The iScribbles
 on-line magazine Issue 1 December 2015
Issue 1 December 2015
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Welcome In this issue Page 2 Create you own family recipe book Page 4 Do you have a foodoir in you? Page 6 Writing about the history of food Page 8 Latest news Page 8 It’s your turn
Welcome to the very first edition of the iScribbles online magazine - a magazine for aspiring and inexperienced writers of non-fiction. At iScribbles we cover a wide range of non-fiction genres from life story, memoir, autobiography and family history to nostalgia, scrap-book journalling, food writing, local and social history and travel writing. This first edition of the iScribbles on-line magazine is all about food. Books dedicated to food and cookery are not only hugely popular these days (just look along the cookery and food shelves in any bookshop or at the long lists available online), they are also very lucrative at least for the well-known chefs and bakers writing them. There are even a number of so-called celebrities who have jumped on the food-writing band wagon. And it’s not just books about food that are fashionable. A quick flip through any TV schedule will reveal an overwhelming number of food programmes and celebrity chefs and bakers eager to tell us what we should be cooking or baking, how we should be cooking, why we are letting the side down if we don’t cook or bake. You may now be thinking how can writing about food be of any relevance to you? Well, if you have been researching your family history or if you have been recalling memories about your past you will almost certainly have found that food often features in some way or another. For example, the food you loved or hated as a child, traditional family dishes served at Christmas or other special occasions, food you discovered while travelling, family recipes that have been passed down through the generations etc. etc.. If you have been struggling to write that full-length book of your family history or the complete story of your life, why not start with some bite-sized pieces based on food-related memories or anecdotes Chris Lightfoot Editor and founder of the Scribbles magazine and website
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Create your own family recipe book Chris Lightfoot There are many ways in which you can combine your love of food with your love for writing and one popular way, particularly among family historians, is to create a family recipe book. And by that I don't mean just a book of recipes. I am talking about a recipe book which not only includes special family recipes and recipes that have been passed down through the generations, but also something about the people, anecdotes and stories behind each recipe. • Do you have any recipes that have been in your family for generations? • Do you have any recipes that bring back memories of special times or events in your life? • Have you created any recipes that you would like to share with family and friends and pass on to future generations? • Do any other members of your family have recipes that have a special meaning or significance for them?
Adding the personal touch Anyone using your family recipe book will want to know the essential details (the name and creator of the recipe, ingredients and quantities, preparation and cooking times etc.), but it will be the family traditions, stories and anecdotes behind the recipes that will be the most memorable and enjoyable. So, from your collection of recipes, are there any that stand out or have a special significance? Do you have any information or anecdotes about the family members that created them or, if they are your own recipes, do you have any special memories associated with them?
Include photos and other family memorabilia Including photos of the completed recipe will make your family recipe book much more appealing but if you also add pictures or other mementos such as photos of the people who created the recipes, pictures of the events or occasions when the recipe was used, original hand-written recipes, heirlooms related to the recipe etc., you will reveal something very special about your family history. Depending on how you plan to present your family recipe book, scan or make photocopies of any original photos and items.
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Assembling your family recipe book Once you have decided which recipes you want to include, collect and organise all of the information you have about the creators and any associated stories or anecdotes. If the person is deceased see what you can find out from other family members. You can either write up the stories yourself or you can use the original words of the person who gave you the recipe. If you have a lot of recipes, you could organise them by category (for example, starters, main courses, puddings, baking and cakes etc.) or you could organise them by specific family groups or by special occasions/holidays/seasons. Make sure you present the recipes and ingredients clearly and consistently and that the instructions are easy to follow and understand (try making them yourself to check they are correct and that the end result is as good as you expect). If there are some ingredients which are now not available make a suggestion for an alternative (and easily available) substitute. Similarly make sure that you use consistent ingredient weights/ quantities. Older recipes may quote weights in pounds and ounces and cooking temperatures in fahrenheit and American recipes will often use spoon sizes. If you prefer to use metric weights and temperatures either include both measurements or provide a table or chart showing their equivalents. Make each recipe the main focus on a page and fit your story and pictures around it. If you have a lot of text and/or a number of pictures, you could place them on a facing page.
Check that your recipes are accurate Ask at least one other person to check each recipe for any missing ingredients, typos, inconsistencies etc.. Better still, ask some fellow bakers or chefs to try making the recipes themselves.
Just another way of sharing a family's history A family recipe book is a great way of creating a very special family heirloom which combines treasured family recipes with memories of the people and events that inspired them.
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Do you have a foodoir in you? Chris Lightfoot The continuing popularity of books about food, cookery and baking is well demonstrated by the vast range available. Many are collections of recipes by well-known chefs and bakers but there is also another genre which combines memoir writing with recipes or food-related experiences. In the publishing industry these are often referred to as foodoirs and publishers are busy cashing in on the huge marketing potential of these two very successful genres - memoir writing and food writing.
