Write About Food

Food, Glorious Food

Food! It's a big part of our life. We tend to deal with it every single day, whether it is in the eating or the preparation or the purchase of it. It's a necessity for life but the degrees we go for it vary considerably. 

I got to thinking last evening about the big part food plays in our memories. When you think of summer days as a kid, doesn't food come into play? Watermelon, lemonade, fresh fruit, barbecues, picnics, BLT's made with homegrown tomatoes. And lots more. Holiday memories often involve food, too. So do cold, winter days. What did your mom make for dinner on those arctic days that helped warm you through and through? 

We have golden memories of the first times that Mom or Grandma let us help in the kitchen. Do you remember how proud you were when you showed another family member what you had helped make? Did you have a sense of accomplishment? Were you ready to gobble up the goodies made as soon as they were ready? 

Those of us who have cooked for families for many years have a treasure trove of memories, both good and bad. And what about the purchase of food. Anyone who has a family or who cooks for one alone must find time to go to the grocery store or a farmer's market or roadside stand to buy the food before they can eat it. I know you all have many possible food stories buried in your memory. But why would you want to write about food? And in what kind of writing? 

1.  Memoir pieces--this is a natural. I wrote a piece once about my grandfather who was dying of cancer and his wish to see me before the end. I was only 9, but my parents put me on a train and my grandmother met me. We went to the boarding house where Grandpa lived and where Grandma had come to care for him, even though they'd live separated for many years. All that was important but I wove in my grandmother's love of fresh raspberries and how she taught me while I visited about eating them with real cream, how the memory of that stays with me to this day. I even used 'raspberries' in the title of the piece. It was published at Heart Touchers and also placed in a contest. Read it here if you are interested. 

2,  Personal Essays--food can figure into this kind of writing, too. You might use an example of eating in a restaurant or at a family dinner, citing what you ate, who prepared it and more. The food story could be a tool to help you drive the point of the essay to the reader. 

3.  Travel articles--one of the great joys of travel is the food we encounter in different places. It's a natural to include when writing about a place you visited and are recommending to others. I once wrote a piece about pub fare in the UK and Ireland trying to help fight the long held thought that the food in that part of the world was pretty awful. Check it out here. Most people like to enjoy food when traveling, so offer them something about that part of travel.

4.  Fiction--yes, you can feature food in a piece of fiction as well. It's something we all relate to and can be used to bring in many sensory details. The food does not have to be the feature but can act as an enhancer in a short story or even a novel.

5.  Articles--of course, many magazines and websites seek articles on food and cooking. If you're really an expert, head for this area. 

6.  Poetry--poems can deal with food, too. How about writing Ode To A Pumpkin? Or any other kind of food? You could do that.

7.  Family Stories--being one to always promote writing your family stories, this is a natural when it comes to food. Many of us have family stories that revolve around food in some way. My grandmother's bakery figures in many of my family stories. She only had it until I was 5, but I remember so many things about it very clearly. It obviously left a big impression on me and is probably the reason I still enjoy baking. I know that you all have food stories that you could write for your Family Stories Book. 

A few triggers to help you get started:

• What was your favorite meal as a child?
• Was your mom a good cook, or not so hot?
• What do you remember about Grandma's kitchen?
• What was the first food you helped prepare?
• What specialty foods did your family always have on holidays?
• What was your worst food disaster?
• Did you ever win a prize for something you prepared?
• What trip stood out more for the food than anything else?
• What food did you absolutely detest? 
• Did you ever have a time when you didn't have enough to eat?
• How did food affect the rest of your life?

Yes, food is a big part of life and it can be a major source when looking for a topic in your writing life.  

Memories of Food Make Good Stories

If you're looking for new story ideas, consider family recipes or favorite family foods. We all seem to have stories that revolve around the things we eat. Some are warm and joyful stories while others describe a disaster of some sort.

You can incorporate food stories into a section of a memoir. Or write a specific memoir piece about a special cake your mother always made for birthdays in your family. Maybe your dad had a specialty item he fixed on the grill with a lot of pomp and circumstance along with it. How about the Christmas candy your grandmother always made? Or the popcorn your Grandfather drowned in butter for you? 

You can base a short story on some of the recipes or food items from your childhood. Use that as a base and enlarge upon it for your story making it more fiction than fact. One of my favorite stories from way back was about a boy named Homer Price and the disaster he had with a doughnut machine that wouldn't stop making doughnuts. It was a funny story but maybe it was based on something the author, Robert McCloskey, had witnessed as a kid. Then again, it may have come from his own vivid imagination. Either way, food stories always seem to be a hit with kids or grown-ups. We can all relate to food in some way.

Another idea is to write for a food magazine, using one of your family recipes that has a story attached to it. There are many possibilities in this field but you need to check the markets and their guidelines. 

Our Kansas City newspaper features a local person's recipe one day each week. There is nearly always a family story that goes along with the recipe. Some are especially interesting. 

I've written a few stories about foods we ate in my family. One is titled Love On A Plate. It's about some marvelous date muffins my grandmother baked when she visited us. She would make them for lunch and that would be all we ate, one still warm and luscious muffin after another, smothered in real butter and downed with a glass of milk. We waited for a Muffin Day whenever Grandma came to see us in Chicago after she'd moved to Phoenix. You can read the story here.

