Jac Jemc’s first story collection, A Different Bed Every Time, was released in October 2014 from Dzanc Books. Her novel, My Only Wife was a finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction and winner of the Paula Anderson Book Award. She is the poetry editor for decomP and nonfiction editor for Hobart. We talked about the appeal of dining out, waking up with a spoon in her bed, and what a French onion loaf really is.
On smoked butt:
“I didn’t eat vegetables or cheese until I was a teenager. That probably explains a lot, but for the beginning of my life I ate mostly meat and bread. Perhaps the clearest indicator of this penchant was when my grandmother would make me “smoked butt.” Her recipe? Boil a smoked pork butt until it’s falling apart. Easy as that. I could eat close to a pound of the meat without coming up for air. No sides: just the meat. My mom still makes me smoked butt every once in a while. Not too long ago, I had some leftovers for lunch and my manager asked what I was eating. I could have just said, ‘Pork,’ but no, I looked a grown man in the eyes and without even thinking it was strange, I said, ‘smoked butt.’ His eyebrows raised and I never saw him again. Nothing better than a butt.”
On snacking while writing:
“I usually have a cup of coffee beside me. Occasionally when I’m pretty stuck, I’ll keep a bowl of candy next to me and tell myself, ‘You can have one more Sour Patch Kid if you finish the page.’”
On late-night snacks:
“A spoonful of peanut butter. I am no stranger to waking up in bed with a spoon that I don’t remember using. I hope it was for peanut butter and not some illicit drug habit I’m in denial about.”
On the glamour of dining out:
“I love going out to eat and making elaborate meals and dinner is the prime time for that, I say. I think I just like to eat new and different things, and it seems like a lot of the restaurants that are trying crazy stuff are open primarily for dinner. Growing up, we had home-cooked dinner together every night without fail, and on Saturdays we went out. Usually just to Chili’s or the Mexican place in our neighborhood or something, but it was a regular occurrence. It must have developed my appetite for it! I like hanging out with friends over a meal more than just about everything, and dinner lends itself to drinking during that meal. That’s probably part of it, too.”
On food quirks:
“I have a couple things from childhood that are comforting to me, but I realize are pretty disgusting. 1) My family used to eat tacos with ketchup instead of salsa. 2) I sometimes shred a string cheese into a bowl of chicken ramen. It was my childhood take on French onion soup.”
On her final meal request:
“Fried onion loaf, burger and fries from Hackney’s on Harms. Hot fudge sundae. I’ll keep it simple.”
On what a French onion loaf actually is:
“A french onion loaf is basically a pile of fried onions. Like an awesome blossom, if instead of arranging the sliced onion as a lotus, you tossed grilled onions in batter and then shoved them into loaf-shaped frying basket. You can only get it at Hackney’s and if you want to avoid a soggy middle, ask for the loaf “loose and crispy.”
