Dickens liked to indulge in food scenes, often as a way of exploring character and theme. For a taste of his luscious language, I'll quote Nicholas Nickleby: "The dinner was as remarkable for the splendour and completeness of its appointments as the mansion itself, and the company were remarkable for doing it ample justice."

Or there's this deliciously dark brew from Bleak House: "Mr Tulkinghorn, sitting in the twilight by the open window, enjoys his win. As if it whispered to him of its fifty years of silence and seclusion, it shuts him up the closer. More impenetrable than ever, he sits, and drinks, and mellows as it were in secrecy, pondering at that twilight hour on all the mysteries he knows".

I have eaten a full serving of both these solid books. But I have http://www.charlesdickensinfo.com/quotes to thank for reminding me of these quotes.