Meal

Meal is a charming comic focusing on entomophagy (cooking and eating insects). I've heard about it briefly in travel and cooking shows but this comic was very educational. I really liked how it focuses on the history of eating insects in countries all over the world as well how they are raised. The characters are all very diverse and interesting in their own way, many with personal histories and memories linked to eating insects. Admittedly the jokes fell a bit flat at times and the art took some getting used to.

I'm probably biased since I love food and comics about cooking (Delicious in Dungeon is one of my favorites) but I really loved Meal. It's very light on plot, focusing mostly on the cooking and the characters. There are a lot of side characters for such a short book and honestly I got confused and couldn't keep track of half of their names.

I requested this on Netgalley before even reading the description fully (oops) I got really excited about reading a comic about cooking with bug. Much to my surprise I found out the main character has a crush on her neighbor Milani (an artist who likes so-bad-they-are-good movies). The relationship between Milani and Yarrow was really cute.

I'd recommend this if you are interested in entomophagy, like graphic novels about food and aren't squeamish about bugs. The end of the comic has an essay by the author on entomophagy as well as some recipes (in case you want to cook some of the food mentioned in the comic)

Interesting and enjoyable graphic novel about young chef Yarrow who has upended her life and moved across the country in hopes of working at a new restaurant with an insect-based menu. Her initial efforts to impress the head chef fall flat however, forcing Yarrow to refine her approach and reflect on her real reasons for embracing insects in the kitchen. A subplot focuses on a growing romance as well.

Yarrow is a young and passionate chef who wants to bring her love for insect-based food into people’s lives. Excited about a new insect-based restaurant’s opening, Yarrow is determined to land herself a job there. However, things take an unexpected turn when she irritates the owner, Chandra, rather than wowing her. Issued with a challenge that will make or break her chances at the restaurant, Yarrow takes a step back and remembers that she’s not trying to get Chandra to look past the bugs and give the food a try like she does with most people.

I saw this graphic novel and thought it sounded cute and interesting, so I knew I had to read it. Yarrow is a sweet woman who just wants to bring her passion for insects and their role in the culinary world to people who would normally turn their nose up at the idea. Along the way, we learn about how she began raising her own insects and cooking them as well as the cultural ties that insects in the culinary world has. I thought it was quite interesting, especially as someone who would normally turn my nose up to knowingly eating insects. I’m not sure that I would run out and try something right now, but it has opened my eyes to the idea that it might be something I’m willing to give a try at some point in the future.

I loved the characters that we meet and how we learn why they want to bring insect-based food to American culture as the story continues. It’s also fun because Yarrow makes a friend, Milani, at the beginning of the story and we watch her try Yarrow’s food and really get into eating food that she herself would normally have turned her nose up to. Plus, their friendship slowly turns into romance and we watch Milani blossom in her own world as an artist.

At the end of the story, the book continues and we learn more about insects and how people view various foods as good or gross depending on the culture. There’s also some recipes and tips on dipping your toes into raising and cooking insects yourself. There are also character sketches at the very end, which I loved looking at because I loved the style and I love seeing artist’s sketches.

This was a really cute graphic novel on an extremely interesting subject. Inclusive of a wide range of people (and body types!) I think Meal can be enjoyed by a wide range of folks looking for light hearted food writing. Plus, insects are the food of the future (and the past), what a great way to be introduced to the subject though this charming story.

Entomaphagy is a field that fascinates me. I'd love to visit a restaurant like the one in this book, so I was pretty into this plot. It's more than just "eat bugs, they're the future". Or even "how novel". It's about truly respecting them as food, the traditions that presented the ideas, the appropriate flavor palates.. These are ideas we don't really explore with any foods, much less with insects. Meal encourages us to really consider our relationships with food and traditions.