Foods associated with the major settings of the book!

Foods associated with the major settings of the

book!

Cuisine of the French Antilles (French Caribbean)

“Hot food with lots of pepper so the day will feel cooler by comparison.”“They drink sweet drinks and swallow bitter coffee to distract their insides from the heat and weight of the sky.”

Seafood is abundant in the Caribbean. Traditional dishes of the region include: Shellfish, smoked fish, stuffed land crabs,

stewed conch, and curry dishes. A typical dish is "jerk" seasoned meats, commonly chicken. It is a unique, spicy flavor, similar to Louisiana Creole cuisine but has its own

distinctive flavor. Curry goat and chicken, rice& peas (beans) in a variety of sauces, Caribbean Goat Water stew, dumplings, breadfruit, green pawpaw (papaya), pelau, callaloo is a soup-

like dish containing leafy vegetables. Rum, wine, and champagne are all highly popular.

Cuisine of the French Antilles (French Caribbean)

Connection to Story Morrison used food both symbolically and metaphorically throughout this book. Can you describe one way that stands out for you while the setting is on the island? http://www.voki.com/php/viewmessage/?chsm=9c41573451b1e22cfb7ecdc892f92b29&mId=303354

“Cognac as Medicine” – Sydney demonstrating his disapproval of Valerian’s drinking.“Ondine had left the spiky skin on the underside deliberately-just to hurt and confuse her.” – Margaret’s paranoia over her lack of etiquette and stature.“Even the colored people down here don’t eat mangoes.” – Ondine demonstrating her disapproval of Margaret’s unreasonable demands & that “mango” is a low class fruit.“ the saffron had turned to garlic”- Upon reminiscing about Margaret’s childhood, to her father’s dismay, the aunt’s he flew down to find some familial trait that linked Margaret to his family had gone grey. (I had to add this one)“There is a rhythm to a meal” – Valerian’s manipulation and jab at Margaret’s lack of etiquette & daftness.“apples were contraband”- Therese getting Gideon to smuggle fruit when visitng because she longed for American fruit. “Faces that looked up out of peaches” – Valerian comparing the vulnerability and innocense of how Son looked eating the first night and how Michael looked up at him as a boy when hiding under the sink and even as a “30 year old Socialist”.

Traditional French CuisineSome of the world's most expensive foods come from France, due in large part to their rareness

and preparation techniques.Bouillabaisse (fish soup), crepes, crème brulee,

cheeses such as Roquefort and Brie, French bread baguettes, escargot (snails), croissants.

Breakfast is usually a quick meal, croissant with butter, chocolate filled pastry, or cheese and bread with coffee or tea. Whereas lunch is

traditionally more leisurely (1-2 hours), and dinner is usually a three course meal. Wine is a popular

drink.Nouvelle Cuisine emphasizes the natural flavours,

textures, and colours of foodstuffs. It is also influenced by the Japanese style of food

presentation.   

Traditional French Cuisine

Connection to Story

Morrison used food both symbolically and metaphorically throughout this book. Can you describe one way that stands out for you when Jade is living in France? http://www.voki.com/php/viewmessage/?chsm=7e65e3a449b6f3ecc4c8a620bdcb04d0&mId=303357

“tacky menu of dishes Easterners thought up for Westerners in order to indispose them.” – Describing Jade and her trendy lifestyle in Paris.“Like the arugula leaf, life was green and nicely curved.” – Again, describing her neat and pretty life there.

Traditional Manhattan Cuisine

*Chinatown* *Little Italy* *Washington Heights* * Harlem**Spanish Harlem* *Koreatown* *Fashion District* *lower east side* *Wall street* *Upper East side* Upper West side* *Theater district* *greenwich village* *Tribeca*

*chelsea* *SOHO*Large variety of ethnic food representational of its population. Additionally, each neighborhood has its own style and personality reflective in the cuisine of the area as well as the price tag.

“ They would fall out of Max’ Kansas City at 4:00am;…drink coffee in the Village, eat bean pie on 135th Street, Paella on Eighty-first Street;…eat yogurt on the steps of the Forty-second Street library;…chocolate chip cookies in Grand Central Station, drink margaritas at Suggs, and shop Spanish and West Indian at the Park Avenue Market.”

