Preface
The way to Utopia may not be what you expect!
The story of Cockaigne, a medieval version of utopia, is much like many other versions of utopia. It is always Spring, there is perfect weather, a fountain of youth and abundant food. The residents of Cockaigne are paid to sleep. No-one ventures to ask where all the food comes from or other such technical questions. The unique thing about Cockaigne though is how it is reached. You see, access to Cockaigne requires would-be utopians to eat their way through three miles of rice pudding. It seems that the rice pudding journey is an ordeal to be endured rather than a first taste of pleasures to come. Learning of this, I wondered if those journeying to Cockaigne open tunnels in the pudding through which others might follow. Or does the pudding simply close up behind them as they journey through? If so, how do they breathe, or even see their way to the next meal of pudding that would bring them closer to their goal? The perils of the journey seem to be numerous, even for those who, like me, have a particular fondness for rice pudding. But the prize is great! So I invite you to take up your spoon with me and plunge in. We have three miles to travel. Whatever your taste in puddings, it’s going to be a sticky journey. But, I suggest, we need our visions of utopia so that we might face the future. Let us eat pudding together!
The stories in this book were first published individually via the websites Booksie.com and Storywrite.com. They are based on memoirs recorded in an earlier work, Three Miles of Rice Pudding.
