Dear Everyone,
I just finished a fifteen day blog tour that was organized by KLB Virtual Events. I’d like to thank KLB, all the blogs that participated and especially my publisher, Omnific, for providing giveaways of “Gabriel’s Inferno” at every stop. And thank you, the readers, for reading the reviews and features and entering the contests. Congratulations to all the winners. (If you’d like to request a Kindlegraph, you can do so here.)
One of my readers suggested I explore the role of food in my novel. This suggestion prompted me to think about the role of food in society. For example, religious holidays as well as rites of passage are frequently celebrated with specific foods or feasts.
One can also think about the role of food in guest friendship and hospitality. When someone visits our home, one of the first things we do is to welcome them and to offer them a drink or something to eat. So to feed a guest is a way of welcoming him or her.
There is an excellent example of the importance of hospitality in the film version of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” In the film, there is a scene in which Scout, a young girl, scolds her schoolmate and lunch guest for “drowning his dinner in syrup.” The housekeeper, Calpurnia, calls her into the kitchen to point out that Walter is her company and as such, she will let him do whatever he wants at the table, including “eating the tablecloth.” To welcome someone into one’s home is to commit to being kind and hospitable – no matter what.
A rather different portrait of hospitality is found in the film “Babette’s Feast.” In this story, Babette cooks and serves an elaborate multi-course meal to her benefactors and their friends as a way of honouring their hospitality. When she fled to Denmark from the French civil war, two sisters took her in. Instead of returning to her native France, she chooses to stay with them and serve them as their cook.
The idea of hospitality and guest friendship is an old one. You can read about it in the Bible and in Greek and Roman works, for example. But Calpurnia’s simple observation that one’s company must be welcomed even when he or she displays dubious table manners, is an important one. Few people would insult a houseguest. But how many of us think it’s permissible to insult someone outside the home? Do the obligations of hospitality extend to the workplace, the Internet and social media?
As a sensualist, Professor Emerson is fixated on the pleasures of the body and this fixation extends to food and drink. The narrator notes that the Professor is impatient with mediocrity and so when he has the opportunity to take Julia to dinner, he chooses a very expensive steakhouse in downtown Toronto. On one level, the choice is all about him – he only eats steak at the finest restaurants. On another level, the choice is all about her – he feels remorse for having embarrassed her at her apartment and so he decides to buy her an extravagant meal to make up for it.
Can food really do such a thing? Can sharing a meal with someone be a means of apologizing or offering comfort?
There are several scenes in the novel in which Julia and Gabriel eat together and food has a slightly different role in each of them. I won’t spoil the story by listing all of them, but I’ll point out that you can glimpse some of Gabriel’s motivations by reflecting on the food (and drink) he chooses.
Many of you have been asking about the sequel to “Gabriel’s Inferno.” I’m encouraged by your support. I’m pleased to report that the sequel is progressing nicely, but I don’t have a release date yet. As soon as one is set, I’ll be able to announce it. Thanks for your patience.
Thank you also for suggesting “Gabriel’s Inferno” to your friends, relatives and Book Clubs. I’m consistently surprised and pleased at how the story is finding its audience through the kind words of readers who enjoyed it.
Today is the Feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. I have many reasons for admiring him and his mission, but today let me focus on the way in which Francis and his companions provided food and hospitality to the sick and the poor, even to the point of seeking out bandits in the wood in order to feed them. One of the finest examples of the mission of hospitality is St. Francis Table in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto. The Franciscans and their volunteers serve the community with dignity, compassion and hospitality.
All the best and thanks for reading,
SR
PS. It’s said that the character of Dill in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” is said to have been based on Harper Lee’s childhood friend Truman Capote.
I am honoured to have had all three of my novels appear on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists. I was a Semifinalist for Best Author in the 2011 and 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards. {
Excellent observations SR!
The tradition of sharing food and drink is very meaningful to me personally whether it’s with friends, family, and even strangers. I have volunteered at soup kitchens and the act of helping to feed someone who might otherwise go hungry is eye opening and gratifying.
Food and drink in novels is always interesting. It can be sensual, kind, selfish, etc. depending on how the author chooses to write it.
Tamie Xo
Hunger is such a basic human condition and when you cook for someone, or even take them out, it is one of the nicest things you can do.
You show that you care by fulfilling a human need and going the extra mile to make them something special. You are serving them love when you go out of your way.
I often go out of my way for people who I care about because I think it shows a great deal. I make the effort to show I care and I hope the person on the other end realizes it but often they don’t. They get so locked into a busy world where making that effort doesn’t matter.
