Young Writers Society

This is a two part question. I think.

First, if anybody can think of things that faeries would eat, other than honey, that would be great.

Second:

So I'm writing a high fantasy novel about... faeries. My problem is that when I want to describe the food, I feel like I'm killing the suspension of disbelief by mentioning things like... chocolate. Or bread. Or cheese.

Or any actual food.

My question: Is that all in my head? Can I mention food without killing the story?

~Anne

Well, you can always create their food. As in, there could be all sorts of fruit that isn't on earth... and you can make up odd dishes, and meals that are common for faeries, the same way French and English food is different- don't be afraid to make strange combinations of foods that you personally might think wouldn't taste good, because it's bound to be strange to someone that's never eaten it, the same way we get about different cultures foods- sometimes.

So say, perhaps they make a milk out of some sort of nut from that land. Maybe that's even their primary drinking source, you never know. You could even have fun with it and say that they then use the pulp to make a sort of bread, or pancake. They could have a hard candy, made from tree sap. Maybe there's a creature that's their main meat source?

Basically, just think of the things that we have on earth, and try applying them in a way that seems... different then what we do. It doesn't take much. All the suggestions above are actually things on earth, mostly, but just not stated as so ( Almond or cashew milk, - my mom has made patties out of the left overs - maple candy, and of course different cultures tend to have different meat sources- or none at all.

To answer your second question; I don't think food kills a story... but I don't think you're crazy! I think when presented right, food is very important and awesome in stories- especially when you get into the culture.

@QueenAnne, that is actually a very valid question. Most writers tend to omit the mention of food, eating periods, etc., because it is a subtle way of progressing the tale.

I believe, however, that dining scenes are actually very informative, and, sometimes, extremely plot progressive. Look at Joanne Rowling or George RR Martin, they are both distinguished writers, yet use dining scenes as major plot twist areas, or to inform the reader about personalities, appearances, events, etc.

The question on what Fae eat is also an interesting question. Usually, Fae are seen as superior beings, and don't usually perform mundane acts such as eating or sleeping.

I would say that the food they eat should depend on their type/ alignment. Forest fae would naturally depend on their environment, and eat stuff like berries and fruit. Meadow fae would most likely eat more substantial food like bread, etc. You get the idea.

Just note, keep the animal related products seldom, except when dealing with Blood fae, Swamp Fae or Shadow Fae. They'll most likely eat predominantly animal meals.

I hope this helps...

I think that what they eat also depends on what type of faeries you're dealing with. Are we talking the sweet, fluffy, modernized view of faeries where they're simply spirits of the wild that mean no harm? Are we talking the old fair folk where they steal human kids and replace them with enchanted logs for fun? Are we talking something more like elves, or more like just very tiny people with wings? Closer to bugs, or people?

Also, you have the option to make these faeries eat nothing at all, which would add to the inhuman element of the story. Maybe make mention that they require sustenance in some form, but they think that actually eating things is barbaric, or something only animals do? Maybe, if they're akin to the small, sweet types, they could subsist on dew off leaves or something the like.

At the same time, it's still likely that faeries living in a forest or other environment would and could eat animals, if you take Wandering up on his suggestion. I mean, eating animals to survive is something that creatures have done from the beginning of time, especially in densely-populated areas like forests. Not to mention, there are faery-related myths that speak of hunters, and not all of them are completely negative (the Wild Hunt and the Horned God, much?).

It might also help if you searched up foods that you wouldn't normally eat. For example, there are a lot of cultures that see bugs as delicacies, and it's not strange to think that fried cricket could be something that faeries eat.

When it comes to fairy food, we read stories to discover that mallow fruits are fairy cheeses, and dogwood fruits are pixie pears. Little cakes are another favorite fairy food, and if they are made with saffron, they are especially cherished since saffron is highly valued by fairies.

-Fairy Myth and Lore

I found a lot online about how humans can't eat fairy food because it's poison.

I have to echo what Ark said, however. If the fae are the fluffy kind of disney stories, they're going to eat rose petals and exotic fruits. But if they're the fae from lores and myths from hundreds of years ago, faeries were scoundrels. Dark nuts and berries, the meat of toads and hummingbird eggs. It depends on the tone of the story as well. Is it a happy story? Dark and mysterious?
In Harry Potter for instance, he always felt safe at Hogwarts and one of the reasons might have been that there was plenty of food and light and warmth surrounded by friends, whereas at home with the Dursley's, he either didn't get to eat because Dudley ate it all, or starting in the 4th book, didn't get to eat because of Dudley's 'diet'.
A meal scene is a great way to set the tone of your story, but I'm afraid we can't help you unless you give us more information on the faeries and story itself.

I do like it when food in fantasy mirrors our own. For example, one I really like, from JRR Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings': Lembas bread!

It's easy to understand what this is, and it's definition leaves it as this mysterious, magical cuisine.

It's your story, you can pretty much make up whatever you want here. Minor stuff like food wouldn't really be a big foreground issue, just get creative. But not too much. As I said, I really like the 'lembad bread' one.

Yep, "faeries" are way too broad. Are you basing them off some particular lore, or making up your own?

I have my own in my novel - they feed on decomposing flesh of animals and humans alike, and have a sweet tooth for magical creatures, whom they might attack in swarms even while it's alive.
To each their own

Right, clarifications:

My faeries are closer to the fey from Celtic lore.
I decided that humans cannot eat their food.
Salt and iron burn them, and they possess elemental magic.
While they're not evil, per se, they're quite mischievous, and their moral compasses don't point due north.
The tone of the story is more dark and mysterious than light and happy.