FOOD IN YOUR WORLD

It’s the little things that color your world. Some you never really think about but just do. When you’re world building, whether in a fantasy world, science fiction, or in the real world, one way or another, your characters are eventually going to eat or drink something.

How’re you going to handle it?

Not everyone is going to buy off on McDonalds.

USING REAL-WORLD FOOD

Even in a fantasy or science fiction world, there’s nothing wrong with using real-world food. This is a case where maybe you just give this real-world food different names and slightly altered the descriptions.

Also, you probably shouldn’t take a modern-day, current recipe and use it in a fantasy setting. On the other hand, in a science-fiction world, maybe you could use it but call it an antique or ancient dish of some kind.

The last thing you want to do is jerk the reader out of your world because you use some meal that doesn’t belong.

On the other hand, steak is steak. Chicken is chicken. However, in your fantasy world, maybe you’d call it cow or bird or some other variation to keep it a bit isolated from the real-world. If it were science fiction, maybe make it synthetic, or make it real but rare, because in the future, real meat is a rare and valuable commodity (though this seems to be a trope nowadays).

Then again, there’s nothing wrong with world building real steak and chicken right into your fantasy world along with…

MADE-UP FOOD

In world-building, part of the fun IS world-building. In other words, you’re making this all up. That includes the minor details that bring it alive. Food is a good example. Exotic to mundane dishes dredged up from your imagination (that you’ve cleverly disguised to seem more than they really are) make for great dressing (ha ha) for your meals.

My only suggestion is that you don’t make these dishes either too complex, or too revolting so that they turn off the reader. At least keep them less revolting for the main characters, or at least some of them. Then again, it would be kind of fun to see some characters eat stuff that is completely revolting. They’ve done this with science fiction and fantasy. The point is that you don’t want the food to distract too much from the rest of the story. It should enhance the story, not give the reader nightmares!

REAL-WORLD FOOD

There are no restrictions on what you can do here. You can go for simple, snooty exotic, to anything in-between. That’s entirely up to you, and the character of your characters. In fact, food can be a key part of your character’s character. It should be an enhancement though, and not a distraction.

SUMMARY

We don’t eat, we drop dead.

Therefore, it’s a critical element in any story, whether real-world, fantasy or science fiction.

How you use food in your story is up to you, but it should enhance the experience and not be a distraction.

Happy writing!