fiction












  1. I’d say ‘food for thought’ if it wasn’t so cliche. It got me thinking, though. My characters take some lunch or dinner breaks, but it’s usually to reveal or receive important information. I don’t dwell much on the food or the eating. Maybe it’s because I stop writing when I get hungry, and when I resume, I’m not thinking of food. My guys and gals do lots of coffee-drinking, though.
    Seriously, describing the meal and dining experience is something I’ll keep in mind.

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  2. Great point. Goes along with your thoughts on other bodily functions … 😉

    This made me realize that in my book, Occasional Soulmates, the characters were constantly eating. I might have overdone it … 🍗🥓🥐🥞🍕🍔🌮

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  3. A very interesting blog post about the use of food so as a chef I thought I should say a morsel or two. I’m currently reading (very slowly) in between work & blogging The Broker by John Grisham. The main character has been given a new identity and is learning Italian and to fit it. There are quite a few food scenes where Marco is taught about the food and culture over a meal, but it never feels contrived. I guess it helps a writer if they speak a smattering of another language and knows enough about the food to sound genuine. Even though eating can be a plot device the writer needs to stay within their knowledgeable comfort zone or seek outside advice. Thanks, Audrey, for your very readable blog, I know I will be back for second helpings.

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    1. You’re right about what it takes to sound genuine. I’ve had a mini crash course in modern Egyptian cuisine for that purpose while writing my current novel. I think the trick is to add just enough stuff about food for atmosphere — sort of like spices in actual cooking. Thank you for reading and commenting, Kevin.


  4. Also in films no one goes to the toilet or says goodbye at the end of a phone call.

    Could you give your characters soup. They carry on eating whilst they carry a flask, use the flask as a weapon, chuck hot soup in the villain’s face…. Very underrated is soup!

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