Food and Drink in Fiction

As I was going through my L.J groups, I spied this one again, and so...here I am. As I was looking at the name of the group, a question popped into my head.

If "Bacon" existed in a fantasy world, would the animal it came from, still be "pig" like?

I mean, there's no reason it would have to be...right? What if animals in the Fantasy world weren't divided like they are here? Could they have "Bacon" come from the same animal as juicy "steaks" do? OR, what's to keep "Bacon" from coming from the sea? Or, maybe a type of large bird like creature?

When people write fantasy, do they rely too much on "comparisons" when it comes to the "Fantasy" animals, Vs "our" animals...? I'm not writing Fantasy right now, but just putting that out there....

Take care, and keep writing out there,
N.

I'm thinking of the kind of party given aboard ship when in harbour for other naval officers, wives, sweethearts and friends et cetera. OK, I know that pink gin was traditionally the Naval officer's drink of choice and would certainly have been served. But not everybody necesarily liked it, particularly ladies might have felt it too strong or just unladylike, and some people would be unable to knock back hard liquor if they were going on duty after the party. What other drinks might have been on offer?  And what snacks/canapes, if any?

"5 Word Ficlets...Penelope Garcia", by sallymn. Predominantly gen, with passing mentions of Garcia/Kevin and Hotch/Haley. In the first segment, "Delectable", Garcia indulges in her own quirky sort of profiling: personifying her colleagues as assorted chocolates.

"Five times Spencer’s teammates were seen feeding him, and one time they weren’t. (Seen.)", by hagar_972. Gen fluff. Exactly what it says on the label, with the deft use of food choices as a vehicle of characterization.

Just a note to remind you that this comm still exists. :) I just haven't had much to post to it this year, but you're still welcome to!

This fanficrants discussion of how there's got to be more to Vulcan cuisine than plomeek soup offers suggestions and links that might be of interest to this community: http://fanficrants.livejournal.com/10830817.html

I'm working on what I will write for NaNoWriMo this year and I have hit a bit of a stumbling block. When pondering one of my main characters it occurred to me that, due to her species, she'd logically have to be at least vegetarian, if not vegan. She's a fantasy character based off a qilin/kirin which is noted for, among other things, not eating flesh.

So, assuming a technological level roughly equivalent to... let's say 1700s, what would a vegetarian/vegan be eating? I need ideas for all year round since my story will cover at least one full year and a snowy winter will have to be planned for. My climate is roughly equivalent to New England, largely because I know it (Massachusetts). My characters will be living alone in a cottage in a generally wooded area with their own garden but probably not something with a large amount of grain since this area was held and tended by one adult. There will be a town within reasonable distance, and townsfolk would be accustomed to dealing with the cottager for healing and "magic" but not any more than they need to.

The adult is likely not vegetarian, their mythological basis is a phoenix, which is variably described but often includes eagles and herons in the description. I haven't decided yet if the adult character, who will find the kirin based character and take her in as a baby/young child, will know about her dietary restrictions or will have to find it out the hard way. If I do choose "the hard way" what sort of symptoms would the baby/toddler have to show they can't handle meat? I'd assume they'd just vomit it back up and/or have diarrhea, gas, and general intestinal unhappiness.

According to someone I spoke to today on LJ, GRR Martin uses the phrase 'breaking his fast' too often. I have to say I agree. Yes, we get it, the word breakfast doesn't exist yet and the character hasn't eaten because he's been sleeping.

What do you think?

And what food do you like the sound of in A Game of Thrones?

Does anyone have any pictures of (or can find me some) dead rabbits hanging with their fur etc still on? ie, freshly hunted/killed. Thanks. I'm trying to make a needle felted dead rabbit. As you do.

What foods would you like to see mentioned in fiction?

"Common" foods at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries:
Oysters, lobster, foie gras and goose fat (at least in the NYC ghetto), dark, whole-grain bread

"Luxury" foods at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries:
White bread, chicken, canned fruit, lettuce

"Common" foods at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries:
Chicken, canned fruits and vegetables, mass-produced white bread, iceberg lettuce

"Luxury" foods at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries:
Oysters, lobster, foie gras and goose, organic whole-grain bread