Food in Literature
What is a famous drink you can get in Hogsmead?
Butter Beer. Remember kids, drink responsibly. And by that I mean don't drink. Unless you are in your own home with your parents' permission to drink. Then by all means, go crazy.
In the 1800s, Ireland went through a famine in relation to one type of food. This was a popular food due to how easy it was to grow and how plentiful it usually was. What was the name of the famine?
The Great Potato Famine
What does the Hamantaschen represent?
Either Hamen’s ears or triangular hat. Either one works.
Are shrimp Kosher?
NO. No invertebrates are kosher. This includes shellfish, snakes, and crustaceans. Fun fact, fish are apparently vertebrates. I had no idea they had such a backbone...I’ll see myself out.
On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, it is customary to eat apples dipped in honey. What does this sweet treat represents?
The apples dipped in honey represent sweetness for the coming year. A common saying on Rosh Hashanah is “Shanah Tovah,” which translates to “Have a sweet new year!” Isn’t that adorable? The rest of these questions won’t be this easy.
While this isn't technically literature, this movie villain is known for their peculiar taste in food. The reason they are so feared in both their shows and movies is because while their food looks exquisite, the consumers soon realize that they are eating...other humans. What infamous serial killer is this?
Hannibal Lector
This vegetable was considered to bring protection to those who wielded it throughout the ancient world. It was used for protection. Koreans used it to ward off tigers, Europeans used it to keep away vampires, and Greeks used to to repel demons.
Garlic. Garlic was used as a protective shield against spiritual evils in many cultures. This is most likely because it is effective at repelling mosquitos and other insects. The diseases mosquitoes carried often were attributed to vampires and other malignant entities, and garlic kept the mosquitos, and therefore the “monsters,” away. To be fair, mosquitoes should count as monsters all on their own.
What does the bread and wine represent in Christianity?
It represents the body and blood of Christ. Christians get closer to Him when they eat it. Um...that's a thing.
There is a type of kosher animal that does not need to be ritualistically slaughtered (not a specific species. Just a certain type of animal. Ex: cats or birds. Something like that.
Answer: Fish. Gotta love seafood. Fun fact, the person who kills the animal in a kosher manner is called a “shochet”
Christianity and Judaism paint apples in a bad light sometimes. AFter all, Adam and Eve ate an apple, the FORBIDDEN FRUIT, thus casting themselves out of the Garden of Eden. The Romans and Greeks thought differently. Name one positive thing apples represented in these cultures.
Answers: love, beauty (the core of the apple actually represented a certain female body part), and fertility (Zeus and Hera had an apple at their wedding).
I doubt you remember who this is, but who is the author of "Like Water, Like Chocolate." What literary device is she known for using? Give an example.
Laura Esquivel and magical realism.
In the American Revolution, one seafood was used as an insult to the Redcoats. The food was considered cheap as it was so plentiful, but today it is ironically an expensive and delicious dish. What food is it?
Lobster. The British soldiers were called “lobsterbacks” because they wore red. The 13 colonies were also established on the East Coast, on the coast. Lobster was plentiful and cheap, so why not make the connection to the Britts and insult them?
Fasting is done to help understand what sacrificing food is like and understanding wht those who go without food feel like. It is also done to help focus your mind on selfless matters and to give up something. There is a Muslim holiday where Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset every day for a solid month. What is this holiday called?
Ramadan. A month long holiday, folks. And you think Yom Kippur is hard. Ha!
Why is a giraffe not Kosher?
A giraffe is actually Kosher. However, an animal must be slaughtered in a humane fashion in order for it to be considered kosher, and it is unknown where on the body a giraffe must be sliced for it to not feel pain and therefore be kosher. We can’t exactly go around experimenting.
Who was the American icon who went throughout the Midwest planting appleseeds?
Johnny Appleseed. Fun facts! Johnny was actually named John Chapman. He did not randomly plant trees, either. He would plant about 50 trees in each location, thereby claiming the land he planted on. Once he finished growing the orchard, he would sell the land and move on, which made him quite rich by his death at 70 years of age. More fascinating, people did not eat the apples he grew. Instead, the apples were used to make apple cider, as cider was tasty and unlike water, carried much fewer dangerous germs.
