You might have noticed I like detailing the meals my characters eat in my books. That is no accident. I’ve always loved good descriptions of food in fiction, and while I do it in a more cursory way than my favorite authors I still have to do it.
Living in France means great food, but there are things I can’t get in this country. You might have noticed some of those things in Making Her His. Did you know you can’t get roast beef here? And for a long time the only iced tea you could buy was peach. I would kill for a lemon Snapple. Or clam chowder. And one day I’ll go back to Santorini to get another plate of shrimp saganaki from that one restaurant overlooking the caldera- if I can remember the name. Lots of places there serve shrimp saganaki and no two places do it the same. And when I’m doing that I’m going to stuff my face with real Greek yogurt served with honey and nuts, which is nothing like the stuff you can get in the grocery store.
I don’t always focus on what I can’t have. I’ve mentioned a few dishes that I can get regularly. A good duck confit is an unparalleled experience. This region of France is known for duck and duck products. Foie gras, magret… it’s all so very good. Not PC, but if that’s important to you, France is not the place for you. I once had a hachis parmentier of shredded duck confit covered in foie gras poêlé, which was in turn covered by the most buttery potatoes you’ve ever had. Someone in my books needs to have that dish someday.
You’ll see more of my cravings in print when Calen’s Captive hits your e-readers 🙂