As writers, we’re advised to use the five senses to bring realism to our work and engage the reader on a deeper level. But instead of considering this concept on a scene-by-scene basis, I challenge you to take it up a notch by incorporating food—and its many contexts—into the fabric of your worldbuilding.
Several authors use this technique to brilliant effect. Aliette de Bodard, herself a tea aficionado, includes tea and tea rituals in her stories. The lives of Tolkien’s hobbits revolve around their love of food and drink, and the many feasts in Brian Jacques’s Redwall books, described as “the best food porn ever written” (Eddie Kim, MEL Magazine, 2021), have come to define the series.
So how can you use this concept in your own work, and take your worldbuilding to the next level? Let’s begin with analyzing food and its varied cultural meanings.
Food as Love. Making or eating a delicious meal can engender feelings of love, comfort, and happiness. Think about your favorite dishes from your childhood, your comfort foods. Did someone make that dish to show love, and do you now make it yourself to show love to someone else? Think about how you feel when eating that dish, and how you feel when you know someone is making it for you. Consider the care you take in choosing the ingredients, and in preparing the dish. What makes it special to you, and what memories does it invoke? Does your MC have something similar—or does he/she/they have a particular food aversion? How does he/she/they view food in general?
Food as Hospitality. In some cultures, if you are a guest in someone’s house—even for a casual visit—you may be greeted with offers of food and drink. Even if you aren’t hungry, and decline the offer, your host may bring you a beverage and “just a little something,” which may be anything from a plate of cookies to a full-on meal. You partake, of course, because you don’t want to be rude. Such welcoming gestures are not new; the Ancient Greeks had very strict rules of hospitality (“philoxenia,” or “friend to the stranger”), and to break any of those rules, as either guest or host, could incur the wrath of the gods. Look at what happened to the suitors of Penelope, Odysseus’s long-suffering wife: they overstayed their welcome (by years!), abused both their hostess and her household servants, and in doing so sealed their fates—Athena helped Odysseus slaughter them to the last man, and sent their wailing souls to the Underworld. Hospitality rituals (and, conversely, hospitality taboos) are among the oldest societal canons. How are guests viewed in your story? Is any special sort of food or drink offered to travelers or pilgrims?
Food as Ritual. Several world religions incorporate food into their worship. As part of Christian communion, participants reenact the Last Supper, in which they partake of bread (usually flat, cracker-like wafers) and wine. Every item on a Passover seder plate is imbued with meaning. One of the elements of puja is offering food to the gods. And at sunset every day during Ramadan, Muslims traditionally partake of a date and a sip of water to break their fast before iftar, an elaborate meal often consumed in a community setting. How does religion fit into your story? What food rituals, if any, are associated with worship?
Food as Tradition. Thanksgiving turkey. Christmas pudding and mince pies. Moon cakes. Wedding cakes. Pick any culture, any holiday, and there will more than likely be several food traditions centered on that festival. Does your world/story incorporate any special celebrations, and if so, are there any traditional foods made to celebrate it? Are any particular foods considered lucky or unlucky, or are there any taboo or “forbidden” foods in your world?
I’m not suggesting you focus your entire story on food (unless you’re writing a food-centered cozy mystery—in which case I’m totally here for it!), but incorporating food, drink, and their associated rituals into your worldbuilding can provide an extra level of depth and realism to your story, and make it that much more vivid and memorable to readers.
That said, only you can judge if this is something that will work in your story. I love such immersive details as these, but I know some readers find them tedious. The key is determining what works best for your story and your writing style, and finding a balance between small, character-level details and larger, culture-wide inclusion. Personally, as a foodie, I love incorporating food and beverage into my worldbuilding, and use it freely.
Whatever approach you choose, keep in mind that not only is food essential to life, but that it’s also a physical, emotional, and sometimes spiritual experience that includes each of the five senses—sight (it’s been said you eat first with your eyes), sound, touch, taste, and smell. Food is literally a feast for the senses (for good or bad!), and a versatile tool that can aid in setting, character development, and overall worldbuilding.
And now I’m going to go pour myself some dark, malty tea, add a splash of milk—enough so that it billows like storm clouds through the depths of my cup—and enjoy it with a buttery scone with a crunchy sugared top and a pillowy inside pocketed with hot, juicy blueberries. Pull up a chair and join me.
If you have any questions, and/or you’d like to discuss this topic further—or worldbuilding in general—please follow Liz Perrine on Twitter (@liz_perrine).