What Do Aliens Eat? Food in Sci-Fi and Fantasy

Gastropod

Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

Arts, Science, History, Food

4.7 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 13 September 2022

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Whether you’re an adorable, candy-loving alien, a lost hobbit, a Federation starship captain, or the King in the North, you still need to eat. This episode, Gastropod is exploring the weird and wonderful world of food in science fiction and fantasy, from well-loved standards like Star Trek and The Lord of the Rings, to modern favorites like The Expanse, and all of the esoteric cult classics (parasitic frozen desserts, anyone?) in between. We talk to some of our favorite writers about how food helps them build worlds both foreign and familiar, chat with a legendary Hollywood food stylist to see how she brings stomach-turning Klingon meals and peacock-laden fantasy feasts to life on screen, and catch up with some of our listeners about the imagined tastes they’ll never forget. Fire up the replicator, pour yourself a glass of blue milk, and enjoy a bite of Lembas bread as you join us at this buffet of imaginary foods. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You killed him? No! I... do your father...
0:16.0	I'm sorry Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
0:20.0	I... I...
0:24.0	...don't.
0:26.0	You killed him? No!
0:30.0	You killed him? No!
0:34.0	Buzzed out the popcorn Cynthia, Movie Night a Gastropod has officially begun.
0:40.0	This is really exciting because these are some of my favorite movies.
0:43.0	Turn off the lights, sit back, relax.
0:45.0	Wait, we actually do have to make an episode of Gastropod.
0:48.0	That's right, this isn't Movie Night, it's the Movie Episode or rather Movie TV Books.
0:53.0	Whatever, it's the science fiction and fantasy food episode. I'm still really excited.
0:57.0	They may be aliens or hobbits or space captains, but they still have to eat.
1:02.0	Most of them anyway. And we are here to find out what they eat and why.
1:07.0	We being me, Nikola Twilly. And me, Cynthia Graber. And we're the hosts of Gastropod,
1:12.0	the podcast that looks at food through the lens of science and history.
1:15.0	But tonight we're also the ushers for your sci-fi fantasy extravaganza.
1:19.0	This episode, we're going behind the scenes to see how food stylists in Hollywood bring all those
1:25.0	pan-galactic gargol blasters and limba's bread to life.
1:28.0	We're also going to find out what role food has played in iconic works throughout the decades.
1:33.0	And I get to totally fangirl over one of my favorite contemporary authors, Becky Chambers.
1:38.0	Cynthia had to have a lie down in a darkened room after we spoke with Becky. She was that excited.
	...

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