I love The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Love them.
Love them so much that I dragged my friends to the midnight IMAX show last night following a Hunger Games-themed dinner cooked by yours truly from recipes from the Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook!
No, I am not a 14 year old girl 😉
In all honesty, the book is all about interesting food topics: locavorism, foraging, food as metaphor, the symbolic and cultural value of food, historical food, food as communication, what it means to be hungry, to improvise, to remember. It’s about decadence and poverty.
And there wasn’t enough food in the movie. Which is a crying shame.
More details to follow, but just to peak your interest, the evening’s menu was:
“Caesar” salad
District 11 Crescent Moon Rolls with Sesame Seeds
Katniss’s Favorite Lamb Stew with Dried Plums
Rum-macerated Strawberries with Prim’s Goat’s Milk Ice Cream
Stay tuned!
(especially because that stew called for 5 cups of prunes)
coolcookstyle 
I had never heard of the Hunger Games before but last night on the public news they had a 15 minute segment on the books and the movie. (Can you tell I’m 40 and live in a bubble? LOL) I was like “Hmmm…maybe I should read these.” If you like them that much then I think I would probably like them too. Is this the next Harry Potter? If I read them would I feel young and hip again? The unofficial cookbook is on Kindle. Maybe I’ll check it out. 🙂
Oh gosh! You are still very young and very hip!
I think that you should totally check out the books and the unofficial cookbook! I don’t know if I like it more than Harry Potter (I think that the series is shorter, so I am less attached), but I actually would recommend it. I think you would be hooked!
I just downloaded a sample of the Hunger Games on my Kindle. I think I might be hooked now. Love the writing style and the content! Awesome!
I know! Everyone is completely obsessed with eating. Which is why I was a little disappointed they left out so much of it in the movie. But the eating is tied up in all kinds of complicated relationships, so I guess something has to go when you adapt things for the screen!
Did you end up getting the whole book?
Last night I downloaded the Hunger Games on to my Kindle. It was only five dollars! What a bargain! So far I adore the book. (Secretly, I think Hubby might be interested in reading it too.Tee he he he….) I love the fact that it’s so fast paced and action packed. I used to read very dry academic books but I’m older now and sometimes I just want something easy and fun to read. Enter: The Hunger Games. It’s perfect! The cook book sounds pretty cool. I might buy that next month. I’m feeling younger and hipper already! Lol
I’m so glad to hear you are enjoying it!
I’m used to reading much dryer stuff too. Sometimes, you just need something you can read, enjoy, and not think too much about!
Reading these books made my mouth water! You wouldn’t need a recipe for this, but I especially want to eat some fresh bread with goat cheese and blackberries like Katniss and Gale do at the beginning…
It’s so true! I got really hungry too! But there were a few that I could kind of leave . . . like the squirrel that Peeta’s dad liked to fry up. I’m okay without that 😉
But then again, I’m totally on Team Peeta. Because Katniss can hunt, but girl can’t bake!
I have to agree about the squirrel…not so sure I want to try that one! And baking is a vital skill….I’m not sure I could survive without my beloved carbs. 🙂
I think that if I had to choose between the guy who brings home the muskrat, and the guy who bakes the crossaints, I’m going for the guy with the oven every time!
I wasn’t sure about seeing this movie this weekend, since I didn’t read the book and was somewhat disinterested. But I may give it a chance. Especially since the recipe coming up definitely interest me 🙂
I think that you would like the movie! The actors that they picked did a great job, and the book was adapted by the author herself. How many times does that happen?!
More food for thought on The Hunger Games:
http://charleneoldham.com/2012/03/22/the-hunger-games-supersized/
Although I have to admit my diet more closely tracks that of Haymitch than Katniss …
Definitely food for thought! I hope you don’t mind if I linked your post to the post following this one about the Hunger Games.
I laughed when you said that your diet might be closer to Haymitch’s! I think mine is more like Katniss’s prep team. I wouldn’t do so well in District 12 😉
Ha. So you’d be in the doghouse by book three.
I think so 😉
Maybe Catching Fire might be a little bit of a detox. Raw seafood and seaweed bread!