How Food & Travel Inspire My Romantic Comedies
When I ask you about Italy, whether you’ve been or you dream of going, chances are pretty good that while expounding on your trip, you’ll utter something along the lines of, “And oh, the pasta!”
And of course, you’ll say that! Italians have built up notoriety for romance, travel and food. So, is it any wonder that my books set in Italy included a lot of pasta and wine and pastries and cappuccinos?
And it seems, that is one of the many elements of my books, readers seem to enjoy:
“Luscious; everything about this book is luscious – from the characters, to the exquisitely detailed settings, to the mouthwatering descriptions of food, wine and cappuccinos.” – Ariane Kimlinger
“Nicole Sharp describes the historical sites, food, and people of Italy in such wonderful and vivid detail it makes me want to hop on plane tomorrow.” – Maryanne Barsotti
“…the biggest love affair in the book is with Italy itself, with its people, culture, food and history…” Barbara Lennox
“Her deep knowledge and love for Italy—its food, wine, cappuccinos, sights, sounds, and adventures—shine through on every page…” -Laurie Buchanan
“…be sure to have your local Italian restaurant’s online delivery menu pulled up, you’re going to want to use it.” – H.C. Newton
Why Food and Romance Go Hand in Hand in Fiction
Everyone eats. It’s a common denominator. Food is fuel. Food is life. Food can unite us. Food can comfort us. Hell, ‘Foodporn’ is a hashtag.
How we eat is even a characteristic, and there is a lot you can learn from a person by the way they eat: She’s a steak and potatoes girl; she eats like a bird. He ate like a man starved for attention. She cut up her food in small, nickel-sized bites. They ate and talked over each other with a relish for life that was overbearing and enviable.
Food is connection. The physical act of making food with someone, going out to eat with someone, and even scrolling social media is a connection.
How many times have you been scrolling and stopped to watch a cake being frosted, or chicken being seared, or vegetables being julienned? How many recipes have you looked up, only to be fed a long blog post about the history of the dish you’re about to make? (Thank god for that ‘jump to recipe’ button, right?)
In my writing, food is another way of luring the reader further into the story. So they can’t wait to turn the page, so they whisper to themselves ‘one more chapter’, in the middle of the night. Because food is love.
Really, I’ve found food useful in romance stories, because our sense of memory is so deeply ingrained in our sense of smell.
Imagine, a character walking into a dimly lit restaurant in Florence the week of Christmas and is met by “the smells of onion, garlic and other baked goodness” – the reader is physically in the moment.
Maybe we all haven’t spent any winter months in a foreign country, but at some point in our lives, we’ve all sniffed onion and garlic, homemade bread and spices in the winter and had a reaction. Maybe we closed our eyes in appreciation, snuggled into a chair, sighed deeply.
But it’s not just about the sense of smell, it’s what the reader gets to see and hear that continues to pull them deeper into the narrative:
“The soft din of conversation, ting of silverware against dishes, and flickering candles on each table along with dim overhead lighting…”
As readers, we’re tucked into a romantic moment. So it’s time to add some texture:
“The walls were exposed brick in all shades of red; and pillars throughout the dining area – where arched ceilings intersected – created cozy nooks for diners. Sconces with subdued lighting hung at various intervals along with black and white photos of Florence.”
Now it’s time to get down to business. It’s time to taste the food:
“Isabelle drank a romantic glass of red wine; had crostini that melted in her mouth; tortellini in broth that she would probably search the rest of her life to find again; a side of baked onion in a parmesan sauce that was enlightening; and finally, a grilled beef filet that made her question if she even knew what good cooking was.
The entire meal was eaten slowly, reverently; while the wine loosened their bones and increased lowered lashes and suggestive smiles.”
Food sparks chemistry.
Of course, my books aren’t all romantic dinners. I love my coffee. So coffee does a lot of heavy lifting. (Coffee might just be its own character.) But it’s another way to develop characters and help ‘show’ who they are, rather than telling.