Traditional Manhattan Cuisine

Connection to Story

Morrison used food both symbolically and metaphorically throughout this book. Can you describe one way that stands out for you while Jade & Son are in Manhattan? http://www.voki.com/php/viewmessage/?chsm=aeb01cb50a024017bd6f67d5c40ea217&mId=303361

“He needed……the simple green rage of the avocado, the fruit of the banana trees puffed up “ – Son’s uneasiness and difficult adaptation to the hardness of New York.

“The girl’s face was as tight and mean as broccoli”- Son’s assessment of a girl in NY who was hardened by the city and all that she had been through.

Traditional Southern Cuisine

Foods that became part of the Southern diet from African-American heritage include eggplant, kola nuts, sesame seeds, okra, sorghum, field peas, black-eyed peas, African rice and some melons A traditional Southern meal is deep fried chicken, field peas, mashed potatoes, cornbread, sweet tea and a dessert that could be a pie (sweet potato, pecan and peach are traditional southern pies), or a cobbler (peach, blackberry or mixed berry are traditional cobblers).

Some other foods commonly associated with the South are mint juleps, pecan pie, country ham, chicken or chicken fried steak, grits, buttermilk biscuits, especially with gravy or sorghum, hush puppies, pimento cheese, sweet tea, pit barbecue, catfish, fried green tomatoes, bread pudding, okra, butter beans, pinto beans, turnip, collard, or mustard greens, and black eyed peas. A common snack food, in season, is boiled peanuts.

Louisiana Creole & Cajun cuisine is centered in New Orleans. Hot sauce , crawfish, crab, oysters, shrimp, and fish are a large part of the menu in this region. Gumbo and jambalaya are popular dishes. Pralines are a local favorite. Other regional favorites are: Brunswick stew (VA), Florida is home of the Key lime pie and swamp cabbage, and Texas barbeque and chili.

Traditional Southern Cuisine

“In the kitchen a pepperpot was simmering.” “Barb B Que sandwiches”

Connection to Story

Morrison used food both symbolically and metaphorically throughout this book. However, food is barely mentioned in the section where they are in Florida. What reason might Morrison have for doing this?

One reason might be that she did not want to reinforce negative stereotypes associated with black people from the southern plantations.

http://www.voki.com/php/viewmessage/?chsm=7056814afdb131ad40229ddcc7670e83&mId=303581

Traditional Christmas Dinner

Olliballen

Lemon Whip

Significance of Christmas Dinner in Story

Christmas represents pleasant memories of family and love for most people. Describe a character who seems to look at this Christmas dinner as being a defining moment for them. http://www.voki.com/php/viewmessage/?chsm=c6a9a1a399bf422a7763d4799dbeea92&mId=303383

For Margaret, she is awaiting Michael’s visit. This will be the catalyst for change in her life she hopes. She wants a traditional Christmas dinner from back home to entice him to take her back with him. Later, she hopes that he will stay. It all seems to hinge on a perfect Christmas dinner, which she even offers to cook herself.

Ondine seems to be indifferent to the whole idea. It’s almost blasphemous to her to change things so. Turkey for Christmas? She is not cooking but more work for her in terms of cleanup.

Jadine is using this time as an escape from making decisions about the course of her future. She comes back home for the security of the only family she knows. She is anticipating Ryk’s arrival, at the same time she makes alternate plans in her head as to what she will do…but the final decision will be made after Christmas dinner.

Valerian is at first livid with the whole idea of dredging up the past issues he has with Michael. He later , after Son’s arrival and he and Margaret are getting closer, gets caught up in the festivities and even suggests Margaret make traditional family dessert.

Son is waiting until after Christmas dinner so he can get his papers & get on with his life.

Sydney is trying to keep the peace & is shaken by how the status quo has changed. He dutifully follows instructions for Christmas dinner arrangements.

Sourceshttp://www.frenchcaribbean.com/St-Martin/info/pages/SMDiningNightLife.htmlhttp://www.destination360.com/caribbean/dininghttp://martinique-guide.info/food/http://guadeloupe-guide.info/food/http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/all-areas/financial-district/american-traditional/http://www.nyc.com/restaurants/http://www.traditionalfrenchfood.com/famous-french-food.htmlhttp://frenchfood.about.com/od/explorefrenchfood/u/ClassicMeals.htmhttp://southernfood.about.com/http://southerncuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/southern_food_traditionshttp://Wikipedia.com