Peaches and Cheese

The vagabond sun winks down through the trees,

While lilacs, like memories, waft on the breeze,

My friend, I was born for days such as these,

To inhale perfume,

And cut through the gloom,

And feast like a king upon peaches and cheese!

I’ll travel this wide world and go where I please,

Can’t stop my wand’ring, it’s like a disease.

My only regret as I cross the high seas:

What I leave behind,

Though I hope to find,

My own golden city of peaches and cheese!

Rachel Hartman, Seraphina

*UPDATE (November 12, 2021): I was poking around on an old blog of mine and found this post I wrote about Tess of the Road in October 2018. Fun!*

I meant to reread Tess of the Road before I posted this, but I’ve found that what with working 30 hours a week and spending much of the remaining time with my boyfriend, reading has become a lesser priority. And for now, I’m very okay with that.

And, if you read the quote attribution, you’ll see that I misremembered which book I needed to reread anyway. This charming and intriguing song turns out to be from Seraphina, not Tess of the Road as I’d thought. Same author, at least. While I do love both books, which are set in the same fantasy world, Tess is my favorite of the two. It delves deeper into the culture of the quigutl and it fearlessly tackles hard themes like rape, teen motherhood, grief, and loss in a way that is nonetheless gentle and accessible to its young adult audience. It’s also extremely quotable.

I read Seraphina when I was fifteen and loved it for its unique and detailed fantasy world, its feisty title character, and its excellent writing. (No dread coiling in pits of stomachs here, thankyouverymuch.) And … ummm … without having reread it, that’s about all I can fairly say of the book. Except that this funny little song from it stuck with me.

You know, I’m not even sure what the song means. Reading it more closely, it seems to be a declaration of insouciance bordering on irresponsibility. It reminds me of the song “Hakuna Matata” from The Lion King– “Peaches and cheese!” “No worries!” See? It even rhymes!

It also speaks to leaving home behind and seeking comfort in familiar flavors, which is a theme that comes up often in the food memoirs I love to read, such as My Berlin Kitchen (which is, by the way, another wonderful book).

I chose to make Honey Roasted Peaches with Goat Cheese as a nod to the peaches and cheese in the song. I bought the peaches at a roadside stand near my house; the honey came from a local apiary; the thyme and the Black-eyed Susans I picked from the garden bed right outside my front door. Too bad my friend who makes soap doesn’t make chèvre too!

These were delicious – probably my favorite recipe that I’ve tried for this blog. If you happen to have some leftover chèvre and some extra peaches on your hands, I’d recommend making this! (And reading Seraphina while you eat it. ;))