Reader Friday: Food Prep and Writing

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Food Prep and Writing – Cooking up Analogies

Two weeks ago, we asked for any suggestions for improvements to Reader Friday posts. Robert Luedeman said, “More recipes! We must have more recipes!” He was kidding, but it made me start thinking about analogies, comparing food preparation and writing.

Whether you’re cooking, baking, frying, grilling, or just gathering all your ingredients and planning the steps of the process, there’s a lot of “food for thought” and plenty of opportunities to create some new analogies.

Now, I’m worthless in the kitchen and stay out of my wife’s way. She bounces around from counter to counter and from microwave to microwave. I don’t want to become road kill, so I leave the cooking to her. But she did give me an idea for an analogy. Whenever someone compliments her on one of her great dishes and asks her for her secret, she always points out that you have to start with quality ingredients. No cutting corners. Quality in, quality out. And the same can be said for producing a great work of fiction.

So, there’s my weak example of an analogy. Now it’s your turn.

  • Remind us of an existing analogy.
  • Invent a new one.
  • Or, if you agree with Robert, that we need more recipes, share one that you’re proud of. Maybe you can even rename the recipe with a literary phrase.
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About Steve Hooley

Steve Hooley is the author of seven short stories published in four anthologies, a Vella serial fiction, and is currently working on the Mad River Magic series – a fantasy adventure series for advanced middle-grade to adults. More details available at: https://stevehooleywriter.com/mad-river-magic/

47 thoughts on “Reader Friday: Food Prep and Writing”

  1. Happy Friday, all. The first 2 things that came to me were:

    Just as you need a steady diet of fruits and vegetables to be at your best health-wise, you need a steady diet of writing education (such as here at TKZ) to write your best work.

    And…

    Sometimes writing is like legumes—it’s just nuts! 😎

    • Good one, BK. And thanks for looking to TKZ for writing education. There are some amazing people here who have taught me much. And we will continue to try to provide a smorgasbord of writing education.

      Thanks for your regular participation.

    • Nice, Sue! That “crumble” brought images of crumble cake or cake topping to my mind. I had to google recipes. I grew up calling it coffee cake.

      I hope you have a great weekend!

  3. When I was a kid and we went out to dinner, my mom always ordered Green Goddess dressing for her salad. Which is why I always associate it 1950s noir.

    For some reason it fell out of fashion. A few years ago I tried to find some and had to special order it from a well-known company. It was awful! It tasted like embalming fluid (whatever that tastes like, but surely this could not be far off).

    So I undertook my own research and now proudly make…

    JSB’s Femme Fatale (Green Goddess) Dressing

    In a bowl, place 1 coddled egg yolk, 1 Tsp dry mustard, 3/4 cup olive oil. Whisk to combine. Add 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Whisk again.

    In a blender, place:

    3/4 cup sour cream
    1/4 cup chopped parsley
    1 Tbsp chopped tarragon
    1/4 cup chopped chives
    1/2 Tbsp kosher salt

    Pour in the contents of the other bowl.

    Blend on high for 20 seconds.

    Use crisp romaine and add croutons, and enjoy. This being a femme fatale salad, keep your back to a wall and watch the door.

    • Thanks, Jim

      My mother used to buy or make Green Goddess dressing. I had forgotten about it. I’ll print out this recipe for my wife. She likes garlic.

      I could see Mike Romeo preparing a special dinner and making this dressing – especially with the new name. And serve with a side of your favorite pistol.

      • According to a Google: “A coddled egg is an egg that is gently cooked whole in a small dish that’s placed in a hot water bath. When this culinary technique is done properly the yolk should be slightly runny while remaining unbroken. It’s similar to a poached egg.”

        Glad you asked, Deb. I guessed that it was simply a yolk handled gently so it wouldn’t break.

        So, we learned something today.

        Thanks, Deb.

  4. Planning helps, in travel and in writing. The degree to which you need to plan can vary, depending on your personality and process. You could pants your trip to Ireland. Pick up tickets at the airport, arrive, find a hotel and then go forth see what the Emerald Isle has to offer. You could go the other extreme and work out a detailed itinerary covering every aspect of your trip, including rides to and from the Dublin or Shannon airports, day tours, restaurant reservations etc. Or you be in the middle, cover the big points–airline tickets, hotel reservations, perhaps a day tour or two in advance, but leave room to discover once you are there.

    The same variation in approach is true in planning a book.

    Have a wonderful weekend, Steve!

    • Great analogies, Dale.

      Planning vs. Discovery – that seems to be one of our favorite discussions here. And it applies in so many aspects of our lives, not just writing.

      Good thoughts, and have a wonderful weekend! Good luck with your conference and your presentation!

  5. Good morning, Steve. I have used this before here, but I recommend any aspiring writer to “Eat the frog first.” Get up early and start your day by fulfilling your writing quota. Otherwise, tasks will quickly jockey for position and before you know it the clock is tolling 10P. Writing is deferred for yet another day.

