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| Feasting on Poison by Gryffinjack | 9 Review(s) |
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| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/9/2007 |
| Poor Merry--allergic to the Brandywine Tomato. And I, too, have foreign medicinal plants such as quinine brought to ME by explorers. Of course Isengar would introduce it! Who else? | |
| Claudia | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/6/2006 |
| oh my gosh, this was so cute! :D Author Reply: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it! | |
| French Pony | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/24/2006 |
| Hey, me again. I just wanted to give you a quick thank-you for making me think of Brandywine tomatoes. It turned out that one stall had them at market today, so I bought one as a snack. That was one fabulous tomato, and I would never have thought to try it without this story. Thank you for mentioning them! Author Reply: Oh, excellent! I'm glad you got to enjoy them! | |
| Baggins Babe | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/24/2006 |
| A lovely story. I never had any problem with New World crops popping up in Middle-earth - after all, they do in the book too. Potatoes were not around in Europe before the mid 16th century (and pocket watches had not been invented either) so I don't see that it matters. I loved Sam's superstitious refusal to eat the tomato, although as a member of the nightshade family it would make sense for a gardener to assume it was poisonous. Had to laugh at the fact that only the Shire's most eccentric families had anything to do with it! In previous centuries it was known as a love apple, but I think the main reason it gained a reputation for being poisonous is that it was usually cooked in lead vessels, and it leaches out the lead, making a very deadly brew indeed. Author Reply: Yes, New World crops do pop up in Tolkien's books, don't they? However, even though tomoatoes are a New World crop, I still wanted to have them treated the way they really were back in Old Europe when they were first introduced. Sam would be superstitious of tomatoes for two reasons: 1) as you mentioned, his being a gardener would make him assume they are another poisonous member of the nightshade family, and 2) the lower classes tended to believe more in superstitions than the upper classes did. You are correct that one of the reasons tomatoes were feared among the upper classes was because they were usually cooked and then served in lead vessels, which would make it a very deadly brew as you mentioned. The poor did not have this problem as much since they served in wooden vessels. However, they still had their superstitions with which to contend based upon it being a member of the nightshade family. Thanks for the lovely review! | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/24/2006 |
| This was a sweet story,though very much doubt Pippin could ever beat an Elf at archery. As they have potatoes in M-e, they might have had tomatoes too.I have known of all sorts of old wives' tales about them. I liked ARagorn's way of dealing with Sam and Pippin's song. Author Reply: Well, Pippin did not actually beat Legolas; he only tied him when you handicap the archery competition to account for Pippin's smaller size. He won the bet since Legolas bet Pippin that he would not do as well as Legolas when it came to archery, even when adjusting for size differences. However, remember that hobbits are known for their uncommon accuracy when throwing things like stones, so it follows that this would apply to arrows as well. Also, it was one of Pippin's ancestors, The Bullroarer, who led the Shire in the Battle of Greenfields, where the Shirefolk beat defeated the orcs when they invaded the Shire. Old wives' tales about potatoes? I haven't heard any but I'm sure they would be interesting! I'm glad you liked the way Aragorn dealt with Sam! I have a clear vision of Aragorn having a slightly mischievous side to him, although I admit it is based upon a mischievous smile Viggo Mortensen gave in LotR. Thanks for reviewing! | |
| French Pony | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/23/2006 |
| An intriguing story, certainly. I'm very glad that I read it the night before market, because you've made me hungry for heirloom tomatoes now! I thought that some of your themes worked very well. In particular, your mention of Pippin's archery victory was fun. Hobbits are indeed supposed to be good at the sort of sports that involve throwing or shooting things, and it was nice to see you make use of that little tidbit of information. I also enjoyed the fact that it was Sam, the gardener, who believed the tomatoes to be poisonous. I can certainly see the reasoning behind the fallacy, and it's a nice reminder that even experts in a field can still be subject to superstition. The ballad was amusing, and brought in the adventurousness of the Tooks very well. However, the rhyme scheme was not entirely consistent, which was somewhat jarring. I also found myself wondering how Pippin learned to play a lyre -- it doesn't seem to be an instrument consistent with Shire culture, either in its history or in its playing style. I'm curious why you chose to refer to Legolas as "Prince Legolas" so often. The title doesn't seem to engender any particular effect other than to stand out, and I don't know that it's the effect you really want, since it distracts from the hobbits. And Tolkien never uses the word "prince" to refer to Legolas at all. I did like the way you explained the fact that the movie showed foods from the Americas in the Shire. I'd kind of wondered about the tomatoes and maize myself, and I love the idea that Pippin's ancestor brought them back from his travels. Author Reply: Oh, I *do* hope you enjoyed your tomatoes when you went to market! Yes, hobbits are indeed supposed to be good at sports involving throwing and shooting things, and it is particularly mentioned that Pippin's ancestor, The Bullroarer, led the Shirefolk in their defeat of the orcs in the Battle of Greenfields using bows and arrows. The ballad - I am not very good at coming up with rhyme, poem, or ballad, so I apologise for my shortcomings. As for Pippin's learning to play the lyre, I imagine Pippin as being very musical. He could have learnt to play the lyre while spending so much time in Rivendell with nothing to do (other than swordplay) before continuing on the Quest. Or else he could have learnt it while in Lothlorien, where there was plenty of music. Ah, a very interesting question! I referred to Legolas as "Prince Legolas" because this entire story was told from Faramir's POV. Faramir would have only just met Legolas and, as the Gondorians love their formality and use some Elvish words (Mithrandir instead of Gandalf), and especially since this is a formal occasion, I think Faramir would have called Legolas by his rightful title, just as I have him refer to Gimli as "Master Gimli." Faramir would have referred to the hobbits by their more formal titles, except that Frodo had already met Faramir in Ithilien and asked him to just call him and Sam by their first names. He knows Merry better from their time spent convalescing together in the Houses of Healing, and Pippin from Pippin's time in the service of his father. Tolkien did not have this problem since he never wrote from Faramir's POV when in the company of Legolas or Gimli. The closest he got was Boromir, whose situation was a little different since they were all on a Quest together and spending 24 hours a day in each other's company. However, if you notice, when the hobbits are addressing or referring to Legolas, they always call him "Legolas" rather than "Prince Legolas." I've wondered about the presence of corn, too, although I think Tolkien might have mentioned that one in the books. Pippin's ancestor seemed the perfect one to bring the tomato back to the Shire since the Tooks are the adventurous ones who went travelling. What I really found cool was how there really is a Brandywine Tomato! Thanks for the lovely detailed review! | |
| Pearl Took | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/23/2006 |
| Bravo! Bravisimo!!! I have a Brandywine Tomato growing in a large flower pot on my deck, a gift from MysteriousWays :) A wonderfully delightful tale, Gryffinjack :) Author Reply: You actually *have* a Brandywine Tomato plant? Oh, now I *am* jealous! I hope my little tale did it justice! | |
| ellethill | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/23/2006 |
| This was absolutely delightful to read! I smiled and grinned the whole way through it - great story! Author Reply: Anytime I can bring a smile and a grin to someone's face, then I've done my job! | |
| elliska | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/23/2006 |
| This was a wonderful story. I thought you captured Sam exceedingly well here. Author Reply: Thank you! I haven't written much Sam, so that's good to hear! | |