After doing nothing but panicking for hours, Calix finally found himself sat at a bar. He was still panicking, of course, but now he had something before him that could fix it. His mother had always made it seem like one shot of alcohol would turn him into an alcoholic and send him toward an early death, but it was too late to avoid that now. She was probably losing her mind back in District Three, going on a tirade to anyone who will listen.
Calix threw back the shot with just one more moment of hesitation, and his entire body shuddered in response. “God, that’s-” He sputtered momentarily, leaning his elbows into the bar. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
For this chapter, I chose an image of the tribute train. I thought it was fitting because most of the scenes take place either there or in the richly decorated room of the Justice Building.
Chapter 3.
Mr. Mellark’s visit has always been a bit of a mystery to me, but there a few things I hadn’t really noticed about him... until now.
“I can’t believe he’s come to visit me. After all, I’ll be trying to kill his son soon. But we do know each other a bit, and he knows Prim even better.”
This is the first one. We all know Katniss trades at the bakery, —many fics show her doing this regularly— and still, this short passage makes it seem like Prim is the one who trades with him the most.
When I read this last night, I just assumed that Prim traded at the Hob and, from there, went on to the bakery but, in THIS great post, @iliveilaughiloveiread @lovely-tothe-bone @porchwood and @katamount have come up with a very interesting alternative.
“The baker’s not a very talkative man in the best of times, and today he has no words at all.”
For some reason --perhaps because Peeta is talkative, and good with words-- I always imagined Mr. Mellark as something of a chatterbox --a warm and friendly presence who always greets his customers with a little comment or observation. But, apparently, I was wrong. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Katniss likes him.
As I read their exchange, I couldn’t help but laugh a little at the fact that, out of the two, Katniss --taciturn, tight-lipped Katniss, who has just volunteered to save her sister from certain death-- is the one who tries to keep the conversation going.
The mockingjay pin. Alone in her room, Katniss takes a closer look at the pin. When she realises it’s a mockingjay she shares their story with us. She also mentions her father.
“His voice was that beautiful, high and clear and so filled with life it made you want to laugh and cry at the same time. I could never bring myself to continue the practice after he was gone. Still, there’s something comforting about the little bird. It's like having a piece of my father with me, protecting me.”
We’ll never know why Madge gave her the pin --perhaps she was trying to tell her friend that she was as extraordinary as the little bird in it. But we know why Katniss becomes attached to it.
On one of the scariest days of her life, she is comforted by a reminder of her dad’s presence.
“The commentators are not sure what to say about the crowd’s refusal to applaud. The silent salute. One says that District 12 has always been a bit backward but that local customs can be charming. As if on cue, Haymitch falls off the stage, and they groan comically.”
On THIS post, I wondered about Haymitch’s behaviour during the reaping. Were his actions intentional? After reading this paragraph, I’m convinced they were.
As drunk as he was, Haymitch must have felt the waves of trouble rippling through the air and, instead of allowing the silent salute to go on, he decided to make a fool of himself --thus ending his district’s moment of defiance.
Peeta unexpectedly laughs. “He was drunk,” says Peeta. “He’s drunk every year.” / “Every day,” I add. I can’t help smirking a little. […] / “Yes,” hisses Effie Trinket. “How odd you two find it amusing. You know your mentor is your lifeline to the world in these Games. […] Haymitch can well be the difference between your life and your death!” […] / “So laugh away!”
As horrible as their circumstances are, I love that the first exchange between Katniss and Peeta is about them laughing. In a way, it’s like they're already a team.
Katniss has already mentioned --and showed-- how she uses humour to tolerate some of the darker aspects of her life. In our first glance at Peeta --the old Peeta-- we see that he automatically does the same. No wonder these two understand each other so well.
Peeta Mellark and I stand in silence as the train speeds along.
The Hunger Games. CH. 4
Katniss and Peeta are about to go into the Capitol for the very first time. They don’t really know or trust each other yet --Katniss still refers to him by his full name, which seems such an odd formality-- and still, there they are, together, waiting for their future to claim them.
I am not a visual artist in any way, shape, or form, but once upon a time I was a barista, and after that an innovative espresso drinker, so whenever I truly fangirled about something, I turned it into a latte. (In fact, Porchwood was the name of my “coffee shop” - fangirl/sci-fi-themed lattes served on my porch on Thursday evenings to a church fellowship group - I’d never really planned on it becoming my username/Tumblr identity!) I made everything from Feast Day lattes to Beatles-themed lattes and was constantly on the lookout for new ingredients to use in my creations.
Unfortunately, money and circumstances have made it impossible for me to assemble many of those wonderful creations for several years now and it breaks my heart to have lost such a joyous part of my life. :( But maybe by telling you about my Hunger Games creations, I’ll stir up some good luck and things will finally take a turn for the better!
1. My beloved Peeta latte - too exquisite to assign a cutesy name. Torani cupcake syrup (think rich yellow cake, the kind they put chocolate frosting on), orange curd, nutmeg, orange blossom water, espresso, and half-and-half. The last time I tasted this it made my knees wobble, and @ghtlovesthg can attest to this power: I mailed her little jars of the ingredients so she could prepare a Peeta latte at home and sheer euphoria may have resulted. (Did this latte inspire the orange wedding cake from the New Year’s chapter of WtM? Maaaaaaaaaybe...)