Cooking someone a meal is very intimate and a very loving way to show them you care, even if you don’t know them well. Every human being on this earth should treated as if they were the only one in your eyes whether they are your guest, or someone you know online.
Always show people they are important, food is just one way. I think the Professor, though irritated with mediocrity is still showing Julia that she matters because regardless if he would have went there anyway for the quality, he didn’t have to take her out at all.
I’ve never seen To Kill A Mockingbird but I love the book. Babette’s Feast is a particular favorite and is a treasured part of my collection. (Jean de Fleurette & Manon of the Spring also but they deal w/ water.) Professor Emerson was definitely trying to make amends with Julia. Food. The preparation, what’s selected to serve, how, to whom, when, & where it’s served, all these details can vary the meaning of the meal.
In the South you’d think food was a cure all. It covers any situation. It’s always the first offering and we truly mean it when we say, “y’all come”.
The sequel to GI is tops on my “highly anticipated” list. Looking forward to Professor Emerson’s visit the 21st.
My father was my role model for hospitality. We always had people over because Dad mentored many from around the world in his field of expertise. Lively table debates gave me a wealth of knowledge and an ease around strangers that helped me later in life.
I followed that example as a parent. As a friend of my daughter said, we were a “safe house” for many. Yes, we had some “eat the tablecloth”. We replaced and cleaned more, but we have dozens more people we really know now.
I have to say, it goes both ways. We were vulnerable opening up ourselves and our home. Most guests vulnerably opened up to us back. We loved & grew & gained so much together. Some guests didn’t. We were hospitable, but an opportunity was lost. It was sadly lopsided as they stood behind a reserve or social civility, but that was their choice. Julia in GI could have said no to the dinner because Gabriel was an ass, but she kept herself vulnerable to his mercurial nature. She kept the book going. She kept the relationship going. She tried to see God’s image in the other person. She was the wiser one. Openness and kindness is sometimes painful vulnerability. All you can do is try. Anyway-Pat
Loving your examples in addition to GI as ever SR. I love both films/stories you site. A friend of mine even named their son Atticus.
Your examples through out the book demonstrate how even when Gabriel’s exterior was more harsh at times, he wanted to care for Julia through providing for her. From The apple, to the steak dinner, the coffee, and his uncomfortable concern regarding her meager accommodation, and all the ways he thought to care for her through a drink or meal with accompanying garnish. That little bit of extra care. Julia returned this as well.
I learned of this concept every day from my father’s side of the family growing up. He loved through food, and caring for others, he was always welcoming and the best host.
Yes, German, Mennonites eat like Hobbits. A Hobbit has ‘second breakfast’, we had Faspa.
“”Faspa” is a low-German, Mennonite term used for a typical late afternoon lunch that for generations has been served in Mennonite homes. The lunch consists of fresh, homemade buns (zwiebach), butter, jam, coffee, and cheese. Faspa can also include fruit preserves, sausage or other sliced meat, and dessert. On a Sunday, Faspa would have been the evening meal, and often relatives and friends would stop over unannounced.” (Faspa Country: a Herbert story)
Because they were farmers there was often an early morning meal around 4:00 or 5:00 AM before going out to do morning chores and then another once then came in and prepared for the rest of their day.
Yes, the unannounced visitor or the planed one was always offered hospitality. He loved providing a hearty breakfast and or dinner, and if you need to stay the night a bed with the towels laid out. (Children got to camp out in the family room to accommodate for guests).
We took in many exchange students from around the world and they were treated to my dad’s form of caring. Also to the endless line of relatives where you would get an explanation that, “This is your 3rd cousin twice removed on my father’s side.” With the food comes conversation, kindness and fellowship.
If a guest arrives their will always be a spread and you will leave properly stuffed. You will be asked no less than 3 times if you would like a drink (usually coffee) or something to eat and that is before the meal that is already being prepared, and even if you insist you are fine and don’t need anything he would bring it anyway. You know, just in case you change your mind. My husband once he learned this concept would try by say “No thank you” X 3 in quick succession knowing the drink would still come. Refusing was inhospitable, but you were still offered kindness. They will get you at the next meal. 😉
Iris~Elli
Yet again one of your posts has me thinking about how I treat other people and how I can become a better person.
Although I have a slight problem in that the hospitality everyone mentions seems to be linked with a love of preparing and sharing food. And unfortunately cooking doesn’t rank it amongst my list of favourite things to do.
But you have me thinking – and that is a good thing.
This is a topic I can go on and on about, but I’ll try to show some restraint.
It’s hard to think of an occasion where food doesn’t play a role. Some cultures and religions even have a tradition of inviting family and friends for a meal after a funeral. It’s an important way to thank visitors for paying their respects. And really, what better way to celebrate that life goes on? We nourish the loved ones who nourish our souls with their sympathy, while also honoring the person who’s died.
