I once read a blog about how certain books get along well with certain foods (can't remember where but it sure was an interesting perspective). I have never quite paid attention to the link between food and books because the book usually has all my attention when i am eating. But this post made me reflect on the link.
While to my mind, food doesn't seem to improve my reading experience or worsen it on most accounts (unless of course the book deals with extremely gross details which only prompt me to throw up or extremely yummy food which make crave for some), I now think that books do probably share certain parallels with food.
Certain books are my first resort when i need a laugh. Like comfort food (desserts and cookies in my case) I turn to them very soon at every crisis and they leave me with a feel-good factor. They make me forgive, forget and forge ahead. Who other in this category than Wodehouse ? I have rarely read a book of his and not had a hearty laugh. But then, like all good things, i can't enjoy too much of it for too long. Don't misunderstand me, i love the happy endings and i love the humor but I soon crave for some complication and some drama to mimic real life. I like to not know that all will be well in the end and that life is not always as rosy as PGW paints it to be.
And then i move on to different stuff - spicy, tangy, healthy or just plain old junk.
Then there are some books like the yummy junk food fare. Easy to get, easy to read, in fact, they are almost addictive, but they dont leave much of an impact. The are like the water drops on a lotus leaf, ready to roll off your mind space at the next available diversion. They entertain you and they keep you happily occupied when in hand but they do no long term good for you. This category probably belongs to those easy fictions which are not full of eloquent prose but they have a gripping storyline that keeps you hooked. In excessive dosage of course, like the junk food, they could have their side effects.
Then there are the healthy foods and the healthy books. Foods, which can be tasteless and bland and books which can be tough and chewy. Books which can tire you but which are rich in ideas and facts. These are books that require your full attention and can't be read with a wandering mind. A lot of the non-fiction i've read falls into this category where the reader needs to be in active dialogue with the writer. Its almost like a debate at times as the writer tries to convince you of his take. SJ Gould, Pinker, Penrose and many other writers have that effect on me. Even in fiction, writers like Ayn Rand, Dostoyevsky, Rushdie get me thinking and wondering. But then I do get tired with these too and then i crave for something more effortless. Like a day or two's binge which breaks off the monotony of the healthy streak.
And then there is a happy medium. More like home cooked food. It depends on how you cook it or on how you read it. You could dip deep into the allegories, the hidden meanings, the socio-political structure, the history of a book, the times of the writer or you could just read it as another story. Completely left at your discretion. These are mostly books which are full of rich prose and fascinating characters that keep your attention from wandering but they are not the books that will build on your grey cells. There also some popular science books like that of Simon Singh which are informative and yet light on reading. They leave you feeling enriched nonetheless. It is difficult to find this happy medium of books which teach and enrich your mind with out straining your thoughts. Its however nice to find these books once in a while but then their nature is such that you rush through them sooner than later.
So, now when I think of it... books and foods do share a link. A link different from what the other blogger envisaged but then that's probably just because I am catching on late... :) Maybe eventually, i will find that certain foods go well with certain books.
But till then, its probably still a good thought to raise a toast to books - our constant source of some great food (for thought) :) !!
While to my mind, food doesn't seem to improve my reading experience or worsen it on most accounts (unless of course the book deals with extremely gross details which only prompt me to throw up or extremely yummy food which make crave for some), I now think that books do probably share certain parallels with food.
Certain books are my first resort when i need a laugh. Like comfort food (desserts and cookies in my case) I turn to them very soon at every crisis and they leave me with a feel-good factor. They make me forgive, forget and forge ahead. Who other in this category than Wodehouse ? I have rarely read a book of his and not had a hearty laugh. But then, like all good things, i can't enjoy too much of it for too long. Don't misunderstand me, i love the happy endings and i love the humor but I soon crave for some complication and some drama to mimic real life. I like to not know that all will be well in the end and that life is not always as rosy as PGW paints it to be.
And then i move on to different stuff - spicy, tangy, healthy or just plain old junk.
Then there are some books like the yummy junk food fare. Easy to get, easy to read, in fact, they are almost addictive, but they dont leave much of an impact. The are like the water drops on a lotus leaf, ready to roll off your mind space at the next available diversion. They entertain you and they keep you happily occupied when in hand but they do no long term good for you. This category probably belongs to those easy fictions which are not full of eloquent prose but they have a gripping storyline that keeps you hooked. In excessive dosage of course, like the junk food, they could have their side effects.
Then there are the healthy foods and the healthy books. Foods, which can be tasteless and bland and books which can be tough and chewy. Books which can tire you but which are rich in ideas and facts. These are books that require your full attention and can't be read with a wandering mind. A lot of the non-fiction i've read falls into this category where the reader needs to be in active dialogue with the writer. Its almost like a debate at times as the writer tries to convince you of his take. SJ Gould, Pinker, Penrose and many other writers have that effect on me. Even in fiction, writers like Ayn Rand, Dostoyevsky, Rushdie get me thinking and wondering. But then I do get tired with these too and then i crave for something more effortless. Like a day or two's binge which breaks off the monotony of the healthy streak.
And then there is a happy medium. More like home cooked food. It depends on how you cook it or on how you read it. You could dip deep into the allegories, the hidden meanings, the socio-political structure, the history of a book, the times of the writer or you could just read it as another story. Completely left at your discretion. These are mostly books which are full of rich prose and fascinating characters that keep your attention from wandering but they are not the books that will build on your grey cells. There also some popular science books like that of Simon Singh which are informative and yet light on reading. They leave you feeling enriched nonetheless. It is difficult to find this happy medium of books which teach and enrich your mind with out straining your thoughts. Its however nice to find these books once in a while but then their nature is such that you rush through them sooner than later.
So, now when I think of it... books and foods do share a link. A link different from what the other blogger envisaged but then that's probably just because I am catching on late... :) Maybe eventually, i will find that certain foods go well with certain books.
But till then, its probably still a good thought to raise a toast to books - our constant source of some great food (for thought) :) !!
1 comment:
A nice post :). Totally agree with the analogies!
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