A staple of many romances, especially contemporary ones, is to detail what people eat before making love, after making love, on dates.When it comes to love--in both its spiritual and physical essence--nothing beats Babette's Feast. It is the ultimate marriage of food with (not entirely lost) romantic love, community, charity (although I prefer the stronger, bigger term magnanimity) and love for one's craft/art. Babette, taken in by two sisters, repays their generosity--and expresses her gift--when she wins the lottery. She puts on a grand feast for the small religious community.
I love the film. And I love reading passages about food in books. I'm no chef. I can make about two dishes well. I can bake about the same. Still--I'm the kind of person who likes to check out cookbooks and stare at the pictures.
Yum!
Kim Fielding's A Full Plate contains lovely and loving passages about food as does Secret Harvest by Eli Easton. During Christmas, several authors will expend pages on Christmas sweets. In Charlie Cochet North Pole Tales, the main characters consume cinnamon toast and sugar cookies as a full-time diet. The focus on desserts is loads of fun--although suspension of disbelief is necessary.
And there's Chocolat, of course. And really, need I say more!
