Poetry Friday: Bad Taste

I don't want to be accused of bad taste here at Read Write Believe---

However.

Hmm.

Urp.

Out of a desire to find a poem to pay tribute to Jama, hostess of Poetry Friday today---and insatiable consumer of poetry and delectable food---I lazily googled "cooking poem."

Oh, my.

Jama, I'm sorry.

Today I must serve these overbaked goodies.

First Course:


 Ye Muses nine inspire
    And stir up my poetic fire;
    Teach my burning soul to speak
    With a bubble and a squeak!


Second Course:


Light of triumph in her eyes,
Eleanor her apron ties;
As she pushes back her sleeves,
High resolve her bosom heaves.
Hasten, cook! impel the fire
To the pace of her desire;
As you hope to save your soul,
Bring a virgin casserole...


Dessert:


We shou’d submit our Treats to Criticks’ View,
And every prudent Cook shou’d read Bossu.
Judgment provides the Meat in Season fit,
Which by the Genius drest, its Sauce is Wit.
Good Beef for Men, Pudding for Youth and Age,
Come up to the decorum of the Stage.
The Critick strikes out all that is not just,
And ’tis even so the Butler chips his Crust.
Poets and Pastry Cooks will be the same,
Since both of them their Images must frame.
Chimera’s from the Poet’s Fancy flow:
The Cook contrives his Shapes in real Dough.



Quick! Run to Jama's and cleanse your palate!

You can't trust a character who doesn't...

After the SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Conference this past Saturday, a group of us went to the Salvadorian restaurant, La Union, for dinner where we devoured delicious, inexpensive, and homestyle food and talked writing, revision, and life. At one point, I commented that during our Twitter chat,  I'd asked my editor, Cheryl Klein, if she would ever acquire a manuscript that didn't mention food. Hmmmm. We paused in our eating and talking. We all considered the question, and more or less came up with the same answer Cheryl gave:

 A picture book, yes; a novel, no. You can't trust a character who doesn't think about eating at least once.

Then we were off and running, talking about our favorite meals in children's literature:

 The cozy meal Mrs. Beaver offers the cold and lost Pevensie children in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: "There was a jug of creamy milk for the children (Mr. Beaver stuck to beer) and a great big lump of deep yellow butter in the middle of the table from which everyone took as much as he wanted to go with his potatoes and all the children thought - and I agree with them - that there's nothing to beat good freshwater fish if you eat it when it has been alive half an hour ago and has come out of the pan half a minute ago."

The mysterious feast that appears in the attic in A Little Princess: "rich, hot, savory soup, which was a meal in itself, and sandwiches and toast and muffins enough for both of them"

The tasty letters of the alphabet in The Phantom Tollbooth: "crisp, crunchy C" "the I, which was icy and refreshing"

Practically ALL of Harry Potter...

Cornbread and molasses (except if Pa caught a rabbit) in the Little House series

So, what's your favorite meal in children's literature?

And how would you complete this sentence:  You can't trust a character who doesn't....

Don't open the Cheetos

I'm not feeling profound today. Finishing a novel sucks out brain cells and mine haven't regenerated yet. So you get a post about Cheetos.

I like to eat while I read. Or read while I eat. One-handed foods are a must, as are those that don't drip or spatter. Not that I think about it too hard. I pretty much eat what I'm going to eat, and then adjust my lunch reading material accordingly.  Tomato soup = cheap news magazine or Washington Post.  PB&J = new hardback book (Unsigned. Signed books don't come near my table.)  

According to the comments for this post, Cheetos make the list of worst foods to eat while you read, and I concur, especially if it's a library book.  However, I strongly disagree with the body of the post which claims that popcorn is a "bad" book food.  No way. Of course, I don't grease mine with butter, but I think popcorn is the BEST food to eat while reading. Give me a big bowl of it, some kind of fizzy beverage, and a fat book. I did like the suggestion of hot tea and licorice.  (Again in the comments. Those smart commenters!) 

Things I've eaten while reading: sushi, cereal, salad, baked sweet potatoes, Good 'n' Plenty, stuffed baby eggplant, sea salt and vinegar chips, apples with peanut butter, graham crackers and milk, toast with jelly, and much more. I've attempted a burger (not wise) and am adept at soup. 

I'm pretty sure a dietician or a mindfulness expert would advise against multi-tasking my eating and reading.  They might have a heart attack if they saw this guide:

Food/Suggested Read: 

fried bologna sandwich/ InStyle magazine (the more humble your meal, the more outrageously satisfying looking at $895 shoes is.)

Lebanese lentil soup/The Book Thief (If you're going to read a book narrated by Death, you need soup, and lentil is my favorite.)

Sushi/poetry.  (Attention to detail in both food and words.)

What's your recommendation?

P.S. Did you know there's an International Edible Book Festival? I didn't.

P.P. S. Random movie thought: Eat Drink Man Woman---have you seen it? Sooo good.