Food an Litarature

Literal Texts inspired by FoodCulinary art and stories belong together.

Suvi Veijalainen 4/2014

Literal Texts inspired by FoodLiterature is full of famous and plentiful meals or of dreaming of them. Food is a very personal and intimate thing. You are what you eat. It is also said that when you eat a very good meal, so you get back your faith in life, if you have lost it.

Suvi Veijalainen 4/2014Texts inspired by FoodInformation and Library Service Students of Vocational Educational Centre in Seinjoki took a challenging task to research and find texts in literature, most Finnish, which deal with food and eating. The task wasnt easy and the text samples were strictly elected. There could be funny nonsense-rhymes for children, fairy-tales, folk-tales, dreams of meals, situations in life when food was important or the lack of it. The students tried to find out in what kind of feelings and emotions food and eating were connected.

Suvi Veijalainen 4/2014Texts inspired by foodFood and eating raises passions and great emotions. The images raised by fictive food tell surprisingly much about us.In literature the authors can use food and meals and eating as an allegory to describe the situations of life where the persons live or their attitudes to it.

Suvi Veijalainen 4/2014Texts inspired by foodSadly in many books of teenage-girls food is playing a bad role and one can read heart-rending stories of anorexia or bulimia. When trying to find your own identity and control of life food and eating (better avoiding them) are a good weapon.

Suvi Veijalainen 4/2014Texts inspired by foodOur students went through dozens and dozens offoodtexts and finally chose some of them. During the job they became very critical and as a final result we together posted about ten samples of our textpiles to Kaisa Isotalo and her pupils in Seinjoki Lyseo.We wanted to honour e.g. the Grand Old Lady of Finnish childrens lyrics, Kirsi Kunnas, and her hilarious and ingenious limerick-inspired verses. There were three of her masterpieces. You can even here one of them: The Pan and the Potatoes read by Kaisas pupils.Suvi Veijalainen 4/2014Texts inspired by foodAs a second part of the whole project pupils of Seinjoen lyseo( mostly Kaisas pupils) cooked food during their home economics lessons and had our texts as their inspiration and example.Presumably at least the texts of Kirsi Kunnas were familiar to them and watching potatoes cook and dance in the kettle like in the verse surely raised smiles.I'm sweating and steaming I feel like screaming I'm bubbling and seething I'm rattling like tea-things the pan said -took his hat off his head and Phew!The Pan and the Potatoes by Kirsi Kunnas, translated Herbert Lomas, the whole verse can be read at the end of this presentation

Suvi Veijalainen 4/2014Texts inspired by foodThe Herb Soup of Ms Rosemary was also one of the verses by Kirsi Kunnas. Hereby there was a great opportunity for the pupils to get acquaintanted with several herbs.Freely translated the verse brings for you to taste an enormous bunch of herbs like celery, thymian, mint, sage, parsley, basil, dill - wonderful! But oh pity! The judge of flavour, Mr. Parsnip wanted to have the saffron, savory, chevril and as a final crown the garlic!

Suvi Veijalainen 4/2014Texts inspired by foodDont play with the Food is a book by Jukka Laajarinne. It contains short, humorous, sometimes absurd stories from the kitchen and the bottoms of the kettles as he calls them. Our example was called The Teddybear Pasta. It was a cute story of a bagful of teddybear pasta, whos greatest wish was that some day a little child would eat them. They were wondering whether they would be crosted with ketchup or minched meat or a cream sauce. They only knew that whatever it would be, it would be very good and tasty. And and it was worth waiting for!

Suvi Veijalainen 4/2014Texts inspired by foodOne day the waiting was rewarded. The teddybear pasta was boiled (they dont feel pain!). They grew big and they got on them a coat of yummy ramsons pesto so their mouths,eyes, ears, paws and tummies were all in this marvellous pesto. The whole crowd was fullfilled with joy when they were ladled on the plate.

Suvi Veijalainen 4/2014Texts inspired by foodIn the future Texts concerning food and eating will be used at school during the home economics lessons to motivate and inspirate the pupils. Perhaps theyll find new ways of cooking, finding recipes in literature and most of all become inspired to examine and study the wide world of culinary art.

Suvi Veijalainen 4/2014The Pan and the Potatoes by Kirsi Kunnas, transl. By Herbert LomanOi olen aivan hyrypinen, ihan kiehun ja sihisenkuin shikinen,sanoi kattilaja nosti hattua pshiih

ihan kiehun ja kihisenja puhisen, pihisensyljen, sihisenshisen, khisenja kiukusta rhisen,sanoi kattilaja nosti hattua pshiih

I'm sweating and steaming I feel like screaming I'm bubbling and seething I'm rattling like tea-things the pan said -took his hat off his head and Phew!

I'm absolutely boilingI'm bristling and whistling and hustling and moiling and all hot and sizzling it's a mad mad bustle the pan said -took its hat off his head and Phew!Suvi Veijalainen 4/2014The Pan and the Potatoes by Kirsi Kunnas, transl. by Herbert LomanVoi tt hoppua hoppua hoppuahuusivat perunat, voi tt hoppuaei tule loppua loppua loppuapolkata tytyy polkkaa, polkata polkkaakiireist aikaa, tulta on kengisslaukata tytyy laukkaa, laukata laukkaaei ole tolkkua milln, ei ole tolkun tolkkuakolkata tytyy kolkkaa, kolkata kolkkaa hyv jos pysymme hengiss, hengiss, hengissvoi tt hoppua hoppua hoppuaei tule loppua.Ouch this hoppity, hoppity, hoppityshouted the potatoes, popping up fit to split no way of stopping it, dropping it, swapping it dancing a polka, have to, dance, dancing a polka got to go higher now, shoes are on fire now galloping, galloping, off at a lollop jumping and jumping and off at a wallop turning and thumping, thumping and turning oh this knocking and bumping and socking off again copping it, hopping it, whopping it makes me spit -no way of stopping itSuvi Veijalainen 4/201413More photos taken by the pupils of Seinjoen lyseo during their home economic lessons

Suvi Veijalainen 4/2014Texts inspired by foodSources:Kunnas, Kirsi, Tiitiisen satupuu, WSOY, 1964, 3.p.Kunnas, Kirsi, Tiitiisen pippurimylly, WSOY, 1991Laajarinne, Jukka, Ruoalla ei saa leikki, WSOY, 2009Marttinen, Tittamari, Pastapolkka ja mangotango, Kirjapaja, 2009Salminen, Elisa, Pullien pulla, Tammi, 2011Surojegin, Pirkko-Liisa, Suomen kansan hlmlissadut, Otava, 2000The Pan and the Potatoes by Kirsi Kunnas, transl. By Henri Lomanhttp://www.babelmatrix.org/works/fi/Kunnas,_Kirsi-1924/Kattila_ja_perunat/en/31584-The_pan_and_the_potatoes[viitattu 26.4.2014]Suvi Veijalainen 4/2014Texts inspired by foodThe Pan and the Potatoes, read by pupils of Seinjoen lyseoSuvi Veijalainen 4/2014

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