French food was not always popular to Americans. What chef wrote cookbooks and had a tv show that brought french cooking to the masses? As a hint, her cookbooks are not exactly full of healthy foods. She had calf brains in one of them. Ewy.
Julia Child.
One famous “food” during WWII helped win the war. It was cheap, has essentially no expiration date, and was easy to make. This meaty substance eventually became disliked by the troops because they had so much, but it still did its fair share of keeping our soldiers well-fed and ready for battle. What was it?
SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM!!! Funnily enough, the comedy group Monty Python did a sketch on spam, where they said it a million bajillion times to make fun of how undesirable and widespread it was. This eventually evolved into the spam we all know today, junk mail, or half of your snapchats.
Name four of the items on the seder plate and what they represent.
Karpas and salt water (tears), marror (bitter herbs) represents slavery and how bad it was, shank bone (sacrifice in ancient times), charoset (mortar we used as slaves to build things) matzah (unleavened bread. tasty), egg (circle of life or new life or other things)
What are the two things water animals need to be considered kosher?
Fins and scales. The Torah says that the “hese may ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them may ye eat...Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that is a detestable thing unto you” (JPS Leviticus 11 9:12)
Who was the GREEK hero to steal the golden apples of the Hesperides and killed a lot of famous Greek monsters?
HERCALES! NOT HERCULES! HERCULES WAS ROMAN! Still, I know you probably said Hercules, and I feel bad, so you get the points. Extra brownie points for Hercales, though. Fun fact, ya boi Herc’s exploits were all (with the exception of stealing Hippolyta's girdle) all about defeating a monster stronger than your average mortal. Or bear. They are all more dangerous or at least stronger/faster than a bear. Now, how is this having to do with besting a monster? I’m glad you ask! The apples were in a secret garden guarded by a gargantuan dragon (with many many many heads). That’s a tongue twister! Still, Herc got the Titan Atlas to get the apples for him instead of fighting the dragon himself. He did hold up the sky, though. That was cool. And here’s an interesting fact, Herc had to do these tasks as penance for killing his family, as his fatal weakness is anger. I guess by fighting these creatures he managed to put this anger to good use, even though these tasks were meant to be virtually impossible and also quite pointless. After he caught Cerberus, he was told to let the doggy go! I mean, he did it for nothing!
In "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe," the White Witch tempts Edmond to join her using a particular food, what is it?
Turkish Delight. Turkish Delight was insanely popular in Victorian England. You needed to get it all the way from Turkey, as it was made there. It was also a food of high quality that tasted very good and was popular with the upper class. This level of class, luxury, and good cuisine is what tempted Edmond. Not the simple request for some grub. Ok...the food tasted good.
According to Steve Barnard, President of the biggest distributor and producer of a certain fruit on earth, Project Produce, You couldn’t pick a worse time of year [fr the government shutdown] because Mexico supplies virtually 100% of the [BLANK] in the US right now.” Furthermore, it is projected that the US will run out of run out of [BLANK] in three weeks….from April 1st. That was a few weeks ago. What fruit is this?
AVACADOS!!!
What is a sweet cookie with honey inside eaten in Greece for Christmas?
Melomakarona
The pig has a split hoof and cloven feet, but it is unkosher. Why?
A land animal needs to have cloven feet, split hooves, and chew cud. A pig does not chew cud, so it is unkosher (Leviticus 11).
Thetis (a sea nymph) and Peleus’s (Achille’s dad) wedding began the Trojan War. All the gods were invited, except for one, Eris. Eris was a troublesome goddess, bringing chaos wherever she went. She got angry, and dropped a shiny apple at the party, explaining to the guests that only the most gorgeous of the goddesses may have it. This apple, and an argument between three powerful angry goddesses, would soon cause a war, the Trojan War. You know the war’s name, but what is the name of the apple? For brownie points, who was chosen to be the judge of the goddess’ beauty?
The Golden Apple of Discord. Parris, the most beautiful man there, was chosen by Zeus to judge who was the most beautiful goddess. Athena offered him riches beyond measure if he chose her, and Hera offered power, but Aphrodite offered Helen, the prettiest woman on the planet. Parris being...an ancient Greek male, chose the hot lady, taking the MARRIED Helen for his wife. Her husband, the Trojan King, was not happy, and so began the Trojan War.