I’ll eat just about anything while reading. We all know there are certain high risk foods when it comes to books—passing on the spaghetti is wise when skimming your leather-bound Melville—but I tend to ignore the warnings. I’ve been known to chow down on chocolate, pizza, and even ice cream ON THE CONE while flipping through a new book. Cuz I’m hardcore.
But there are other foods that just beg for a book. I’m talking about the kind that actually give you a craving to read. The foods below are ones that, for me, just make the act of reading complete. Prepare to start jonesing for good food and good books!
Favorite Foods to Read By
TEA & COOKIES
I know cookies and milk are the standard go-to, but I need me my cream tea!
My Ideal Book Pairing: At Bertram’s Hotel by Agatha Christie. Teatime in that book sounds DIVINE.
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FRIES
You can eat them one-handed. Without looking. Or focusing too much on aiming for the ketchup.
Books live for foods like this!
My Ideal Book Pairing: The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson
A fun read deserves fun food, and fries are reminiscent of the fish and chips that
the nanny eats in the beginning of the book.
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HARD CANDY
Don’t be like me. Don’t mindless pop them into your mouth until you’ve eaten a whole bag
without realizing it. Reading can do that to you.
My Ideal Book Pairing: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
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HOT CHOCOLATE
I’m not sure which came first, but books and hot chocolate have been a match made in Heaven
from time immemorial—and for good reason. Sweet, comforting hot chocolate and a good story
are the perfect cozy answer to a harsh winter day.
My Ideal Book Pairing: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
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MILKSHAKES
A safe way to enjoy ice cream without dripping it all over your brand new hardcover.
And sooo satisfying on a hot day!
My Ideal Book Pairing: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
A perfect summer book for a perfect summer snack!
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COLD PIZZA
I know this one is kind of weird, but I can’t be the only person whose favorite childhood activity was eating cold pizza on Saturday morning while watching cartoons (I promise I lived in a civilized household. I just woke up reeeeally early in the morning when I was little). Since I couldn’t cook and I was too small to pour milk without spilling it, I would just grab things I found in the fridge—which led to my current love for cold pizza. These days, it makes me wish for a book instead of cartoons.
My Ideal Book Pairing: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
I don’t think they ever actually eat pizza in the book, but cold pizza is one of those bizarre foods
that goes so well with Douglas Adams’ quirky writing style.
What are YOUR go-to foods to eat while reading?
I don’t typically eat when I read, but I love having a warm cup of tea with it! And since I read at night, my reading teas are usually low in caffeine (herbals and whites, though greens and oolongs don’t seem to keep me up, either).
I’ve really been getting into white tea lately, especially now that it’s summer. It makes the best sun tea I’ve ever had! 🙂
Ooooh, these all seem so good, *mouth waters* I have never tried fries while reading, must do!! Food and Books are literally my priorities in life, put them together, even better! I totally get you with Cold Pizza, I also enjoy Cold chips- you have to try!!
I’m so glad I’m not the only one! Sometimes I deliberately don’t eat much when the Mister and I order pizza so there will be more cold leftovers the next day. ^.^
I’ve never tried cold chips before (I’m assuming you mean chips like fries rather than chips like crisps—or is the world hiding wonderful places from me that serve crisps hot?). Most restaurants around here slice them pretty thin, so they get kinda mushy when they’re cold. Are thick-cut ones better cold?
Haha, good idea! I don’t know where you live, but here in London, we call them chips as in fries. Here we go to the ‘Chicken ‘n Chip shops’ which usually serve ‘chips’ or in your language ‘fries’ which are pretty fat.
Yum! My go-to snacks are tea, cookies, fruit, or cheese and crackers. ^ ^
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Fruit’s a great one! I like to get dainty and cut mine up and eat it with a fork while I read (it also helps me avoid awkwardness when trying to turn pages and eat an apple at the same time).