Famous foodoirs The foodoir was made popular by writers such as US poet, gourmet cook and travel writer Frances Mayes with her book Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy and English food writer and TV chef Nigel Slater with his book In Toast: The Story of a Boy’s Hunger. Frances Mayes combined her experiences of restoring an abandoned Tuscan villa with the seasonal recipes she created in her traditional kitchen using produce from her simple garden while Nigel Slater used his memories of food to tell his story of growing up in suburban England in the 1960s.
Could you write a foodoir? Even though anyone can write a foodoir, if any of the following describe you, you should seriously consider writing one: • Are you a budding chef or baker? • Did you study at a cookery school at home or abroad or have you been on some specialist courses? • Have you been to other countries to learn about their food and food traditions? • Have you an interest in or done any research on diets or the origins of specific foods? • Have you any experience of working in the food industry?
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Your foodoir memory list Just like memoirs, foodoirs focus on a specific period, experience, aspect or event in your life but with the added ingredient of food. If you are not sure if you have a foodoir in you, then start a food memory list by scribbling down some memories of: • • • • • • • •
the food you loved or hated as a child cooking and eating outdoors or on camping trips new or exotic dishes you discovered while travelling traditional family dishes served at Christmas, Thanksgiving or other special occasions memorable restaurant meals holiday food and treats special family recipes dinner parties with friends
How to start writing a foodoir Once you have collected some ideas you can start to think about how you want to write or construct your foodoir. • If you have a collection of recipes which have some special memories or have been been handed down through your family you could create a book which not only includes the recipes but also tells the stories and historical setting behind them. • Or you could choose a theme for your book such as family holidays, al fresco cooking, school meals, travel, Christmas, special occasions, living in a different country and culture or any other food-related memories.
A foodoir is not just about food Whatever theme or subject you choose, don’t forget that a fooodoir is not just about food. Your food memories do provide a focus and structure for your book, but a good foodoir is also about people, conflicts, triumphs, relationships and all the other aspects of life which are vital for a good story. In 2009 Christine Muhlke (writer and executive editor of the US magazine Bon Appétit ) wrote: “Done well, memoirs about love and food go together like steak and martinis. Meals are the perfect “show, don’t tell” directive, from proposal soufflé to break-up pastina. These foodoirs have become a subset, one part chick lit mixed with one part chicken lit.” For a selection of popular foodoir books currently available online take a look at the goodreads website or make a visit to your local book store.
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Writing about the history of food Chris Lightfoot Foodoirs and family recipe books both require looking back (either into your own family’s history or your own life) but there is another type of non-fiction food writing which not only involves looking back into the origins of foods but also discovering the significance different types of food and cooking methods had in history.
You don't have to be an historian to write about the history of food You may be a cook or a baker with a keen interest in the history behind some recipes that have been handed down through your family. You may be someone who enjoys researching or travelling the world discovering the origins of different types of food and food preparation. Whatever your interests are in food, you already have what it takes to start writing a food history.
Bringing history to life through the study of food Finding out about what people ate in the past and how they prepared it gives you the opportunity to present history in an interesting and different way. For example: • • • • • •
What did the Anglo Saxons eat? Why did people in the past drink beer instead of water? Why was the diet during WW2 considered healthier than it is today? Were ‘sparrows on toast’ ever really eaten in Britain? What dishes were served at a medieval banquet? What did the early settlers in America eat?
There are a number of approaches to food history writing. For example, you might like to concentrate on recipes and their history or you may choose to write about the history of nutrition (i.e. the affects of a diet on health) or the history of diets (i.e. what people ate in the past). You could also consider the history of different types of food such as cocoa, rice and wheat or you could write about a specific aspect of the food industry.
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You don't need to be an experienced writer... ...but, just like any other type of writing, you should make sure that what you write is readable, grammatically correct and not littered with spelling mistakes and typos. If you need help with writing then start by taking a look at the writing guides available on the iScribbles website. Alternatively check out our writing and editorial services.
How much research is necessary? Whether you are planning to build on existing research and knowledge or are starting from scratch, the main thing all history books and articles have in common is the amount of careful and detailed research that goes into them. One that caught my eye because of its meticulous and thorough research, is Great British Bakes by Mary-Anne Boermans who was one of the finalists in the Great British Bake Off in 2011. From a library of nearly 1000 antiquarian cookbooks she has compiled a collection of traditional recipes some dating back 400 years. A quick internet search will reveal a wide variety of food history books that are currently available. Here are some I came across while doing online research for this article: The Oxford Handbook of Food History edited by Jeffrey M Pilcher Dinner with Mr Darcy: Recipes inspired by the Novels and Letters of Jane Austin by Pen Vogler How Carrots Won the Trojan War: Curious (but True) Stories of Common Vegetables by Rebecca Rupp Balzac's Omelette: A Delicious Tour of French Food and Culture with Honore'de Balzac by Anka Muhlstein
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Love food, love to write, 
 will travel Chris Lightfoot One of the best ways of understanding and learning about a country, a culture, it's history and its people is through the food they eat and so what could be better than combining a love of travel and a love of food with the desire to write. Food travel writing is arguably one of the most appealing types of food writing because any trip can be turned into a gastronomic journey of discovery.
