Do Books Make You Hungry Or Is It Just Me?
Liz Jasper always enjoyed writing, but in college and graduate school dutifully studied things that would make her “marketable.” Fortunately, she loved her stint as a middle school science teacher (most of the time), her time working as a business analyst and still really enjoys her most recent career switch into financial planning.
And yet…while teaching, doing five-page math problems in graduate school, and doing some serious bonding with Excel, she kept haunting bookstores and compulsively read her way through the library system’s fiction sections in three counties. She took unreasonable joy in fact that, while she very properly interned for a bank during business school, part of what she did for them was write magazine articles. The award she’s secretly most proud of? Her high school English department award.
Being a clever analyst, she eventually admitted she’d always wanted to write novels. And then she went ahead and wrote one. She shoved that in a drawer, took some classes and started again.
Why does she always end up writing paranormals? After five years teaching middle school followed by way too much crunching numbers, writing about blood-sucking demons is only natural.
Liz is the award-winning author of the humorous vampire mysteries Underdead and Underdead in Denial. Look for her next book, Crimson in the Very Wrong Fairy Tale, coming soon!
Is it just me or do other people get terrible food cravings when they read about a character eating something?
British novels are the worst for me. I cannot make it through one without ending up in the kitchen mid-way through making pots of tea and snarfing down tiny sandwiches with the crusts cut off. And I’m a coffee drinker and a crust eater. The worst is when they eat bread and butter. I have no idea why I must have it when I read about someone in Britain eating bread and butter but I cannot control myself. It’s so bad that just thinking about it as I write this, I’ve had to stop no fewer than two times for bread with butter.
I don’t always feel this way when I read (thank goodness or I’d never make it out of the kitchen). Not once, for instance, have I felt the need to stand over the sink and eat a peanut butter and olive sandwich when I read a Janet Evanovich novel. But then I will never want a PB&O sandwich so perhaps that’s not so surprising.
The funny thing is that I don’t really get food cravings when I read her novels and it isn’t because of the PB&O sandwiches. Her heroine, Stephanie Plum, eats just about every junk food on the planet (God love her).
Why is it that I can’t get through Martha Grimes without having a high tea emergency and yet Stephanie can eat birthday cake in front of me and I’m not shoving people aside to get down to the local bakery? Â And I really, really, really like birthday cake.
I figured this was just one of those odd little things until the day after Christmas when I overheard this:
Liz’s Dad: (Calling from the kitchen, late at night, sounding confused): Do you want jam on it? Or ham or something?
Liz’s Mom: (Answering back from the bedroom): No! Just bread and butter. And tea. Don’t forget the tea!
Liz: (Races into her mothers room): You! You’re reading a British book, aren’t you?
Liz’s Mom: (Holding book protectively to her chest and regarding Liz with alarm as she snarfs  down a piece of bread slathered with butter.) Yes, why?
Quite possibly I suffer from a terrible genetic anomaly. So I must know. Does anyone else crave food when they read about it? What’s the worst for you? What’s the weirdest? What’s the most you’ve done to get something you’ve read about?
Everyone who leaves a comment gets a chance to win an ebook of Underdead. If you
send me to the kitchen, I’ll throw your name in the hat twice! If I have to get in the car
and go to the store on an emergency run, you’ll be entered three times.
Winner to be announced Sunday, January 29th.
January 27, 2012
Posted in: Contests/Giveaways, Guest Blogs
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20 Responses
Books do make me hungry and I’ve been known to look up a recipe of something I see mentioned in a book and make it – but running to the kitchen for bread and butter – No.
Exactly my point. Clearly I can blame my mother for this one.
Oh, this is SO true! Years ago I was reading through Dianne Mott Davidson’s culinary mysteries and while I did have cravings for much of the food the main character (a caterer) cooked, it was the coffee! She was like an espresso addict and I just HAD to get into espresso and I craved coffee all the time.
Then in all the rereads of Harry Potter (and there are many of them) I crave much of that food. Must be a British thing. For one thing, I can’t imagine ever eating anything called Bangers and Mash or God forbid a Kidney Pie, but for some reason, all that food sounds like a savory hug and I want some. And don’t get me started on the butterbeer.
Great post, Liz and I love the story about your mom. Priceless!!
