Simple Pleasures: Reading and Eating – This Is How We Eat Anthology by contributing editor Yvette Prior
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Hi everyone, it’s Robbie Cheadle with you today and I’m sharing a mini-interview with Yvette Prior and her recipe for keto pancakes and my review of This Is How We Eat.
Mini-Interview
Tell us a bit about Yvette Prior. How do you think your experience and work background helped shape your progressive ideas for unique anthologies?
My name is Yvette Prior, and my early career path was shaped by wanting to stay home with my children. I worked in a restaurant on weekends, and within three years, I moved into an upper management role. That experience changed the direction of my life. My boss at that time, Kyle Reed, inspired me to study work psychology because he was an empowering employer. He rewarded hard work, ensured adequate compensation, and he was a clever man who understood how to motivate people and create loyalty within a team.
The inspiration behind the anthologies I have put together relates to providing educational resources through meaningful storytelling. The first anthology began in 2015 when I was speaking with a woman near the Indian River in Florida who was going through a very difficult season in her life. I wanted to recommend a resource that would encourage her, but I could not find a book that felt right for her situation at that time.
That experience led me to create my first anthology, Lady by the River: Stories of Perseverance, in 2016/2017. The aim for that book was to entertain, edify, and educate at the same time. The anthologies that followed were created with that same purpose in mind: offering readers substance alongside entertainment.
What do you hope readers of This is how We Eat will take away from the anthology and the variety of eating experiences and ideas presented?
I hope readers come away with a greater sense of shared experience because the authors contributed stories and reflections that most people can relate to in some way. I also hope readers feel warmth and empathy while reading the personal stories about the powerful ways humans experience food, eating, health, culture, and identity – especially because authors highlighted how those experiences often change across the lifespan.
With This Is How We Eat, I was surprised that most author contributors submitted memoir pieces. It showed me just how personal and emotionally connected the topic of eating can be. The two closing fiction chapters were substantial enough to close the anthology on a tasty literary note.
What’s next for Yvette Prior?
I am currently putting together This Is How We Create, the fourth anthology in the This is How series, and my fifth anthology. This book will be released in the fall. I am also working on putting together a collection of my poetry. I have hundreds of poems accumulating in a folder and my goal is to put about 50 or 60 of them into a book. I look forward to spending time on that.
Thanks you so much for the chance to do this interview – and Robbie, thanks for being part of the last three anthologies. «Anthologies are important because they are tools for wellness and social transformation, serving as the carriers of civilization that preserve history and enable knowledge to spark connection and change.»
Keto Pancakes
Ingredients: • 4 eggs • 1/4 cup cassava flour • 3/4 cup almond flour • 2 oz avocado oil (plus more for cooking) • 1/4 tsp salt • 1/2 tsp baking soda • Optional: 1–2 tsp stevia or preferred sweetener
For serving: • Grass-fed butter • 100% pure maple syrup
Directions: Whisk the eggs and avocado oil together until smooth. Add the cassava flour, almond flour, salt, baking soda, and optional stevia, then whisk until the batter is fully combined. Let the batter rest for 2–3 minutes to thicken slightly. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat with a little avocado oil. Pour in the batter to make 2–3 pancakes and cook for about 2–3 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Serve hot from the pan with grass-fed butter and 100% pure maple syrup, or enjoy them plain.
These keto pancakes are so hearty – they can be enjoyed anytime of the day for a meal or used as a low sugar dessert.
My review of This Is How We Eat
Picture caption: Cover of This Is How We Eat
This collection of memoirs, poems, and short stories all revolving around the concept of food and eating is very unique. The book is like a delicious wine and food pairing evening where all the senses are engaged as you undertake a memorable culinary experience. The contributions are loosely grouped under four headings: The Familial Table, The Cultural Table, The Personal Table, and The Fictional Table. I enjoyed each of these offerings and am sharing a taste bite about a few of them below.
From The Familial Table
Burnt Toast by Donna Connolly – This piece revolves around the concept of how minor irritations can sometimes provide a pause or space to stop and collect your thoughts. It reminded me of the Buddhist philosophy that you can never tell if an event, no matter how big or small, is positive or negative in the greater scheme of your life until more time has elapsed and all of the permutations of the event have unfolded.
