What Are You Hungry For?

Rating: Chocolate Cake

After I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I was hungry for more.

I flipped the last page and, with disappointment, flung the book down, frustrated that it had one of those open-ended conclusions, the conclusions that force you to fill in the blanks and imagine what happened.  I seemed to go through the stages of reaching acceptance- first denial, then sadness, then anger, etc.

Later that evening, I was browsing the internet, looking at reviews of the book to see what other people made of the ending, when I learned something miraculous.

**Insert drum roll here**

There are two more books. Two. More. Books.

In that instant of realization, I experienced a massive mood shift.  Before, I was glum, sitting on my couch, wearing pajamas, and trying to figure out what book I could read next that would even come close to The Hunger Games.  Less than 5 minutes later, I had made a phone call to my local bookstore, verified that they had the next book, gotten dressed, and was in my car, belting out whatever song happened to be on the radio.  I made it to the bookstore only 2 minutes before they were going to close for the night and I had to ask some nice looking worker to open a cash register and please, pretty please, let me buy this book.

As you may gather, this was an addiction.  I think that if I had to wait any longer for that second book, I may very well have started to start sweating or shaking.

Very few books inspire this level of passion from me.  Yes, it’s labeled as Young Adult Literature.  Yes, I have students that are also reading it.  That does not change the fact that this book (and series) are worth reading by any age group or gender.

What are the rules for the Hunger Games?

The Games are the brainchild of the government of the Capitol, an oppressive force that exploits all of the outlying districts.  The capitol is a place of opulence, excess, and vanity. The twelve districts that feed this greed live in poverty.  In order to remind the districts of the power that is has over them, every year, the capital hosts the Hunger Games.  Two children, between the ages of 12 and 18, are chosen from each district to travel to an arena in which they must fight to the death.  Only 1 child of the 24 who enter will make it out alive.  This one remaining child will supposedly live a life of luxury and celebrity from then on.

To make these games even more distressing, they are fully televised and everyone in the capital and the districts must watch all coverage.

Imagine that your child, sibling, or friend had been sent to this arena.  How would you feel about watching them in a fight to the death, a fight that could take weeks?

The citizens of the capital love this version of reality TV, choosing heroes and rooting for them.

And in this twisted world lands…

Katniss Everdeen (great name right??).  A resident of District 12, she volunteers to go in place of her younger sister, and finds herself in this complicated world of diplomacy and hypocrisy.  Peeta, the other candidate from District 12, is a boy that she knows she has to kill to stay alive herself, but at the same time, she may possibly have feelings for him.  Cinna, the man in charge of her costumes, is a citizen of the capital, so she should hate him, but she finds herself trusting him.  President Snow, the head of this government, wears a sinister perfume that smells like blood and roses.

Her life would have been much simpler starving in District 12.

Whose side are we on?

The parallel is too clear to be ignored.  I may empathize with Katniss, but I live in the capitol, that place of excess and vanity.  The beauty of this book is seeing ourselves through a different set of eyes.   

It is like a hard slap in the face.

I may agree with Katniss, but agreeing with her means that I am separating myself from the fundamentals of everyday American society- fast food, reality TV, social networking, anti-aging creams, etc.   

Instead of worrying about whether or not we are going to eat today, we concern ourselves with what kind of food it will be, how long it will take us to make it (or the delivery person to get it to us), and who we will be eating it with.  I admit, I have never gone hungry.  Katniss has.  Her view of the Capitol’s (America’s) eating habits makes you take a long hard look at your own.

What Katniss eats in District 12

• Squirrel
• Goat Milk/Cheese
• Stale Bread
• Greens she finds in the woods

Notable Foods of the Capitol

• Lamb and prune stew
• Hot Chocolate
• Fresh Rolls
• Cake and Pastries

If I Lived in District 12…

When Katniss first tries the Lamb and Prune stew, she dissects the meal and tries to figure out how she would put that meal together if she were back in District 12.  I did this with my breakfast this morning, that I bought at a local diner for $7.  Here is my analysis of how Katniss would have to recreate this in District 12.

Meal:  Spinach and Feta Omelet, Rye toast, Coffee

Yum

In District 12, she could probably find eggs and bread, but those would come at a price.  The only way that she could afford them would be to trade something of her own, so she would have to go out for an illegal hunt.  Once she caught a couple of squirrels, she could trade their meat with the baker and whoever has a chicken to get her bread and eggs. The bread probably wouldn’t be rye bread, since I doubt that District 12 would have access to caraway seeds.

In terms of the spinach, District 12 is not a farming community so they do not have legal access to local greens.  When Katniss illegally leaves the community to hunt, however, she is always on the lookout for medicinal herbs and greens.  She would need to actually find some edible greens to put into the omelet.

The feta cheese would be tricky.  Katniss’ sister, Prim, has a goat, so she could get goat cheese from her.  After reading up on how to make feta cheese from scratch, I’m not sure it would even be possible in District 12.  Perhaps, we will have to stick to a spinach and goat cheese omelet.  Furthermore, the milk that goes into the omelet itself would have to be goat milk.

Coffee- Hmmmmm.  I’m not sure coffee will happen in District 12, but I bet that Katniss can get  some Chicory.  Chicory is a plant that goes wildly in North America.  If she grinds it up and bakes it, she can use that as a coffee substitute.

What Have I Learned From This?

1. For $7, I can purchase a meal that Katniss can only attempt to put together after a significant amount of time and effort.
2. We may have the world’s ingredients at out fingertips, but unless we realize how amazing that is, we will never find the wonder and joy in food that Katniss does.
3. Don’t underestimate YA Literature’s ability to make you think about adult problems.

Take a look at your last meal.  Could a resident of District 12 eat it?  Share in the comments!