Like Elli-Iris, I grew up in a culture where food was practically a member of the family. To this day, I can’t have visitors in my home without feeding them. Anything less is uncaring and rude. Ideally, this concern for friends’ comfort and enjoyment should extend well beyond the kitchen table. I could do better at remembering that.
Is it safe to say Gabriel Emerson has control issues? *grin* To me, this was evident the first few times he and Julia dined together in Toronto. He bought her a steak dinner at a venue of his choice to maintain control over the situation, but there was an apology in there somewhere. I also think his impulsive decision to take her to Harbor Sixty showed the earliest stirrings of his feelings for her. He saw her tiny apartment with no cooking facilities, and he wanted to care for her by feeding her. It’s not an instinct he recognizes, so he’s not aware of it.
In a later chapter, he attempts to feed Julia dessert after her cooked dinner in his condo. It isn’t only that he wants her to do as he says. He’s exhibiting his sexual prowess as well, in an obvious prelude to deeper physical intimacy. He knows he is much more experienced than Julianne so it’s a fairly calculated move on his part – and it is effective, as evidenced by Julia’s “food porn” comment. Later, when they are in Florence, the reader can see how much things have changed. They have greater emotional intimacy, and their meal is truly shared. This time, the prelude to their sexual intimacy has a much different tone than their first few meals together. They’ve arrived at a point where each is more able to receive what the other wants to give. They are physically sated more than once that evening.
(Parenthetically, it should be noted that the greatest physical satisfactions can come from food and sex. Both are also very delicious.)
That’s a great scene from “To Kill a Mockingbird.” I remember cringing on the boy’s behalf when Scout yelled “What the Sam Hill are you doin’?” after he doused the ham in syrup.
I am amazed, as always by your insights Mr. Reynard. Where I’m from, Dominican Republic (Carribean) food is so present in our everyday life, that I’ve never even stop to consider the meaning behind of it all. If I may, I need to point out that, that is one of the main reasons I love GI, It gets me thinking & analyzing.
Anyway, food is the most important guests to everything we do: birthdays, funerals, weddings, christmass, a visit from someone, gatherings, study groups, you name it. If there’s an activity, food will be there.
It is a form to show hospitality and affection and making feel welcome the other person. But it also presents the owner of the house the chance to show their skill. We have such a rich gastronomy, and people are always looking for ways to improve each recipe and make them their own, or to make the guest say “the was the best (certain plate) I’ve ever eaten”.
I think it isn’t as selfless as it may appear. It’s not only about making the other feel welcome, but feeling approved by the guest who can judge your entire personality based on the amount of food you give them, or what kind of dish you decide to serve, etc, etc.
However, I do agree with everything that has been said in this post. I’m thankful that you are such a dedicated writer and that you have so many wonderful thoughts to share with us.
Until next time.
Ana Lisbeth
Hello Everyone,
Thanks for sharing your insights and especially your stories of hospitality around the world. I really enjoyed reading them.
I appreciate you reading and taking the time to comment.
All the best and thanks again,
SR
This is a great topic and I can discuss this for hours, but i will *try* to be brief.. 🙂
To me, food is a manifestation of love. Food that’s prepared with love from the cooks heart always tastes different and much more delicious than one that’s prepared merely from a following a recipe.
BTW, The movie “Like Water for Chocolate” depicts the passing of emotion (not just love) through food very well (a highly recommended watch on its own..)
But the joy of feeding a loved one, in my humble opinion, really stems from our experiences in infancy. Breastfeeding mothers will attest to the elation and divine feeling of attachment they get from feeding their babies their own creation. Doctors will tell you about the various hormones and endorphins released from this act that are also passed on to the baby to create the same emotion. So the true sense of feeding a loved one is at the same time primal yet very satisfying – almost divine.
Ask any mediterranean, where broader families get together around weekly meals, and he/she will tell you that his/her mother’s or grandmother’s food are the best in the world. Why? because immense love was added as a key ingredient, consciously or not.
And so the coupling of food and hospitality makes sense – it’s a powerful means of giving love – one that is pleasurable to the guest, but also to the host.
Virginia Woolf wrote “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well.. until he has dined well.”. I wasn’t surprised that Gabriel invited Julianne out to dinner once he saw the Hobbit hole; it was his first sub-conscious way of showing love to her, and taking care of her, not just an act of showing remorse. Same when he picked an apple for her as one of his first gestures in the orchid.
BTW, I’m really enjoying your posts here, SR. They make me see the books in a whole different light, and give us much food for thought… Delicious food; cooked with love 🙂 Thank you!