Food and Meals

We're sure you know how Bud feels: he is always starving. That's just what happens when you're growing. Bud food is hard to come by in Bud, Not Buddy. Food and mealtime in particular play a big, big role in Bud's story. As Bud sets off on his own, he is met by kind strangers who feed him. As he gets closer to achieving his goal, Bud is fed better and better. And we think he deserves it, too. Let's look at the food Bud eats throughout his journey.

Fast Food (But Shhh, no talking)

What kind of food do you usually get when you aren't at home? Micky Ds? Dunkin' Donuts? Well, when Bud is on the go, his only options are to run to the mission and get there before the line closes at 7 a.m. or hunt through Mr. Johnson's garbage can for something that isn't totally rotten. Yum. Even though Bud waits in line for his meal, it certainly isn't fast. The line keeps going and going because there are so many hungry people.

It's not too fun to be in that line, either. According to Bud: "The first thing you noticed when you got inside was how big the place was, and how many people were in it and how quiet it was. The only sound you could hear was when someone scraped a spoon across the bottom of their bowl or pulled a chair in or put one back…" (6.34).

Doesn't sound like a lot of fun, does it? Everyone's fed the same thing, and it's all business. It probably doesn't taste like much, either. It's hardly even a meal, since the people around don't know or care about each other that much, and nobody says much of anything to anybody else. We're not surprised that Bud doesn't find much in the way of family here.

Camp Food

Bud and Bugs escape to Hooverville and are shocked when they see that it isn't an actual "city" with real buildings and such, but just a bunch of cardboard or cloth little shacks people banged together. The boys are hungry, and one of the Hoovervillagers says to his friend, "Brother, why don't we feed these boys. That one don't look like he's et in two or three months" (8.81).

Bud's embarrassed about looking so hungry, but he forgets his embarrassment pretty quickly when he's offered some food. What kind of food? Well: "… muskrat stew, and there's plenty left over tonight" (8.92) in old tin sardine cans. Yikes. But Bud is really hungry, so he gobbles it down, goes for seconds, and then does the dishes with other kids.

This meal is relaxed and informal, just like the Hoovervillagers themselves are: simple people, simple meal. Now, this food is far from a "good meal," unless you're really into muskrat (we certainly are not). Still, muskrat may not be tasty, but it's the best these people can do without any money, and Bud is grateful for it, even if it's not satisfied enough to stay in Hooverville forever. Hooverville may be a warmer place than the mission, but the food could be way better.

Fancy Food

At the home of Lefty's daughter, Mrs. Sleet, Bud is treated like a respected house guest. He is given a bed and new clothes and a big breakfast. Now, this is something new for Bud, something he didn't even get at home with his poor mother. He says, "Eating with the Sleets and Lefty Lewis was really hard to do, not because they had bad table manners or nothing, but because they talked through the whole breakfast. And they kept trying to get me to talk, too" (11.171).

Lefty and Mrs. Sleet have jobs, so they're able to provide more than others are. At their table, Bud starts to feel ease, love, and happiness. It's kind of a safe space for Bud, a place where he realizes how nice it is to be with a family. This makes him want to find his family even more, so he moves on in search of it.

Comfort Food

The setting where Bud finally achieves his quest, and finds a family that feels like home, is in the Sweet Pea during Bud's first meal in a real restaurant. This is not a big, formal type of restaurant, but a house with card tables set up in the living room. Still, as Bud thinks, "This must be exactly how heaven smells!" (14.3) The atmosphere here is happy. Everyone is talking, laughing, and enjoying the food and company. Bud is safe, welcome, and adored by a few people at this dinner, which is exactly the feeling he's been searching for without knowing it: the feeling of being home. And what is better than comfort food when you are at home?

Once Bud has been "adopted" by the band, he settles right in to the Grand Calloway Station's way of life. Most talks happen around the kitchen table and most of the band is involved, just like a family. Bud ends up in the happy cloud of loving conversation and care, surrounded by music and humor and travel. Great setting in the end, huh?