Food and fairy tales. It's amazing we don't spend more time talking and writing about the centrality of food in fairy tales. Certainly, Maria Tatar, fairy-tale uber scholar does investigate it, but most other fairy tale fans don't.
Of course, in fairy tales,, the peasants who wish for food are people who may well be living a subsistence life. In the US, on the other hand, too much food is like a curse. But stepping back from the obesity and health issues, it's fun to consider what I would wish for, were I in a fairy tale. Let's just pretend that the Fairy Godmother of Food is standing before me with a wooden spoon for a wand.
First, I would see if I could receive real skill and passion for cooking. I lack both. Barring that, I would want a giant bowl of freshly boiled peanuts, salted to perfection. With it, I'd have endless glasses of Dr. Pepper -- plenty of ice. Then, I'd like freshly boiled corn on the cob. The corn could be picked right here in Northern Indiana, where it is OUTSTANDING! But this would need to be just off the stalk, dripping with butter.
Next, I'd wish to clear my palate with some fresh, delectable baby carrots. A nice big bowl full of them. Cold, sweet and crunchy.
The main course? Well, first, I'd want to make sure I was supplied with the right wine. I wouldn't be forced to make a choice and thus embarrass myself and the Fairy Godmother. Then, I'd wish for the most perfectly roasted chicken, with herbs and lemon and pepper. The potatoes that went with it would be mashed just the way I love them: a little lumpy, not too smooth and gluey. I'd have fresh-picked sweet peas. The kind you can eat raw, but which are even better just slightly cooked.
I'd top it off with a perfect cup of tea and a plate of delectably delicious and lovely petit fours, white cake with almond icing.
I can easily make (I'm not that bad in the kitchen) or buy all of the above, but it's the perfection and wish fulfillment that would make the experience magical. That, and the right company, which would include my family and friends, all gathered around the table, eating, drinking and laughing. We would all toast the Fairy Godmother -- who, to be honest, happens to be my very own mother.
The picture is of "Beauty and the Beast" dining, by Anne Anderson. It has nothing to do with my own enchanted feast, but I do so love the image, I couldn't resist.
15 comments:
But don't forget the usual warning that any food or drink tasted while actually in fairy land means that you'll never be able to leave!
This made my stomach growl so bad. I'm off to have a midnight snack :D Will come back with the order for the feast!
That sounds like a wonderful meal. You're right though-we don't usually focus on food in fairy tales. How many times have we heard of royal banquets or have had an apple (Snow White) as part of the story?
Your meal sounds good but I'd have to wish for jerk chicken straight off the grill with some asparagus and probably some corn on the cob as well. Good wine is a must for any delicious meal and some apple cobbler for dessert would finish it off. Man I'm hungry now.
Marina Warner also talks about how eating is related to fear in fairy tales and mythology in her book "No Go the Bogeyman." Cannibalism, the fear of being eaten, even the link between eating and sexuality-it's really interesting.
Faerie food is very dangerous to mortals, and not physically nourishing (only emotionally).
Enjoyable and entertaining site.
I've addded Diamonds and Toads to the cosmic rapture blogroll (left hand column, under heading of "other domains").
Perhaps you might carry a link to cosmic rapture?
masterymistery at cosmic rapture
Here in England we don't eat so much corn but I have heard that it needs to be eaten fresh because from the moment the corn is picked the starch begins to break down and the corn cob becomes tough. I don't know if this is true but it makes sense to me.
Blessings, Star
A fine image.
This entry was interesting to read as a student that finds food as an important thing in my life I never really thought about the idea of food in fairy tales. Now that I think about the idea of food in fairy tales I noticed that it really is never mentioned, what do these princesses do starve; probably not so why is their meals never mentioned. In many of the fairy tales that do mention food it is generally the man that seems to be eating such as the giant in Jack and the Bean Stalk; he always smells something that is supposed to represent food. If I were in a fairy tale where I could wish for any type of food that I wanted I am not sure what type of meal I would even chose. Just the thought of food altogether to me is a wonderful idea and it is so hard to boil down the choices to just one meal, I would probably wish for enough food to feed my entire kingdom if I were in a fairy tale.
K.A.