Who are you writing for? With food travel writing you don't necessarily need to have any particular audience in mind. Your stories could be for the armchair traveller who wants to be able to experience places without having to leave the comfort of their own home or you could be writing for people who want to learn as much as they can about a place before they visit. Your stories may also appeal to people who want to be reminded of a place they have already visited or even those who will never have the chance of visiting. So, try to write in a way that gives all of your readers the chance to soak up or imagine the sights, tastes, aromas, settings and people whether or not they ever get to experience it for themselves.
Make it personal You are not just writing about your culinary experiences. Tell your readers about the people you meet from chefs, waiters, market stall sellers, local farmers and street vendors to locals just sitting in a bar enjoying a drink or people tucking into a traditional meal with family or friends. As the main character in your story you want your readers to know what inspired you to make the journey and discover how your experiences affected you.
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You don't need to travel very far If you can't afford to go to faraway exotic places, a short visit to a local town or city will give you the opportunity to investigate and write about anything from local delicacies and specialities, local produce and famers' markets to the best (and worst) restaurants and pubs, cafes and bars.
Tell it as it is No matter how good your trip or journey was there will probably have been some low moments. It may be a truly forgettable meal, a frosty or unwelcoming encounter with some locals, an unfortunate reaction to a local delicacy or simply a place you didn't enjoy. It is this type of detail that will make your story much more interesting and real. Your readers will enjoy reading anecdotes about disastrous meals, things that went wrong or weren't as you had hoped or planned or any other unfortunate experiences that add colour to your story.
What to write about You could write about the restaurants you visited irrespective of the cost and tempt your readers with mouth-watering descriptions of what you ate and drank. Or you could reach out to readers who are more familiar with working to a budget and seek out inexpensive restaurants and cafes and find bars and teashops away from the main tourist areas where you might pay half the price. You could go looking for local specialities and write about where they are available, how they are made, why they are typical of the area and discover from the local makers or vendors what the story/history is behind them. You could focus on finding local recipes served on special occasions such as Christmas and Easter or at family events such as weddings and learn about how they are prepared and served. You could concentrate on finding places to eat where children are welcome, restaurants with the best view or ambience or where to find the best tapas, sea food, steak etc.. Or you could visit food festivals or local markets to check out the array and variety of produce available or you could sample the food on sale from street or road-side vendors - the opportunities for stories and anecdotes are endless.
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Broaden your experiences If you want to broaden your experience and extend your research why not investigate what effect geography and climate have on what is grown and eaten in an area or region or how the different communities and ethnic groups have influenced or contributed to the local cuisine. Enrol on a cookery or baking course to learn more about preparing and cooking local recipes. Find out whether there are any special ingredients or spices that are indigenous to a region and trace their history and discover what influence they have had on food preparation in other parts of the world. For example, most of the worlds's cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka, nutmeg trees are native to the tropical islands of Indonesia and India is now the largest producer of ginger. How did these come to be known around the world and how did they get there? The history of these now very familiar spices often goes back hundreds of years and because of their rarity were typically only available to the very rich. So when did they stop being used simply as a display of wealth and start being used to enhance the flavour of food? Many of our Christmas food stuffs which include spices are derived from food served at feasts in the medieval and Tudor periods. An internet search will reveal a wide range of food travel books but here are some suggestions to whet your appetite: Nathaniel’s Nutmeg: How One Man’s Courage Changed the Course of History by Giles Milton The Spice Necklace by Ann Vanderhoof A Moveable Feast Life Changing Food Adventures Around the World edited by Don George
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The iScribbles Community Hangout At iScribbles we have recently launched an exciting new online writing community called Community Hangout. It is somewhere you can go for advice and support, give people the benefit of you own experience, share ideas and opinions, learn from other writers and make new friends. We have set up a variety of forums which you can start contributing to just as soon as you register as a user. Once you are a registered iScribbles user you can also create your own groups. If you have a particular area of interest or expertise you can create a specialist group which other writers can join. Registering as a user is completely free of charge so why not register today and become part of our growing online community.
U3A Weymouth In November I was invited to run a workshop for the Family History and Life Story groups at U3A (University of the third age) in Weymouth on how to get started writing a family history and life story. I think some people were a little wary of what I was going to ask them to do but they all rose to the occasion admirably. By the end of the workshop one member of the group was so enthused she suggested that all members should get down to some serious writing before the next meeting so as they had something to bring along to share and discuss. Result!
We hope to include a letters page in future editions so if you have got anything you would like to say, please email the editor at office@i-scribbles.com If you have an idea for an article, please contact the editor at: office@i-scribbles.com
We do hope the articles in this first edition of the iScribbles online magazine have inspired you to get scribbling. If you know of anybody else that might be interested please tell them about it. Very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.
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