The, Art of a Meal is relevant to the times and current social environment. While the novel is fiction, the premise is based on fact. Hunger and Homelessness are nothing to joke about, but they are topics that demand our attention. They demand our attention both individually and collectively; as Citizens and as a Nation. The subjects are all over the news and, if you look around, right in our hometowns. This is a story about John and Betty Matthews, a normal, middle-class married couple who are thrust into a series of adventures while attempting to assist those who are less fortunate than themselves. Can such a subject be written about in a humorous fashion? You decide.