Suvudu Universe

When I think zombies, I think the opposite of “yummy snacks”, but I suppose “eating brains” does suggest the munchies in some ways.

The Snacking Dead

The Snacking Dead is both a cookbook, focused on finger food and sandwiches (the kind of stuff I think of as “football food”), and a parody story of the zombie apocalypse. The recipes alternate with incidents in the life of Pam, a divorced woman trying to feed her two kids as the world collapses around them, while remembering her backwoods childhood crush, Daryl, who taught her how to butcher a squirrel. (We hear about the squirrel a lot.) The dishes are lightly connected to incidents in the tale, creatively.

Since I don’t care much about zombie fiction — it all seems pointless, since there’s no way to win — I found the chapters repetitive, but the dishes sounded tasty, even if they’re named in gory ways. Recipes included oozing calzone, false sense of security blueberry muffins, gratuitous violence jello mold (with pomegranate for that bloody touch), backwoods burrito, and gory red grinder (meatball sandwich).

There’s an appetizer section, one on sandwiches, and a third with some entrees, including maple-brined pork chops, a ground beef and macaroni casserole, shepherd’s pie, and ribs. Most of the dishes are pictured, a nice touch, with props, like hunting knives or reaching hands. I didn’t try preparing any of them, but the instructions seemed clear enough, and most of them are more assembled than cooked.

If you know a crazed Walking Dead fan who wants ideas on what to eat while watching the show, this would be the perfect gift. Sample recipes can be seen at the book’s website. (The publisher provided a review copy.)

Similar Posts: This Week’s Manga Moveable Feast Covers Oishinbo and Food Manga § Love as a Foreign Language Book 3 § I’ll Read About It, But I’m Not Going to Eat It (Ever) — Thoughts on Food Manga § Dead West § Zombie Trend Officially Dead; Archie Comics Announces Zombie Title