Gamer Food

 
What we eat and how we eat it says a lot about our culture.  In fantasy games and fantasy literature the same fact holds true.  Food can act as a window into well developed settings that can convey a great deal of information to a player or reader.

George R. R. Martin's masterpiece series, A Song of Ice and Fire conveys a great deal to the reader about the world, culture, and characters based on what they eat.  Martin's descriptions of meals from meager breakfasts to grand feasts are nothing short of tantalizing.  Honestly, I often get hungry just ready about them!

On this I am obviously not alone.  We reported a while back about a site called The Inn at the Crossroads that endeavored to translate the descriptions into real mouth watering dishes.  For each dish they give the passage that inspired it from the book, a picture of the finished product, their thoughts on the dish, and the recipe.  If you thought the descriptions were great then you have to take a look at what they have done and continue to do with them!

Here are just a few pictures from their site of their more recent dishes...

Consider how cool and intricate these dishes are.  Consider how they look, smell, how they were cooked, and how they are served.  Now think about your setting.  What do the people of your world eat?  Why?  How do they cook their food?  How is it presented and served?  What rituals or ceremonies accompany meals or feasts?  Providing these kinds of details to your players can really make your world a more rich and vibrant place. 

One other idea to get your players excited and immersed in the setting to actually make a dish or dishes from your setting and serve them to your players as a snack or meal.  It is a great deal of work but I have read of others adopting this idea to great effect.  You players are sure to appreciate the effort, and the grub!