    I do not have a recipe for frog. I have, however, been blessed with the experience of eating Cindy’s meals on a number of occasions. I am always amazed that Steve does not weigh four hundred pounds. I would if I lived closer to casa del Hooley.

    Have a great weekend, Steve!

    • Thanks, Joe. Cindy will tell you that I am eating my way toward that high mark.

      Great analogy about eating the frog first. It’s particularly fitting since Mark Twain is credited with saying, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” I have found that eating the frog first is important for me. Once I get wrapped up in “the cares of this world” it is difficult to focus on writing and get creative.

      Now I need to find a recipe for frog.

      Have a great weekend!

  6. Good morning, Steve!

    Writing a novel is like running a marathon. It takes lots of preparation and training. Standing on the starting line, the runner shouldn’t think of having to run 26.2 miles — that would be discouraging. Instead, think of running the next mile well. Take care of yourself and be nice to the other runners. Winning is not as important as running your best race.

    Oh, and a recipe for Honeymoon Salad – lettuce alone

    Have a great weekend.

    • Good morning, Kay!

      Great running analogy. So many things to compare between running and writing.

      I like that “leave us alone” – I mean, lettuce alone – salad. Pretty simple recipe.

      Have a great and safe weekend.

    • Thanks for the link to the Gooey Butter Cake recipe. I had not heard of it before. Since I am a carboholic, I’ll definitely ask my wife to consider making it. The recipe sounds interesting. The picture is mouth-watering.

      Thanks, Alan!

  8. Fun post.

    Hmmm, from a crime writer’s POV…Give me a sharp (or dull) knife and veggies to chop and things are guaranteed to get violent with blood spilled (mine). I still have all my fingers but also lots of scars.

    I’m not allowed near an ax or a chainsaw so I can’t help you with your wood cutting, Steve.

    Here’s a recipe that’s always a hit and no sharp instruments involved:

    Raspberry Bars
    1/2 C room temp butter
    1/2 C brown sugar
    1 C flour
    1/4 teas. baking soda
    1/8 teas. salt
    1 C rolled oats
    3/4 C raspberry jam

    Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8″ square pan with foil and butter the foil. With a fork, mix all ingredients above (except jam) until crumbly. Put 2/3 of the crumble mix into the pan and press it evenly on the bottom and 1/4″ up the sides. Spread jam over the crumble layer. Sprinkle the rest of the crumble mix evenly on top and press lightly so jam is covered and can’t run out the edges (if it does, it sticks). Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool completely on a rack before cutting into bars.

    • Thanks, Debbie. Great analogy with the crime writing vs. knives and veggies. No wonder your characters are so beaten up. The author is madly chopping away with abandon. Maybe for writers like me who find it hard to really put the characters through the wringer, we should warm up with veggie chopping before we write.

      Thanks for the Raspberry Bars recipe. Sounds delicious.

      And, if you want to experience the joys of firewood (and free fuel for the winter), we can put you on the “load and stack” detail. No saws or axes, just a sore back.

      Have a wonderful and finger-safe weekend.

  9. The cooking analogy is a good one. It raises the question of who you are and what you want to present to the public, or if it is only for your own edification. I think all writers even the rookies like me secretly harbor the desire to see their names in print. It is a genuine thrill.

    I’m reminded of the work of W. Edwards Deming here, and the principles he established are just as important in writing as they are in manufacturing or food service or fixing airplane motors or doing anything of worth.

    It is far better to build quality into a product than to try and add it on at the end of the production process.

    And although Deming does not say anything about it, it’s worth noting that doing things the Deming way rules out plagiarism, rules out the use of GPT3 generated artificial intelligence text from things like Sudowrite or Dreamily, and leaves the responsibility of doing good honest work right in your own hands.

    Here’s something I usually have two jars of in the fridge at any time;

    You need four or five cucumbers, pickling if you can get them, but shorties if you can’t, and a couple of clean quart mason jars. If the cukes come from the market a good wash is in order because sometimes they smear oil on them. Why? I dunno, but it’s gotta go.

    1-1/4 cups cider vinegar (sometimes I add some wine vinegar if I’m feeling sporty)
    1-1/2 tbsp non iodized salt Kosher or pickling
    2 tbsp sugar
    2 cups water
    lots of crushed garlic cloves at least three or four for each jar, whole peppercorns, mustard seeds, caraway seeds, red pepper flakes, fresh dill weed, fresh rosemary, and Korean powdered red chile.

    Boil up the vinegar, salt, sugar and water and set it in the fridge to cool. Meanwhile trim the cukes and cut them into spears. Peeling is unnecessary. Load your mason jars with the mustard seed, peppercorns, red pepper flakes and Korean chile. Stuff the mason jars with cucumber spears and tuck the dill alongside them.

