As Hubby and I were deciding which local restaurant to visit, I remarked that novels and ethnic food have much in common.
Warning: To all those who will tell me that healthy versions or alternatives of these foods can be made in my kitchen—you missed the point.
Italian: A carb and cheese-laden indulgence, this comfort food is like a favorite dog-eared novel in our library. Its familiar themes and characters our treasured friends—good for devouring during rainy days or when we need to relive our delight of the initial reading.
Greek: Flavorful food that harkens back to simpler days when stoic philosophers nibbled upon olives and charmed us with tales of Homeric heroes. Within the pages of these novels lay a honeyed treat of lusty gods and duex ex machina endings where themes of honor and destiny are ripe for the chewing.
Latin: A little hot, a whole lot of exotic flavors, this food brings out the magical realism found in many novels. Spicy sexual conquests, sour inequities, and sweet victories provide a decadent mouthful of themes, symbols, and metaphors from our favorite—and often—Latino authors.
Indian: A spicy hot mixture of tales that are often filled with gender and class discrimination, the novels curry favor by providing readers a taste of the exotic and the forbidden in our lives.
Japanese: Like the trendy cool Sushi bars offering everything from humble udon soup to the showy Fuji Volcano to the sushi-for-beginner’s California Roll these stories offer a blend of culturally nuanced symbols and metaphors for readers to explore and discover. Be it the raw themes of the human condition or ‘tempuring’ root concepts with an appetizing coating, these novels can be enjoyed by novice and expert literati alike.
Chinese: Delectable, savory, and less-filling books to be shared with friends. Whether sweet or sour these tales pack a kung pow punch with a deceptively vague but fortunate message at the end.
Middle Eastern: If they can make a delicious salad from parsley–considered a garnish to prosaic eaters–imagine the wonders found in novels where a humble symbol is elevated to reveal a universal truth, where kebabs of meaty plots are skewered with ancient dogmas to sear flavorful wisdom into your soul.
American fast food: Salty goodness between two buns—um…you know you shouldn’t read it—it’s bad for you—won’t stretch your mind and will only stretch your thighs—and yet once in awhile we must indulge in a novel with little literary merit. Oh! And as you lick salt from your fingers you say ‘That novel was delicious!’
Hungry yet?
Related Links: Rock Your Writing; Symbolism & more symbols;
Click Amazon link for novels.
