The One Where I Discuss A Character's Favorite Food

When developing a character, it is vital to consider all aspects of who they are; hair color and type, eye color, skin color, and personality (to name a few). One thing that I also decided to dive into was my protagonist's favorite food. Sure it's a common item included on lists of lists for character creation, but how many times have a character's favorite food actually come into play in a story? Not taking into consideration stories revolving around food.

In my story, Kiira loves seafood which is a specialty of the Cook Master in her kingdom. At the wedding feast, she had a coconut cream soup with braised tender venison. The idea behind this dish was combining two opposites on the food spectrum to create something new (Did I just sound too much like Remy from Ratatouille?). I came up with this recipe because I envisioned a hearty stew that seems standard with venison but was mixed with the toothsome, unique flavor that only coconut seems to provide. As I was writing, my thoughts tended to drift toward the sauces of Indian food, but my dish was still thin enough to be eaten as a soup instead of a thick sauce covering the meat. This dish is easily the favorite for Kiira at her wedding feast. She even tries to steal some extra from her brother!

Honestly, it's amazing where the mind of a writer can go. In another post, I wrote about how food is integral to me in my writing. I love all varieties of food (especially liver and onions, yuck!), and I wanted the mention of food to come up often in the novel. Our sense of smell is a stronger motivator than many people realize. In fact, the sense of smell can trigger a slew of emotional responses.

At some point, I'd love to create a recipe book that is a companion to my novel, simply because I love food so much. Stick around! I'll post what I come up with here on this blog!