antithetical

I fully supported the teen choice for our book club this year (another gal put forth the suggestion first), which meant I volunteered to host when it was time for Divergent.

And that meant themed snacks!

This is a story set in the future, after mankind has waged so much destruction that society must be split into Factions to keep the peace. When children turn 16, they go through a ceremony to choose their Faction, usually picking the one they grow up in. Beatrice, however, makes a bold move and switches from the most selfless group to the most flamboyant. Much of the story is Tris coming to terms with being a Divergent, meaning she could fit into any Faction, and knowing the government doesn't want her to exist.

On my re-read, I carefully marked pages that mentioned food specifically, as well as a few general ideas about eating and food. The first idea presented (in two areas, though the first time, you don't realize it) is that the people in Abnegation eat plain food.

I made sure to have something very boring on hand.

I also made sure to have something super exciting on hand. I didn't want to serve Tris's first exposure to a meal in Dauntless--hamburgers, though mini sliders would have been fun. This particular cheesy-chorizo dip isn't mentioned per say, but I imagine it would be something they'd eat in any faction but Abnegation.

The next thing we see a lot of is muffins for breakfast. I went with the kind mentioned on page 120, though I skipped the walnuts. 

'The muffin is banana-flavored, with walnuts. My mother baked bread like this once to give to the factionless, but I never got to try it.'

And finally, chocolate cake is mentioned quite a bit--apparently the Dauntless are known for it. 

At the end of the hallway [my mother] turns and says, 'Have a piece of the cake for me, all right? The chocolate. It's delicious.' (188)

I've had the Boca Negra cake on my Pinterest sweets board for a while, and knew this was the perfect occasion to whip it out. I made it gluten-free by using GF AP flour (it's only 2 T anyway), too. This thing is decadent and quite marvelous; Abigail described it as chocolate crème brûlèe.

I have to confess I've only read the first of the trilogy so far, but I've been itching to get to the other two. After many suppressed groans and significant looks from those who have read all of them, I'm rather motivated to do so now...

We had fun doing the Faction Quiz at the end of the book! I got Erudite.

Book recommendation: Divergent by Veronica Roth
Recipe recommendation: Banana bread muffins
Restaurant recommendation: Pastiche Bistro & Wine Bar