Novels about Food, Spices, Chefs, etc.,

CBumpkin

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I have to admit, my guilty pleasure is reading novels and watching movies about cooking, baking, spices, chefs, restaurants, etc., I loved Chocolat, Mostly Martha, Babette's Feast, The Mistress of Spices and Without Reservations. I couldn't care less how corny they are, I enjoy them!

I would love to write a novel about food! Does anyone else watch these movies, read these books or want to write a novel about food? (Or should I just crawl back under my crockpot?)

What other books or movies about food do you like?
 

katiemac

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One comes to mind. I believe it's called Julie & Julia (or vice versa), about a woman (Julie) who tries all of Julia Child's 500 or so recipes in one year in an attempt to revitalize her life.

I've never read it but the film, starring Amy Adams, is coming out soon.
 

CatSlave

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Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl
Under a Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
French Lessons by Peter Mayle
Home Cooking and More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin (the best)
 

MsK

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Summer by the Sea- Susan Wiggs

It's a romance novel. The MC is a restaurant owner and the book has several of her recipes in it. Mostly Italian , if I recall.
 

Bubastes

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Great list so far! My additions:

Not novels, but wonderful food writing:
Anything by MFK Fisher
Anything by Anthony Bourdain
Anything by Michael Ruhlman (The Soul of a Chef, especially the first third of the book, is riveting for fans of high-end classic cooking. He follows a group of chefs as they try to get their Certified Master Chef credential.)

Movies:
Tampopo
Like Water for Chocolate

Novels:
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
Any of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder (I tried to replicate the dishes described in these books when I was a kid!)

And yes, I would like to write stories about food. The best part about food as a story element: it's never just about the food. Food represents and reflects so many facets of the human experience.

Can you tell I'm passionate about food? :D
 
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CBumpkin

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Let's not forget the segment in Chuck Palahniuk's Haunted about Chef Assassin. Say what you like about him, the boy does his homework.

Is this a book, TV show or a movie? Forgive my ignorance, but I haven't watched television in many years.
 

shawkins

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Is this a book, TV show or a movie? Forgive my ignorance, but I haven't watched television in many years.

Haunted is a collection of related short stories by a guy named Chuck Palahniuk, best known as the author of Fight Club. The basic premise is that a rich old man who is about to die sets up a workshop for aspiring writers in an abandoned theater. Once they get to the workshop, the writers learn that they can't leave until they write their masterpiece.

I would not recommend it to the general reader as a couple of the segments are emphatically not for the squeamish, but those with unusually strong stomachs may find it rewarding.

SPOILER ALERT:

As far as the "Chef Assassin" segment, one of the aspiring writers was a chef. His masterpiece was a letter to a high-end cutlery company in which he details all the restaurant critics that he has killed using the company's knives. He points out the terrible publicity for the cutlery company were he to mention its name during his inevitable capture and trial, and offers to provide the name of a rival company to police and reporters in exchange for a couple million dollars.

END SPOILERS

Anyway, the original point was that the Chef Assassin character's use of foodie vernacular was very convincing. Chuck Palahniuk obviously does his homework.
 
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CBumpkin

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Haunted is a collection of related short stories by a guy named Chuck Palahniuk, best known as the author of Fight Club. The basic premise is that a rich old man who is about to die sets up a workshop for aspiring writers in an abandoned theater. Once they get to the workshop, the writers learn that they can't leave until they write their masterpiece.

I would not recommend it to the general reader as a couple of the segments are emphatically not for the squeamish, but those with unusually strong stomachs may find it rewarding.

SPOILER ALERT:

As far as the "Chef Assassin" segment, one of the aspiring writers was a chef. His masterpiece was a letter to a high-end cutlery company in which he details all the restaurant critics that he has killed using the company's knives. He points out the terrible publicity for the cutlery company were he to mention its name during his inevitable capture and trial, and offers to provide the name of a rival company to police and reporters in exchange for a couple million dollars.

END SPOILERS

Anyway, the original point was that the Chef Assassin character's use of foodie vernacular was very convincing. Chuck Palahniuk obviously does his homework.
So, I'm guessing these are movies?
 

Bubastes

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I would not recommend it to the general reader as a couple of the segments are emphatically not for the squeamish, but those with unusually strong stomachs may find it rewarding.

I have to emphasize this warning. I needed eye and brain bleach after I read Guts (one of the short stories) and it didn't help. Chuck Palahniuk is very, very good at what he does.
 
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CBumpkin

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Thanks for the warnings. I'm definitely one of the squeamish and will have to avoid the book.

I wish there were more books written with cooking storylines. They must not be very popular. Unfortunately, that's the story of my life - all the different types of books that I enjoy reading (and thus, writing) aren't blockbuster best sellers.
 

Sarita

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Anything by Peter Mayle has a foodie aspect to it. I love his nonfiction, like A Year in Provence and Toujour Provence, but his Hotel Pastis was funny and rewarding as well.
 

CBumpkin

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I loved A Year in Provence. It's one of the few books that I thought was even better as an audio book. I've always meant to check out more of his work and, now that you've reminded me, I think I will. Hotel Pastis sounds like a winner. Thanks, Saritams8!