Percy Jackson and the Olympians is expected to be a faithful adaptation of Rick Riordan’s work, complete with age-appropriate actors and lots of blue food. Speaking of which, some viewers may wonder what exactly is up with Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) and his peculiar affinity for blue food.
The series marks the second live-action adaptation of Riordian’s book series of the same name. 20th Century Fox tried to adapt the books into a film series beginning in 2010, but it wasn’t well-received due to deviating too far from the source material. As a result, the series trailed off after the second film and left viewers uncertain if they’d ever see Percy Jackson translated to the big screen in a way that truly captured the book’s spirit. Fortunately, Disney+ later picked up Riordan’s pitch for a Percy Jackson and the Olympians live-action TV show adaptation.
Given Riordan’s involvement in the series, it is expected to be a fairly accurate adaptation of the book, which means viewers can expect to see a lot of blue food—especially since the cast was already spotted celebrating Percy’s birthday with blue cupcakes on set.
In the books, Percy is always chomping down on blue foods, whether it’s blue birthday cake, blue cherry soda, or blue jelly beans. It has even inspired lots of blue food ideas on Pinterest and recipe sites for those wishing to partake in the blue food tradition. However, those who haven’t read the books or need a refresher may be wondering why he loves blue food so much. Did he just take having a favorite color to the next level, or is there a story behind it?
What the blue food in Percy Jackson means
There is a story behind Percy’s love of blue food, and it’s quite touching. Yes, blue is Percy’s favorite color, and it reflects that he’s the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea. But the blue food stems from a tradition with his mom, Sally Jackson. Anyone who has read the books knows that Sally is the MVP of moms. She’s kind, never stops believing in Percy, and never complains about the sacrifices she made to protect him, given his demigod status. One of her sacrifices was marrying Gabe Ugliano, or “Smelly Gabe,” because he had such horrific body order that it masked Percy’s demigod scent from monsters.
His scent hardly makes up for what he puts Sally and Percy through; he’s an abusive, deadbeat scumbag who spends all day drinking, gambling, and being rude and argumentative towards the pair. He’s the kind of grown adult who argues with everyone about the most redundant things. At one point, Gabe gets into an argument with Sally because he believes that food can’t be blue. Sally decides to prove him wrong by making all of their food blue. Of course, Percy didn’t mind since blue was his favorite color. So, it then became a running joke between Percy and his mom to make every food blue as a way of defying Gabe.
Sometimes Sally would make the blue food herself, such as blueberry shakes and blue birthday cake. Other times, she would go out of her way to buy blue tortilla chips, jelly beans, or candy canes just to keep up the tradition. At Camp Half-Blood, where Percy could will any drink into existence, he carried on the joke by summoning blue cherry coke. The tradition is a reminder of Sally’s rebellious streak but also of the bond between Percy and his mother and how they find ways to joke and make long-lasting memories together, even during the most difficult times.
(featured image: Disney+)