A Unique Ritual of Pancakes by Gary A. Wilson – I loved Gary’s approach to getting his children to eat vegetables. Including carrot in his pancakes was a stroke of culinary genius and became a family tradition. I also identified with his anecdote that eating carrots enabled you to see in the dark, a myth shared by the British Military during WW2 to cover up the invention of radar. I was brought up with this myth and my mother was surprised when I uncovered the truth and shared it with her.
From The Cultural Table
Solo Dining and Chineseness by Mabel Kwong – I loved this contribution. It celebrated being alone and making the most of a solo adventure in a restaurant. Mabel covers the entire experience from asking for a table for one knowing all tables are set for a minimum of two diners, to wondering if she should finish her meal quicker so the restaurant and re-use the table. I am fine having experiences on my own from flying to a tour experience. My husband prefers to have my company and will rarely undertake a tour on his own. As a comfortable solo flyer, I enjoyed Mabel’s ratification of my own thoughts and experiences.
Breakfast in America by Sherri Matthews – I have never lived away from my family and I never wanted to but I have always admired those who pursue the call of foreign lifestyles. Sherri’s rose tinted view of life in America intrigued me as I know that lifestyles and experiences rarely live up to our expectations. Her amusingly poignant sharing of her experience of American culture was interesting and enlightening.
Food: The Great Uniter by Pete Springer – This is a chapter all parents, teachers and caregivers can learn from. Pete describes how he used a biscuit making experience to teach children many concepts from maths, to sharing and problem solving. I made biscuits with the children in my Sunday School several times with the same goals in mind and so this piece brought back delightful memories for me.
The Personal Table
Who I am, Defined by what I have eaten by Frank Prem – I am a huge fan of Frank’s engaging poetry and I enjoyed his prose piece about his childhood food experiences. Frank’s prose style is as intriguing and unique as his poetry style and this contribution was a great pleasure to read.
Eat to Live by Cindy Georgakas – This memoir was revealing and insightful, sharing Cindy’s journey of overcoming unreasonable expectations about the female body and shape instilled during her childhood. Cindy’s is a story about overcoming psychological conditioning and implementing a healthy eating plan. It is a positive and uplifting reading experience.
When Food is not Just Food by Marsha Ingrao – Marsha’s memoir is another insightful dive into eating in Western cultures where foods rich in sugar, additives, and fat are readily available and a huge temptation. Marsha’s piece is infused with her faith and how her beliefs have aided her in overcoming food issues and dreaded disease during her life.
Food, Money and Health by Miriam Hurdle – Miriam’s piece revolves around gaining an understanding of the links between firstly, food and money, and secondly food an health. Miriam explains how she came to realise that the daily treats of expensive coffee and sugar loaded muffins ate into her money and how she changed her habits. Miriam is also a cancer survivor and her piece shares knowledge gained about eating for better health and how eating habits change as we get older.
The Fictional Table
The two fictional contributions, That Special Meal by Kelvin M. Knight and Unchecked Baggage by Gary A. Wilson, are both exceptional reads that I enjoyed very much. Totally different but both celebrating food and how it aids us in developing relationships and celebrating life, these stories are excellent contributions to a fine anthology.
Contributing editor, Yvette Prior, has contributed an interesting and insightful piece entitled My A to Z. This chapter is a wonderful overview of food and how it impacts our lives in so many different ways and this is the reason I am mentioning it separately. To my mind, Yvette’s is a piece that ties all the various contributions together and sets up a train of reflection about food and its greater meaning. In addition, Yvette has included to excellent articles as Chapters 19 and 20: Editor’s Reflections and Emergent Themes, that provide her thoughts on each contribution and its place within a greater reflection of the role of food and eating in modern society.
This collection has much to offer and I highly recommend it to anyone who eats.
Yvette Prior is the author of numerous works across non-fiction, short fiction, and poetry, and is currently curating her fifth anthology set to release in 2026. She holds a PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and her research focuses on work motivation and well-being – topics she’s passionate about in both her professional and personal life. When she’s not writing or researching, Yvette enjoys gentle yoga and daily walks with her husband and their two dogs.
About Robbie Cheadle
Picture caption: Robbie Cheadle author photograph
South African author, photographer, and artist, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, written and illustrated four poetry books and written and illustrated one celebration of cake and fondant art book with recipes. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
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