For the most part, my unconscious mind has been strong enough to evade the grasp of advertising and its influence. Rarely was I ever compelled by a tiger to buy frosted flakes or picked my brand of tampons based on how fresh and fancy-free the model looked. But while a cheap jingle is equivalent to white noise, stories via movies, tv shows, and books can trigger a Pavlovian response. Here are some of the food cravings and curiosities that I developed through my adventures in art, entertainment and literature.
1. Turkish Delight: As you may remember from THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, turkish delight was the seductive sweet that Edmund eats after crossing through the wardrobe to Narnia. When I read the book in grade school, I had no idea what Turkish delight really was but imagined it was the magnum opus of all things sweet that I desired. Many years later when I was at a Moroccan restaurant in Cannes, I had my first taste of Turkish delight. I was disappointed to see that it was nothing other than a slightly more nuanced version of ‘Aplets and Cotlets’ which I would often receive unenthusiastically during the holidays as a child. For those who don’t know – ‘Aplets and Cotlets’ are cubes of flavored jellies, sometimes packed with walnuts and dusted with powder sugar. While most European styles of Turkish delight are more subtle – flavored with honey, rosewater or lemon, the version made by Liberty Orchards is fruit-based and for my tastes, cloyingly sweet.. For those waxing nostalgic for Turkish delight this holiday season, here’s a link to a retailer in the US who makes European style versions of this confection with a special LION, WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE gift package.
2. Martinis: Before SEX AND THE CITY and the 90s altogether neutered the martini with sugary syrups, the martini had respect. It was not sweet, it wasn’t pink, and didn’t taste like a mouthful of lifesavers. It was cool, smooth, and assertive. In the hands of Nick and Nora and, James Bond the martini evoked class, style, and insouciance. Aston Martin may elude you, but a martini is surely within reach.
3. Baked Ziti: After watching SOPRANOS episodes with Father Phil lusting after Carmela’s baked ziti, I couldn’t handle it any longer. Watching him stuff down that old school cheesy pile of pasta compelled me to make a beeline to Miceli’s. Their baked ziti is definitely the shortcut version where it’s more like ziti heated with tomato and cheese (rather than slow baked like lasagne). But if you’re willing to go through the work, here’s the recipe from the Sopranos cookbook.
4. Marmalade Buns: Reading any early American or British kid literature meant growing up with cravings that rarely could be satisfied easily by going to the corner store. Closest thing I had was canned biscuits from the Chinatown market that sold some Brit imports for Hong Kongers. From PADDINGTON BEAR’s marmalade buns to the RAILWAY CHILDREN’s paper wrapped cake, I have to thank English blogger Flora for posting about CHERRY CAKE AND GINGER BEER, a lovely little cookbook with recipes from our childhood stories. A nice holiday purchase for anyone who has been craving crumpets, sugarplums, trifles and treacle…
Would love to hear if any films, books, or tv shows inspired similar food cravings or curiosities for you.
I too was inspired to try Orange Marmalade after reading the Paddington Bear stories. But it was too “rindy” and bitter for me at the time. I keep trying it periodically, usually in diners with those little jelly packets, to see if my tastes have changed, but I still don’t like it. The Borrowers made my obsessed with all things related to afternoon tea, and Harriet the Spy made me try a chocolate egg cream on a trip to Philly. We didn’t have egg creams in Cleveland. That was good.
As a kid, I probably would not have liked spinach had it not been for Popeye.
I always wanted a steak after Fred Flintstone ordered it at the drive-in during the end credits.
Also, I watched the Brady Bunch growing up and wanted “Pork Chops and Apple Sauce”…. and mashed potatoes. That’s when I realized my family was different. We always had rice. I asked my mom to make mashed potatoes like Alice did for the Brady kids, and she baked potatoes and mushed them. They were dry and didn’t taste very good.
After watching the godfather part I when Peter Clemenza was trying to teach Michael Corleone how to cook sphagetti sauce, i’ve been a big tomatoes and pasta sauce fan and never looked back. hehe
Another Narnia flashback — toffee from “The Magician’s Nephew”. Salt water taffy from Sex and the City, where they go to Atlantic city. It was good, but nowhere as good as Carrie made it out to be. And still need to try Kataifi, from “A Fire in the Sun.”
A former girlfriend asked me one time to make Capezzoli de Venere (Nipples of Venus) from Amadeus. Very time consuming but worth it.