Learning about food from the books we read

Photo: Contributed

A dining room scene in Hogwarts, from the Harry Potter film series.

I have written often about how my childhood involved many wonderful experiences in the kitchen and with food.

I have attributed my gourmand nature to that but in hearing a BBC podcast this week, it occurred to me there might be another realm of influence.

I read a lot of stories as a child, and I became an avid reader early. Many of the books I read as a youngster involved scenes with characters eating and the food was so often described in such a magical and enticing way, I was enraptured. The stories of authors like C.S. Lewis and Roald Dahl swept me away to places where food was the ticket to entry.

Do you remember what it was like to think of drinking the potion as Alice did, so she could enter Wonderland? I used to imagine my glass of milk at dinner was a potion like Alice’s, so I could shrink and avoid the mean girls at school. I could live instead like The Borrowers, only interacting with humans who were interested in sharing and learning. I cheered for Charlie on his tour of the chocolate factory in the same way, as the mean kids received their just desserts.

I also learned about the adventure of new foods in a positive way early on, thanks to Sam-I-Am and Dr. Seuss. I have never tried green eggs and ham, but I have tried many other exotic foods on the same principle.

As I got older and read books like Oliver Twist and Gulliver’s Travels, I also learned about how not everyone’s experience was wonderful and abundant. The impact of the food the Cratchits had in A Christmas Carol was far greater on my psyche than those three spirits.

Of course, all these examples are from many years ago, more old school classics in literature. I know kids today are often drawn more to videos than books, but there do seem to be new examples that continue this trend.

A child’s sense of wonder can capture even an old soul, and children today can practice the old skill of imagining things out of thin air. What better place to start than with food? My stepdaughter and I shared this adventure with a series of books we both loved on their release.

The world of Harry Potter picked up the quintessential combination of magic and treats – who didn’t love the idea of food that adapted, like pumpkin pasties that could taste savoury or sweet or Bertie Botts Every Flavour (Jelly) Beans. Having so many intriguing foods made every day seem like the holiday season.

I was cheered to learn that a current famous foodie, Phil Rosenthal (host of the Netflix series, Somebody Feed Phil) has written a book with his daughter about how picky eaters can learn the fun of new food. It’s called Just Try It, which I consider great advice.

I am thrilled that my granddaughter loves books. She isn’t reading on her own much yet, but she is on her way and food seems to interest her too. I know she has read The Hungry Caterpillar, and books about planting seeds that turn into food. I’m shopping for a new book for her this Christmas , and I plan to share my classics with her as she grows.

If you’d like to hear the podcast I referenced, it has a number of recommendations for all ages. And if you’re a big kid looking for a fun food book, one of my faves is From Here You Can’t See Paris, about a food writer who moves his family to a small town in France and learns many unexpected things about the food and culture.

Here’s to having fun with your food.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.