How someone takes their coffee, how quickly or slowly they drink it. Maybe they nervously rip up a napkin while talking, maybe they lounge in their chair, or sit forward pressed against the table. Coffee can allow the discussion of nonsense, the declaration of secrets or create problems.
Food defines us.
Travel Destinations That Inspire My Stories
In 2001, my family took the great Griswold Family vacation to Italy. To this day, when we visit, we talk about the food: Remember how Grandma ordered gelato every day and only wanted peach, never trying anything else? Remember the fish in Venice? To die for. Remember the Brunello wine we had in Montalcino? The place with the castle? Remember the pizza the last night? We watched some Italian movie in the hotel room and laughed and laughed.
Food is memory.
As a writer whose books are destination romantic comedies with a side of adventure and a cappuccino, the food I describe is pulled from the memories of my visits, but it also definitely denotes a sense of place.
There are a lot of misconceptions we have about how Italians eat and I’ve wanted to do that justice. For example, even though we think Italians eat pasta every day, they really don’t. They also don’t slather sauce on their pasta. When it comes to ‘saucing’ their pasta, they use just enough to coat the noodles. And there is no such thing as a pepperoni pizza in Italy. A peperoni (one ‘p’) in Italy, is a bell pepper.
Italians pride themselves on using fresh ingredients in their day to day lives. So much so, they quite intensely eat with the season. I wanted to make sure to do this issue justice, and spent lengthy discussions with my sister as I wrote each of my Italian books, so the characters would be
In the section above, when I wrote about Florence at Christmas time, (Italian for Christmas) one of the most popular dishes at that time of year is tortellini in broth, so I made sure to mention it.
Now, you might wonder, is this important? To me it most definitely is! There have been Italians in Florence who’ve read my books and have told me how the little things, such as having characters eating in season food, impressed them and helped draw them into the story even more.
It isn’t just the seasonal foods that get love.
Food is a character.
Some of the restaurants I’ve mentioned in my books are real, others are amalgamations. But when I talk about the real locations, I hope to do the food justice. One of my favorite meals I had in Florence was at a restaurant called Trattoria 4 Leoni. I loved the pasta they are known for so much, I used it in my book Big Trouble in Little Italy:
“It’s time for lunch.” He pointed out an awning large enough to cover ten outside tables from the elements … We walked around the tables and behind them was the entrance of 4 Leoni, which was etched into the glass door. “Four Leoni?” I read. “Quattro Leoni, Four lions,” Carlo supplied as he pulled the door open for me. The restaurant was clean and functional in its decor. Brick walls, earthy beams overhead and white tablecloths …
A waiter … set identical plates in front of each of us …
“This restaurant is known for fiocchetti, this type of pasta. It’s stuffed with pears and cheese and then served in a cheese sauce with asparagus,” Parker explained.
I sighed and took a bite and my eyes rounded. “Oh God,” I said with a mouthful. I do believe angels sang a heavenly refrain somewhere nearby. Taste buds I didn’t even know existed exploded in a rhapsody of sound and color. … the kind of pasta people talk about when they refer to life changing Italian cuisine. We ate in silence and when I took a drink of wine, for the first time in my life I understood what ‘pairing’ a wine with food meant. The symphony was extraordinary. A little bowl of pasta, the right bread and wine. I was about to drown in this Italian moment…”
I try to use my words and descriptions of food for good while I write sensory filled romantic meals, friendly coffee dates, or sisterly lunches; all in the hopes that the reader ‘felt like they were really there’.
Where to Find The Italian Stories
Whether you want to read about Keats McCall’s Italian Holiday with arancini, prosecco and Pasta alla arnancata; or Jessica Dodd’s caffeinated high stakes trip, laden with eye rolling pasta … you’ll always find my stories infused with coffee, cuisine, and adventure. Find them all HERE!
What’s one meal you still talk about to this day? Share below!