Liz, I’m pretty good when reading. No food attacks. But TV is completely different. Good thing I read more than I watch TV.
Great post. Your sense of humor shines through. You know I adore your writing – books or blogs. It’s always fun : )
It’s not the food cravings so much for me. I admit that I’m into tea with butter and jam when reading an Irish or English setting in a book. It’s the Irish or British or southern accent that slips through when I’m reading characters with accents that I notice. Even reading a regency brings long ago words into my speech.
Fun blog topic, Liz. Stop and think about all the authors including recipes in their books. I do believe you’d be on to something, luv. Thanks for sharing. I’m off for a cup of tea.
Funny post, Liz, as usual. I’ve never heard of a “bread and butter whilst reading a British mystery” gene but evidently it exists. Is there a “scone” gene as well?
When I read one of those culinary cozies, I frequently get cravings to bake. So I rush out to the Safeway and pick up a pastry. That’s my version of baking!
Fun blog! I haven’t really thought about this before, but some books do make me crave food. There is a mystery series called Della Cooks by Melinda Wells and whenever I read those books I yearn for the lovely food she cooks. The author makes it sound so yummy. But I wouldn’t have the patience to cook most of the recipes so it is not going to happen. Mostly I read romance and I end up yearning for the yummy hero rather than food.
Liz, the books that drive me to the kitchen are John Harvey’s Charlie Resnick titles. Resnick is lovely, somewhat depressed cop who lives with four cats, loves jazz, and makes elaborate sandwiches with whatever he finds in the fridge.
Some of the cozy mystery covers alone have to be hidden under my nightstand to avoid late night snacking.
No need to enter me – I don’t have an e-reader.
Ann
Ginger, I have the same reaction to her books. I crave strong coffee in absurd quantities…but then I also want a lot of the food. I actually made one of the recipes once. Potato encrusted fish. Was quite nice, though grating the potatoes was dicey with my hands shaking from all the caffeine.
Hi Kat,
Yeah, the food attacks while watching tv is rough. Some nice health conscious group should start an all vegetable channel that we can switch to when the pizza ads come on. Mmm….celery… And about the nice comments on my writing, awww. Thanks!
Judythe, Hah! I knew it wasn’t just me. And you’ve got the Britishisms gene as well. I’ve been peppering them into my speech for weeks now after re-reading the Harry Potter books. I can’t help it.
Cindy, I think you might have hit the reason I eat bread and butter. No scones in the house. And it’s a high tea emergency–no time to go to the store. Sigh. I’m afraid there’s no hope for me. I want a pastry now.
Helen, I think that’s why I don’t go nutty reading Janet Evanovich. I want the heros more than the food.
Hi Anita, I’m going to stay away from those books. Thanks for letting me know about them. LOL.
Hi Ann,
I admit I’ve picked up books because there is a cupcake or some such on the cover. Sigh. It just seems so cosy to have it there. But you’re right, total danger. I love that you have to hide them from yourself.
I’m sorry to say I can’t blame my gluttony on the authors. Book + beverage + comfort snack is, well, the only way to read properly
Thank you for visiting, Liz!
I once read a mystery series where the author included a recipe with every chapter. I didn’t understand the connecion between murders and recipes, but yes, I found myself studying the recipes. I can’t always blame a book for making me hungry…I just get hungry before I finish reading. But a glass of tea goes well with any book.
ROTFL! Liz ~~ you are sooooooo not alone. I think it’s the British books but I find myself craving clotted creme when I don’t have a clue what clotted creme tastes like. And Spotted Dick? Get real, who in their right mind would want to order something like that anywhere but put that dish in a British novel and I’m there. Not sure what it is mind you, but I have no doubt it’d go down well with tea. Preferbly Lifeboat tea
Oh, wow, Liz (and all commenters) I’m sooo glad to know I’m not alone! I recently read a book set in Argentina, and there was constant reference to wonderful Spanish food. So my next trip to the market, what did I buy? Enchiladas and spanish rice and ooh, ooh, something I can’t even remember the name of but was soooo good. But now? Now after reading this post? Off to make toast and slather it with butter (mostly because I have no scones or clotted cream in the house… clotted cream…mmmmmmmm…..)
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