Writing Basics: Food

A little detail that can add a lot of _flavor_ (sorrynotsorry) to a character is food. .
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Specifically, what relationship does your character(s) have to food? What restaurants do they frequent? Is there a difference between what they eat when they're happy or sad? Do they really watch what they eat or do they think life's too short to worry about it?
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Food can be a shorthand for where a character is from or where they're at now. Food is a foundation for every culture and regional group and can vary wildly from one community to another. .
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Take, for example, if you were to write me as a character. I was raised and live in the American south. My mom and two aunts have all or currently own restaurants. I joke that I bleed biscuits and gravy. Today, my mom and I ate at an aunt's restaurant and it felt like what the good parts of my home mean to me. We made small talk with everyone there, there were lots of hugs and "how's your mama and them?"s. Coincidentally, you may have read "biscuits and gravy" and thought "now what the hell is that?"
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When I lived in Germany, I missed that comfort food every day. Luckily, I had lots of delicious food at hand in Bavaria to fill that need. However, at one point me and my friends made biscuits and gravy for our international friends to show them what we kept rambling on about. On the other hand, I have missed Döner and Currywurst every day of my life since I've been back in the States. None of my attempts to make either at home with American groceries can compare.
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Maybe I just like food a whole lot 😅
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In any case, if you're having a hard time nailing down a character's background without dumping exposition, food can certainly be the ticket!
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Published on July 30, 2019 14:19 Tags: character, detail, food, writing
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Writing Sundries

Clinton W. Waters
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