Edible Books event turns literary favorites into punny snacks

On Tuesday night, the Kelly Writers House encouraged students to judge books by their edible covers.

This year’s Edible Books event once again promoted food play and brought together numerous creative interpretations of literary favorites. Open to students, staff, faculty and the local community, the event was held for the sixth consecutive year for food and literature enthusiasts alike.

“Sometimes the food play is on the name of the book, sometimes it’s on the name of the author and sometimes it’s not a pun at all,” Kelly Writers House Program Coordinator Alli Katz said. “Sometimes it can mean a food sculptural representation: A couple of years ago someone did ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ and had caterpillars on cupcakes.”

Some of this year’s entries were on the punnier side, according to Katz, such as “Tequila Mockingbird,” “Ketchup in the Pie” and “Anna Carrotnina.”

“The food puns can be both things that you’d want to eat, but also sometimes things you don’t. Last year there was a single raisin in a bun,” Katz said, referencing “A Raisin in the Sun.”

After a long round of casting votes for awards ranging from “Most Literal” to “Most Architectural,” the prizes were presented with recipe books, oven mitts, cookie cutters and other kitchen appliances.

“Bridge to Terrabithia,” which won “Most Architectural,” featured a bridge made of Terra vegetable chips and pretzel sticks. “Communist Man in Pesto,” which won “Most Creative,” featured a bowl of penne pasta with pesto sauce and a printed picture of Karl Marx.

While some were long-time Edible Books attendees, some participated in the event for the first time. “I saw the event on Facebook, and since my roommate did it last year, I decided to come,” College senior Valeria Dubovoy said. Dubovoy, along with Wharton senior Penny Deans and College senior Gabrielle Abramowitz, submitted three group entries: “1980 s’mores,” “Chicken Tender is the Night” — which won “Most Literal” — and “Tequila Mockingbird.”

College senior Nina Friend, who won a prize at last year’s Edible Books for her “Steven Cobbs Cornography,” submitted “Lime and Punish-mints” and “Henry the Fifth.” “I had 20 minutes after my class today and decided to enter because I was coming tonight anyway, and these ideas are what came to mind,” Friend said.

Edible Books is just one of many of Kelly Writers House’s events, the majority of which are open to the public. “We had open mic night, a once-a-month event, done almost since the beginning of Writers House, which is now nearly 20 years old,” Director Jessica Lowenthal said. “This year, the student leaders decided they wanted to introduce themed nights.” The venue also recently added a studio to record visiting authors and even student-run podcasts.

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