    Ladle the now cooled brine into the jars until you reach the top, cap them, and into the fridge they go for two or three days before they’re ready. They’ll keep for about a month.

    • Thanks for the idea for this post and discussion today, Robert.

      The analogy of writing and doing it the Deming way is wonderful. A basic principle to guide everything we do. I often say, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.”

      Your pickle recipe looks good. Thanks for sharing it.

      And thanks for your participation in today’s discussion.

  10. Great post, Steve!

    My analogy goes like this: Just as when you’re making a new recipe, patience is the name of the game.

    I like to tweak recipes after I’ve tried the original one. The next time I make it, I might add a pinch of this or a dollop of that to make it my own. If it’s not great, the next time I’ll try something different. So it goes with my stories.

    One of those recipes I’ve tweaked over and over again is Indian Butter Chicken in my Instant Pot. Here’s the link to the recipe: https://twosleevers.com/instant-pot-butter-chicken/

    (Someone please tell me how to put a link in that you can just click on…) 🙁

    • Isn’t it nice when things work automatically? If it’s an internet address (IP Address), the site recognizes it and inserts a link. IT people are wonderful. Thanks, Brian.

      I love your analogy to patience in the process. It builds quality.

      My wife is constantly tweaking recipes, and I am constantly gaining weight. Hurray for patience and tweaking!

      Thanks for the link to Indian Butter Chicken. Looks delicious. I’m making a list of recipes from today for my wife to check out. I just put Indian Butter Chicken on that list.

      Thanks for your analogy and recipe.

    • Chiming in from vacation as I run a quick check of the internet. The recipe, while it looks yummy and is something I’ll try when I get home reminds me of JSB’s ‘laying wood’ openings. When I want a recipe, I want a RECIPE, not seventeen pages of prose leading into it. Totally off topic, but then, I’ve had 2 Margaritas. 🙂

      • Maybe, by the time you finish the preamble and prepare the dish you’ll be more hungry.

        If you try the recipe, you can put the abridged edition in your blog or newsletter.

        Have a good vacation.

  11. Both Trader Joe’s (grocery store) and Penzeys (spice company) sell Green Goddess seasoning. Both can be mixed into mayo or sour cream for a salad dressing. My kid brother loved the original so I bought him some of the Penzeys. He declared it okay.

    • Thanks for the endorsement, Marilynn, and for the choices. We might have a lot of TKZ people eating green salad dressing in the next couple weeks. If anyone finds that it improves their writing, please let the rest of us know.

      Seriously, thanks for the tip on Trader Joe’s and Penzeys.

  12. Bringing this subject back to recent topics, many cozies are full of food. The amateur detective owns a cupcake shop, or must get all his clues by visiting food trucks, etc., etc. So many types of cupcakes or rich junk food through the whole book, sigh. The author will often include recipes of the food mentioned to really up the calorie intake from imaginary to real. Curse you, cupcake authors!

    • If I ever write a cozy, just for you, MB, it will centre around a local mom-and-pop pickle factory and assorted pickle outlets. Yes, there will be a Nutter-on-a-bicycle.

    • Thanks for the warning, Marilynn. With my carboholic condition, I will watch for (and avoid) the “cupcake authors.”

      You made me think about the process. If those added recipes have a positive effect on the number of readers, or the reader loyalty, I wonder if adding do-it-yourself projects to men’s adventure novels would increase readership. Probably not.

      Have a cupcake-free weekend.

  13. In 2001, I took a poetry workshop in Boston. One assignment was to write a poem, in any poetic format, that focused on food. This the poem I wrote, based on one of my favorite recipes. The last line is the title of the poem and the recipe. (At the time, unlike younger workshop participants, I was not aware Crayola had phased out “Flesh” color.

    White flour, white sugar
    mingle the grains
    moisten with oil
    the textures will mesh

    Ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves
    spicen with such
    for perfume, for heat
    tints dough Crayola Flesh

    Blackstrap molasses
    drizzle, infuse
    for mystery, for depth
    deepens the color from pale

    Thick brown batter
    shape into balls
    flatten with sugar
    thin but not frail

    Candied ginger
    snip onto each
    bake until crisp
    on parchment-clad trays

    Lisa’s Crinkle-top Cookies with Glaze

  14. Great, Truant. That would be quite a challenge to write a recipe with a poem.

    Very interesting. And looks like it would be tasty.

    Thanks for your addition to the ideas today. Hope you come back again soon.

  15. All these recipes are killing me. If it tastes good, I can’t eat it. lol. And I was healthy until I went to the doctor!
    My analogy: Writing is like cooking: learn the basics, and you can create just about anything you want.

    • Good analogy, Patricia. “Learn the basics, and you can create just about anything.”

      Yes, the recipes are too tempting. An old actor said of the diet for lowering cholesterol, “If it’s yellow or it tastes good you can’t eat it.”

      Thanks for stopping by, and for your comments.

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