2. Tribute Train - the drink that launched a fragrance at False Nostalgia! As described on my menu: “Finely ground milk chocolate meltaways, Nebraska Valhalla honey, and a snug blend of baking spices are gently whisked into creamy half-and-half and exquisitely pulled espresso. Garnished with whipped cream, cubes of freshly toasted bread, and a delicate drizzle of honey, this latte is cozier than cashmere and is best served decaf and sipped with a spoon and a lover.” (If you didn’t catch it, it’s a mashup of the hot chocolate and toast from Everlark’s first tribute train and milk with honey and spices from the second. And yes, this drink totally made an appearance in WtM - sans coffee, of course. :D)
3. My Mr. Mellark latte - I never got ‘round to a cutesy name for this one either, so I usually just called it Janek, but that didn’t stop anyone, least of all my extremely hard-to-please sister, who still extols the virtues of this latte. It’s made with Trader Joe’s cookie butter (yes, cookie butter) and Torani Almond Roca syrup with shortbread crumbs garnishing the whipped cream, and the flavor lies somewhere between a sippable cookie and, well...getting laid in a bakery. ;) It’s sumptuous.
4. The Ginger Bread Man. This one has the most ridiculous origin story (literally: my sister was recounting a joke she’d seen on Tumblr - “If Peeta was a redhead, he’d be a Ginger Bread Man!” - and I decided that would be a great idea for a latte) but it quickly became a delicious staple in my personal lineup. “Unexpected coziness in the heart of a brutal Appalachian winter, courtesy of handcrafted Mellark confections and an Everdeen-tapped maple tree. A rich blend of cupcake, gingerbread, and maple spice syrups, garnished with snowy whipped cream and a shimmery sprinkle of ‘coal dust.’” The “coal dust” (black glitter flakes) garnish was my sister’s idea (I came up with the shimmer “snow” part :D) and it makes for an awesome look, but you have to drink it quickly - the flakes taste bitter and unpleasant if you let them melt down.
5. Katniss’s chamomile white chocolate from WtM. :) Unlike the others, this was an example of life imitating art! Like so many things in WtM, I invented this combination based on various other taste experiences (including a heavenly chamomile white chocolate bar from The Tea Room), but I’d never actually tasted it till one cold night when my sister and I took her small godson on a Christmas lights walk. I started out preparing a simple batch of white hot chocolate for the three of us, and then I spotted the chamomile... :) So I frothed milk (we were out of half-and-half :P) with chamomile blossoms (which were then strained out with a teaspoon) and added honey, Ghirardelli Sweet White Chocolate powder (if you take nothing else from this post: demand Ghirardelli white mochas wherever you go!), and just a whisper of cinnamon, as it felt Peeta-appropriate. :) And yes, it was every bit as cozy and sleepy as you would imagine.
Hi :) I just went to your Fanfic profile page and saw your list of Hunger Games lattes and things, (and btw, I'm particularly interested in trying tribute train :D) But then I saw your unnamed Peeta Latte, and I'm just curious if you have thought of any names for it, because I have a thing of trying to find out names for untitles or unnamed things.
Hi Anon! I'm always crazy-flattered when someone even LOOKS at my profile, let alone reads about my coffees. :D
The Tribute Train is AMAZING, if I do say so myself (I just had one a couple nights ago, actually!), but the Peeta latte honest-to-God makes my knees wobble. (Literally.) It's foody and gorgeous and so, so sexy. Friends who've sampled it almost invariably have this immediate sighing "Ahhhh" response. :D It's awesome.
I've considered and dismissed all the usual nonsense (Boy with the Bread, Dandelion in the Spring, The Baker's Boy, etc.), so I'm ENTIRELY open to suggestions. As you read in my profile, the Peeta latte has orange curd, cupcake syrup, orange blossom water, and nutmeg - and is made with half-and-half, so it's rich and foody but very creamy (if that gives you any ideas - it tastes the TINIEST bit like an orange roll). I tried to tie in his favorite color, cakes/the bakery, nutmeg (a handful of writers, including me, associate Peeta with nutmeg), and a sort of "wedding" note with the orange blossom.
P.S. I'm getting better at latte-fixins-by-post. If this is something you're interested in, send me a fanmail and we'll talk! :D
fnurfnur and I dipped our toast in hot chocolate this morning at breakfast because we were talking about how perfect your story is and how much we love it and wondering if bread in hot chocolate really does taste wonderful. OH MY GOSH IT IS SO GOOD! so please come to charlotte and make us lattes and toast
Oh gosh, I wish I could be with you ladies so badly!!! We could go Christmas shopping and eat gorgeous food and I would make you all the lattes you could ever want!
By the bye, if you want to take the bread-in-hot-chocolate to the next level, steal this technique from my Tribute Train latte:
Toast the bread. (Even plain sliced white bread will do!)
Cube it (into small squares) while it's still hot.
Put whipped cream on hot chocolate.
Sprinkle toast cubes on whipped cream.
Drizzle toast very lightly with honey.
Eat with a spoon.
Die of bliss. :D
P.S. Am so glad you guys like the story. :D There is lots more food to come in Ch 7!!
