Owen McKenna, the
ex-cop PI protagonist in my books likes regular food. Give him
a diner over an upscale restaurant any day. Owen would rather eat
food cooked by a cook than food cooked by a chef.
A model for this
comes from fond memories of a restaurant we discovered in San
Francisco back in the '80s. It was in that triangle-shaped building
in North Beach on Columbus near Chestnut, and it was called “Hal's.”
The catch phrase on the menu was classic: “Food you can recognize,
at prices you can afford.” Hal's, as I remember it, was McKenna's
kind of place. Even though McKenna, a 20-year SFPD veteran, is
originally from Boston, he's not into oysters, and he doesn't eat
sushi. He knows no more about East Coast cuisine than he does about
California dining trends. In fact, McKenna doesn't even eat
“cuisine.” He just eats food. McKenna's diet is closer to that of
a farmer from Kansas. Steak and potatoes and a glass of beer.
Although, perhaps the Kansas farmer would drink Bud, while McKenna
enjoys Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
McKenna's brew |
In another
departure from some Midwestern diets, McKenna drinks red wine. “Red wine is health food, right?” he would
say. He would probably add, “I just drink it because it's good for
me.” Same for chocolate.
Owen readily
admits that he loves, and sometimes lives on, French fries and
cheeseburgers and chocolate shakes. And of course McKenna can inhale
donuts like any other ex-cop.
Krispy Kreme |
I'm happy to
report that McKenna is trying to eat better, however. He's tried
Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt potato chips. (Sorry, the guilty version tastes better.) He once bought low-fat
cupcakes. He's attempted breakfast with only one egg, two strips of bacon, and a side of oatmeal, the oatmeal made enticing by sugar and salt, of course. At a recent social gathering he even tried
snacking on the carrots and broccoli instead of the crackers and
cheese.
The dip saved him.
McKenna can't
escape the simple fact that the foods he likes best have lots of
sugar, salt, and fat, and they all go well with beer, wine and
coffee.
Basic food groups, right?
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ReplyDeleteThanks for mentioning Owen! Cant wait for the next book to come out!
ReplyDeleteThe next adventure with Owen and Spot is well underway, and Owen will probably indulge in a donut or two along the way...
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