Gozer tells the gang that the next thing they think of will be the form that destroys their world. While the majority of the 'Busters evidently blank their minds (an incredibly impressive and unlikely feat under the circumstances), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) thinks instead of something "harmless": the Bibendum/Pillsbury Dough Boy hybrid face of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Corporation.
To this day, I think about the impossibility of thinking about "nothing" every time I see a package of marshmallows. That's why I love fictional foods—they
Marketers realized, at some point, that nostalgia and imagination sell. Cue the parade of fictional-food-made-real. Some of the creations below, however, are just too fantastic to make it to our reality yet. Let's take a look at some other, less-neurosis-inducing fictional fare.
Butter Beer
The fictional beverage is served in the Three Broomsticks and The Hog's Head both, and you can drink it chilled or in hot foaming tankards. It is a mild intoxicant: the drink's alcohol content is established in the novels, as references to acting under its influence are made in the text, but the version served at Universal Studios is kid-friendly.
While Butterbeer is not real (excepting the Universal Studios cream soda concoction), "buttered beer" is indeed a real medieval recipe:
2 oz. beer
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sugar
1/16 tsp. nutmeg
1/16 tsp. cloves
1/16 tsp. ginger
2 Tbsp. butter
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sugar
1/16 tsp. nutmeg
1/16 tsp. cloves
1/16 tsp. ginger
2 Tbsp. butter
Put the egg yolk into a saucepan and slowly whisk in beer. Add sugar and spices and heat over medium-high heat until mixture just starts to come to a boil. Remove from heat, add butter, and whisk until mixed. Serve hot.
The above recipe is taken from a cookbook called "The Good Housewife's Jewell," written in 1585. 1585!
Lembas Bread
Remember the epic and moving scene in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, when the elves give the Fellowship that leaf-wrap of Lembas bread? No, you don't, because it was cut from the movie. However, if you like seeing baked goods changing hands between species as much as I do, you'll want to watch the extended version, where Lembas bread has its moment.
Lembas bread is an elven bread, almost supernaturally satiating, and sweet to boot. Says an elf, "...we call it 'lembas' or waybread, and it is more strengthening than any food by men, and it is more pleasant than cram, by all accounts." (Cram is a sort of fantasy hard tack, it would seem.)
Do you want to marshall the majesty of the elves for your very own ends? Bah! As if! But here's a recipe for a human attempt at Lembas, from Amalia at vomitingchicken.com:
Author: Amalia from vomitingchicken.com
Recipe type: bread(ish)
Cuisine: elven
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Just a few ingredients and a few minutes of your time to mix them together, and you'll please any Lord of the Ring fans with these tasty breads!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- ½ cup brown sugar or ¼ cup honey
- 2 cups unbleached flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Cream together the butter and sugar or honey. Add the flour and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Put out on suitable surface and knead until quite smooth, about 5 minutes, adding a bit of flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking.
- Roll out to about ¼ inch thickness and cut into 3" to 4" squares, scoring with a knife halfway through each square with a butter knife. Place on buttered cookie sheet and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Green Eggs and Ham
It's Dr. Seuss Month, if you didn't know. It's time to celebrate or lament the existence of Seuss and his supremely weird style of humor. For millions of Americans, this means making Green Eggs and Ham, after the book of the same name.
While you can simply procure some ham and eggs and let them sit for a few weeks at room temperature, this is ill-advised from a health standpoint. The easiest way to have a breakfast that would repel Sam is to wear some tinted glasses. If that's still not good enough, you could always use Martha Stewart's recipe. She eschews the food coloring used in low-class GEAH recipes for greens and pesto:
DIRECTIONS
- Place arugula, parsley, basil, and cheese in the bowl of a food processor; with the machine running, slowly add olive oil until a smooth paste forms. Season with salt and pepper and set pesto aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs with 1/4 cup pesto, saving any remaining pesto for another use. Season egg mixture with salt and pepper.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, gently pull the eggs from the side of the skillet. As the eggs start to set, stir them gently until curds form. Serve immediately with ham.
Of course, this list is only scratching the surface of imaginary edibles. How could we forget the Wonka Bar, the Klingon delicacy "gagh," the Pan-Galactic Gargleblaster, or the spice melange?