While reading the entry I was thinking about the fairy tales and I never realized that it’s almost never mentioned in the story I am guessing that part of the story is not that important. So why even talk about it? I saw the new Disney movie Princess and the Frog, that fairy tale did mention food and a lot of the movie was for the Princess to get a place for her to cook her favorite meal. I am guessing a lot of the movies of fairy tales the food is not mention because when a feast is cooked it’s for people to be happy and enjoy their time but most of the fairy tales are of sadness. Most of the princesses are not thinking of having a good time but to figure out their life and how bad of a life they have. With stepmothers wanting to kill them to trying to get away from their evil stepmother and stepsisters.
Maria G.
I love talking about food and most of all eating food, it is my weakness. It is strangely odd with all the issues within our world of hunger and obesity that food is not prevalent in fairy tales. Now Hansel and Gretel focus on food maybe a bit much, but I enjoyed the story because it relates to how things today could be for children in poverty. Furthermore, the way food is used, then and now, to bring together families or dating prospects. Taking a date out to dinner is the easiest way to break the ice in a relationship. On the other hand, to play along with the fairy food wand my ideal meal would consist of many items. For appetizer, fresh calamari from the ocean breaded to perfection. For the main course, the leanest and freshest cut of Prime Rib, seasoned uniquely, grilled by charcoal with juices overflowing as you cut into it. Some sides would be freshly picked asparagus from my garden and some sweet corn by Sweet Corn Charlie. Deserts would be endless from cheesecakes to ice cream. All this is ideal but I would need someone to prepare the meal and clean up the mess possibly a butler, that is my food fairy tale.
Terry B.
It is funny that in fairy tales when food is mentioned, it is the man that is eating. (Jack and the Beanstalk) But then in other tales like The Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and The Juniper Tree it's not food that they are eating or desire to consume. It is another human. Yuck.
But to change the subject, I'd like to state my choice of food at the moment. Reading this blog made me so hungry. My brother is actually a chef on the campus of ND. So I would have him cook our family sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, steak on the grill with A1 sauce, creamy garlic mashed potatoes, and homemade garlic bread. For dessert I'd like german chocolate cake and a glass of milk. It all sounds so good at the moment.
MelissaW
In reference to feasting and fairy tales, I see that in just about every fairy tale there is, there is the mention of food. In beauty and the beast, the beast had food out for Belle’s father and for Belle. He always had food around. In the Disney version of that movie, even the dishes were animated and talked. In sleeping beauty it was said an apple was used. Snow white was always cooking and cleaning for the seven dwarfs. Fairy tales always seem to use food or the notion of it in its ranks. Hansel and Gretel were eating a house made of food. The story itself is derived on greediness both of the children and the evil stepmother. The witch even used food to lure the children into her house with intentions on eating them. I guess we can say there was a smorgasbord throughout that particular fairytale.
Reading this blog made me realize that many of the fairy tales really don't focus on food. They are mostly based on beauty, revenge, and the seven sins; not the wonderful meals we prepare in our daily lives. The tale that does talk about food is where there is a famine issue. The main one I can think of is "Hansel and Gretal" and their parents who desert them in the woods. The children end up wandering along trying to find their way back home, but instead find a house made out of food. The poor children are starving so they end up eating pieces of the house. Other than this there aren’t many tales that include food scenes or have families sitting at the dinner table eating a wonderfully prepared meal, or any meal at all for that matter. I know there are tales that talk about eating someone else, but that’s not really food, it’s cruelty. And there may be other tales that mention food throughout the tale that spoil the princess or has the princess cooking for someone else, but they really don’t go into major details with it. This is kind of a shocker to me since we need food to survive, not beauty, but food is the major one left out. With it being such a major needed source for people you would think it would play a much bigger role in the fairy tales, but obviously it doesn’t. ~Lisa C.
Like almost everyone else, this entry has gotten my stomach growling and me wishing for my dinner. But, I’m more sucked into this picture than the food. We haven’t talked about Beauty and the Beast yet this semester but I cannot take my eyes off of the beast. The only Beauty and the Beast I know about is Disney’s version. So to see a Beast that is not soft and fluffy is a surprise for me. Of course, Belle looks her stunning self, but the beast is terrifying. If I were to be trapped in a castle I would find Disney’s beast to be much more comforting than the reptile looking creature that this picture shows. This must be were she is forced to dine with him, but the jolly, dancing dishes and furniture seem to be MIA. He does not at all seem to be thinking “Oh how I love this beautiful girl.” He seems to be skipping his dinner and saving room in his stomach for her. I guess this is just another example of Disney taking the fairytale to a completely different place. And call me crazy, but i find this creepy picture to be much more interesting that what Disney has provided.
Rachel P.
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