three small bites: 🥓🧪🕯️
sense memory in theaters, a book on food science, food candles
Hi! Happy Friday! I’ve had a busy week with drafting and event-ing. Months ago I had scored tickets to the Ina Garten and Ann Patchett conversation happening in Nashville, and though I was squeezed for time, I’m so happy I went. Ina shared so many good nuggets that I feverishly typed into my phone. Paid subscribers will be getting my reaction to that conversation and what moved me most next week.
The last two bites somehow turned into a mini gift guide, but hey, ‘tis the season. Let’s get to them!
1. 🥓 sense memory in theaters
At the Broadway revival of “Our Town,” Thornton Wilder’s 1938 play set in a small New Hampshire town, real bacon is fried up during the third-act scene when the ghost of Emily (a leading character) visits her childhood home during breakfast. Two pounds of bacon are fried at every performance by the head of props to add a sense memory.
From cooking up bacon and using a fan to disperse the smell onto the stage and into the crowd in “Our Town” to having a pie baking in an oven during “Waitress” to deploying scents in movie theaters, the use of aromas to evoke emotions and memories can be so effective and immersive. I am fascinated by this—especially in the scent creation process and finding the exact one (through mixed synthetic scents or food cooked live).
This NYTimes article (🎁) goes into more depth about this.
2. 🧪 On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee
In the article above, Harold McGee is quoted, which reminded me of how much I love his book, On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. I still have my copy from culinary school that’s all tabbed up, underlined, and highlighted. I flipped back through to see what Past Me was interested in (emulsions, enzymatic browning, how to thicken sauces, and pasteurization, to name a few). 😆 I love this book because of its science and history lessons. McGee tells you everything you need to know about why food does it it does and where it comes from (and so much more), from dairy to fish to pasta and dumplings to herbs to chocolate. This would be such a great gift for the food lovers in your life.
3. 🕯️ food candles
Are you like me and find it hard to resist buying something when it’s shaped like food? That was me with these candles, which are en route to me. Properly obsessed. Most of these are beeswax and as far as I can tell, don’t smell like the actual food (and no, the cheese candle doesn’t smell like cheese but neroli, jasmine, and orange blossom). These would also make great gifts—for yourself and/or others.
🥨 See also: my obsession with food ornaments.
📚 extra bites: book updates
💚 Yin Yang Love Song was featured in People in their list of most anticipated 2025 books!! Abby Jimenez recommended it and said some very nice things about it:
I love a celebrity romance and Lauren Kung Jessen puts such a fun twist on this trope in her upcoming book, Yin Yang Love Song, when a sexy rock star cellist and Chinese herbalist agree to fake date to help each other out in their careers. Add in a love curse, delicious tea and great family dynamics and Lauren’s new book is the perfect balance of comforting and wildly romantic. — Abby Jimenez
You can preorder both of our books now! I got to read her next book, Say You’ll Remember Me, and it’s, in a word, incredible. Stunning and heart-wrenching and, as always, filled with so much laughter and love. Add to your TBR if you love top-notch banter, swoony first dates, mustard, saving animals, hot vets, getting through hard times with people you love and who love you.
🌼 The giveaway for Yin Yang Love Song is still happening over on Goodreads until December 16. My publisher is giving away 25 early copies. Good luck!
📝 Trade reviews have been coming in and I am so pleased that Kirkus and Publishers Weekly enjoyed Yin Yang Love Song. I still have one more to share next week, which made me very 🥹.
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Have a wonderful weekend!
From me to you, in the present,
Lauren
Preorder Yin Yang Love Song (full details for goodies here!):
Parnassus Books (signed, stamped, personalized copies with exclusive preorder goodies)
Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | Amazon | Target | Books-A-Million (order from any retailer and submit this form for a sticker + bookplate)
nine more bites:
About me: I’m Lauren Kung Jessen, author of Lunar Love, Red String Theory, and Yin Yang Love Song. Connect with me on Instagram and Threads for more on books and food.