Primal Picnics: Writers Invent Creation Myths for their Favorite Foods

In ancient times--long before the age of fast-food and Monsantoization--humans had deep respect for foods and considered them gifts from the gods or even gods themselves. In every culture there are myths, folklore, and fairy tales about where foods come from--a reverence for nourishment now lost.

In this wildly provocative anthology, contemporary writers from varying cultures and countries invent origin myths for their favorite foods. From modern fairy tales to thoughtful memoirs, from preventing a steak-sandwich interferenceat a Catholic boys' school in Connecticut to a young Kuwaiti girl following the scent of her neighbor'sdelicious gaboot,these tales are fabulously witty, unique, and hugely diverse.

What stories will you conjure up to delight your guests at your upcoming feast? Read from these pages and you are guaranteed to never look at food the same way again!

Contributing authors: Jane Wodening, John Wright, Patricia Alford, Elisabeth Russell Taylor, Bruce Watson, Peter Markus, Tammy Donroe, Firyal Alshalabi, Barry Foy, Marjorie Sandor, Jill Foulston, Lisa Stock, Aphrodite Desiree Navab, Gloria Frym, Lisa Trank, Vinnie Penn, Elizabeth Robinson, Kate Bernheimer, Mary Kite, Jack Collom, Maliha Masood, Rebecca Brown, Jennifer Heath, Sarah C. Bell, Ellen Orleans, Andrew Wille, Sarah Quigley, Lia Purpura, Selah Saterstrom