Eat, Drink, and Be Merry.
Festival food is the best in my honest opinion.
I love fried bread with melted butter, covered in cinnamon sugar.
It launches me into a state of instant joy and giddiness.
Then we have the delightful artery-clogging, mouthwatering, pastries filled with cream cheese and a gelatinous goo of berries that will send your dopamine’s soaring to new realms of ecstasy.
The aroma of barbecue meat loaded with sodium and corn syrup is wafting in the air, tickling your senses.
While moving through the high-spirited crowd, the smell of sticky, sweet caramel corn and cotton candy promises moments of pure pleasure and possibly hours of gastrointestinal discomfort.
But you don’t care because it’s only for one day.
Besides, you have a 50% chance you’ll be fine.
No worries.
You give in to hedonism.
You indulge and brace yourself for possible extra toilet time that night and popping artificial-flavored Tums into your mouth to cure the raw burning indigestion that has you white-knuckling the counter as you grit your teeth through the pain.
But you push those thoughts aside.
Be gone negative thoughts.
You don’t need to be manifesting that into your life.
It’s all good.
Alaris in Legends of Deceit is a reluctant heroine thrust into a magical world of nobility, deceit, werewolves, fairies, and insidious trolls.
She is also friends with a dragon.
Alaris discovers she is a princess in a realm close to earth but doesn’t want any part of it.
She wants to go back to her normal life in college back on earth, but she can’t.
Her dad is the king of Atheon and throws her a huge party so the people in the kingdom can get to know her.
Narik, who is one of the warriors protecting her, escorts her to this festival-type event.
She spots a tall, blue-skinned woman in the crowd.
Her movements are fluid and graceful like a ballerina.
“What is she?” Alaris asks Narik
“She’s a nereid. Her name is Oona.”
“What’s a nereid?”
“A sea nymph. They’re friendly and helpful people.”
There are elves, dwarves, goblins, and fairies in the mix.
Celtic music plays in the background as Alaris navigates the crowd and checks out the food vendors.
The sign on one advertises steak hoagies, hot sausage, hamburgers, French fries, and . . .
“Fish on a stick. Raw and still breathing for your enjoyment.” Alaris wrinkles her nose at Narik.
“It’s to cater to our aquatic friends,” Narik says. “And then we have the bloody liver sandwich for the weres.”
“Yum. Yum.” She makes a face, and he laughs. “I think I’ll get a cheeseburger and fries.”
“I’m going to order the hot sausage on a hard roll with fried onions and mustard.”
“That sounds good, too, but I’ll stick to my all-American meal.”
They get their food, go to a beer tent (you got to have a beer tent that not only serves fine ale but other alcoholic beverages as well) to get their drinks, and then sits at a table to enjoy their festival food.
Afterward, the music picks up to an upbeat Celtic tempo with flutes and fiddle.
With their bellies blissfully full, the atmosphere flowing with laughter and happiness that only festival foods and drink can create, Alaris and Narik joins in on the fun and performs an Irish step dance.
To me, that would be the perfect day and night.
I’m a health-conscious vegetarian (I sometimes eat fish, though); however, when it comes to festival foods, I will indulge myself and take the risk of experiencing unfavorable side effects.
Why would I do that to myself?
Why not?
We all deserve a treat day once in a while, don’t you agree?
Just thinking about fried bread has me dreaming about it.
What is your favorite festival food?
My characters in my other books also love their treats and good eats.
I think because I do.
When you read one of my books, be prepared to be part of their experience when eating something sinfully yummy or drinking a delightful cocktail that was illegal during Prohibition.
You’ll enjoy yourself without the repercussions but will also want to manifest it into your world. Guaranteed.
Cheers!
Thanks for stopping by to share your food for thought, Rebekkah!