Another food story I wrote that has been popular was featured in a Chicken Soup for the Soul that used chocolate as its theme. My story about my mom's fudge has been featured other places, too. I was in third grade and volunteered to bring fudge for the school Christmas party. I had no idea that other people did not eat fudge with spoons like we did at my house. No one ever told me that my mother couldn't make fudge that hardened no matter how much she beat it. Not ever! What happened that fateful Christmastime is a story we still laugh about today. After several batches of fudge that was way too soft, my mother sent me to school with the gooey candy and 21 spoons. The kids loved it! 

Delve back into your memory or maybe your mom's old recipe box to see what you can find to use for a new story. Whether it is fiction based on your factual story or a creative fiction piece highlighting the true story of many years ago, see what you can come up with. 

My Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe

Baking is a big part of Christmas for our family. Well--baking for me and eating the results for some of the others. I love sugar cookies and have tried many different recipes looking for the perfect one but I always go back to my favorite. I've never found another I like better. The secret is that this version uses confectioners' sugar rather than the granulated sugar called for in the majority of recipes for this type of cookie. And it also calls for two kinds of flavorings. 

I'm going to share the recipe today so you can enjoy these super good cookies, too. And then, a bit of chatter about writing in the food world.

 Best Ever Sugar Cookies 

1 1/2 c. sifter confectioners' sugar

1 c, butter

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond flavoring

2 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

Mix sugar and butter with mixer until creamy. Add egg and flavorings, mix thoroughly. Stir dry ingredients together and blend into the butter/sugar mixture. Refrigerate 2-3 hours.

Heat oven to 375'. Divide dough in half and roll on lightly floured pastry cloth about 3/16th inches thick. Cut with cookie cutter, sprinkle with sugar. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 7-8 min, or until delicately golden. Cool on cookie sheet for a minute or so. Remove to wire rack to cool. 

If I plan to frost the cookies after baking, I roll them just a little bit thicker. Not much. Cool and frost. 

I found the recipe in a Betty Crocker Cooky Book that I purchased in 1961. I love using both the vanilla and almond flavorings. 

There are many opportunities to write about cooking and baking or eating in restaurants on your travels. I'm surprised more people don't consider it. One of my published articles early in my writing journey was about Pub fare we'd eaten on a trip in the UK and Ireland. I wrote it because so often we hear how blah the food in that part of the world is. We found it to be quite good in almost all the pubs we ate in during that 3 week trip. 

If you have a favorite recipe or a special place you like to eat or ethnic food recipes handed down from generations, consider using them in your writing world. Meanwhile, I hope you'll try my favorite sugar cookie recipe. They work for Valentine's Day or St. Patrick's Day or Easter, as well as for Christmas. Or any time of the year! 

You Can Eat Food and Write About It, Too!

Hotel Zur Linde in Germany

Harry's Uptown Supper Club in Manhattan, Kansas

Have you ever thought about food and/or restaurants as a topic for your writing?  The pictures above are two places I have especially enjoyed eating. The top photo is of the dining room in the small hotel we stayed at in Hohenlinden, Germany, a half hour outside of Munich. The bottom photo is of a favorite restaurant in my own community. I love both dining rooms as well as the service and the food. Two decidely different experiences but both memorable. 

At the Hotel Zur Linde, we had friendly waitresses in Bavarian dress who fairly bounced as they carroed large trays of the German food that both Ken and I enjoy. The atmosphere added much to the good food. One very cold, rainy night, we decided to eat one more time in the hotel and avoid the nasty weather. What a surprise to see dogs lying next to a table filled with local diners. Each one behaved perfectly. A fireplace with a blazing log added warmth and a bit of cheer. Being our last night in Germany after a three week driving tour, we savored every moment of our dining experience. 

Harry's is a fine dining spot ten minutes away from our home, one that we reserve for special occasions or when we feel like treating ourselves. The 1930's decor provides an inviting stmosphere. The waitstaff is topnotch--friendly but also very professional in attitude and service. Their black and white attire add a touch of elegance. The food is consistently perfect. 

We found the dining in each of these places to be outstanding. Both have their own brand. If the Hotel Zur LInde was not so far away, we'd probably be regulars there. I could go on at length about some of the fine meals we've eaten in both places but won't take time to do so now.

If you like dining in different places and enjoy eating and trying new foods, you might consider writing about restaurants and what they serve. Newspapers carry reviews by professional food critics, but if you live in a smaller community, your local newspaper might welcome a review. 

Many magazines feature food articles in every issue. You might not want to submit to the top magazines with your first food article. Instead, start with the smaller circulation publications and get a few clips. Then, you can target the larger magazines. 

There are many food websites online. This might be another place looking for food writers.

Should you just dive into the deep end of the food pool and start writing? Maybe not. Use your old friend, google, to find articles on writing about food and restaurants. Doing that will give you some tips about what works and what doesn't. 

I know one writer who travels in the USA and abroad writing about food and places to eat. There is another in my online writing group who lives in Japan with her husband. They are Americans who savor living as expats. She has done a series of articles on the craft beers of Japan and the various places that serve them. I've learned a lot reading her articles.

Your food writing can be strictly an article with facts and figures or it can have the personal touch. I much prefer the latter method. Some people would rather have the facts and nothing more. 

One of the first essays I wrote about food was published at A Long Story Short online and in The National Quarterly news magazine. It's also posted at Our Echo online. After reading it over today, I know that I would write if differently than I did 8 years ago. Take a look at Pub Fare in the United Kingdom and Ireland for a possible trigger to writing your own food-related essay or article.