Archanea Food Headcanon

[mark_asphodel]

I'd post this kind of thing at the anon meme except most people don't care about Archanea so discussion of it is not very anon, is it?

Food.  Characters in stories gotta eat.  Archanea and Valencia have almost no detail regarding food up until FE12, wherein we learn that Caeda can cook and that Linde has never seen wild strawberries.  Also, there's that scene in FE11 where the old woman is fleeing Altea carrying what looks like red delicious apples and a baguette of white bread.  Hello, anachronisms... unless Altea is so well-off that commoners eat nice fluffy baguettes.  And maybe that is the case, which would explain why everyone seems to hate Altea.

Ahem.  History geek that I am, when I started writing for FE I decided that Archanean cuisine would be strictly Old World (Pre-Columbian contact) food.  That means no potatoes, or sweet potatoes, or corn, or Lima beans, or tomatoes, or other things we mostly take for granted as, well, FOOD.  Also, no chocolate.  Or vanilla.  No wonder these people are miserable!  I also decided to be sparing about the kinds of things that made their way to Europe via the Crusades or contact with China-- the original vibe of FE1 is clearly ancient Greece, so I wasn't averse to cracking open Homer in search of menu advice.  But the remakes added some different cultural vibes to some of the countries, especially the distinct Romanesque feel to Pales (domes!), so that opened up some more variety.

First off, Archanea is not a great landmass like Magvel, or Elibe, or Tellius.  It's an archipelago, with a "mainland" surrounded by islands.  Fake!Europe feel aside, a comparison to Japan might not be unwarranted.  That doesn't necessarily mean everyone eats fish, though.  Great Britain is an island, and what are they known for?  Beef.

Altea:
Let's start with the homeland of Our Hero, a place canonically cited for "rich soils and clear water."  A glance at the world map shows that Altea has a striking lack of forests or rugged terrain.  The battle maps of the country show a broad river winding through the heart of the island, though it can't be to scale as it doesn't show in the world map.  Anyway, it all means that Altea is a place where people aren't going hungry, at least not until the wars.  Initially I based fanfic!Altea off another other smallish, prosperous island kingdom (England) and assumed that farmland was likely feeding happy cows and fat sheep. Ditched that after a couple of 'fics and went instead with Altea (kinda) = Spain, which is my prevalent take on it.

So, good eats in fanfic!Altea encompass a variety of land crops and "fruits of the sea," with dishes based around both wheat and rice. Trademarks of Altean cuisine include the use of saffron in cooking, a variety of citrus fruits, and liberal use of cane sugar, as Altea is the main source of sugarcane in the region.  Favored spices include cloves, anise, and cilantro.  Grapes grow well on the island and wine is more commonly consumed than ale or beer.  The water here is drinkable, though.

Gra: Altea's sister island features many of the same cultural traits but less variety in the available ingredients.  The emphasis is less on veal, pork, and lamb and more on game (see: large forest) and fish.  Drinking water is not so good here.

Grust: Canonically a bad place for crops.  People subsist upon fish and what crops can be farmed in the thin, rocky soil.  Overall Grust has more of a military culture and a lot of the regional specialities are things than keep well and transport well.  Hard liquor plays a major role in preservation of food... and in pacifying people.  Don't drink the water.

Macedon: I go full-bore on the ancient Greece thing in fanfic!Macedon-- fish, lamb kebabs, soft cheeses and yogurts, use of honey rather than sugar, and liberal use of nuts... especially chestnuts, which in my mind are many of the "tall trees" in Macedon's forests.  Chestnuts were a key staple of pre-Columbian cuisine (before corn arrived in Italy, polenta was made of chestnut flour).  Another grape-growing region where the wine flows freely.

The place with barbarians: Uh... hunter-gatherer culture?  Or something.  Regardless, there's some weird stuff going on in between Grust and Khadein.

Khadein: The Oasis of Magic features glorious food akin to Persian cuisine-- expect lots of sweet-sour combinations with the fruits and meat, elaborate dishes with rice and noodles, sherbets and fruit ices (so nice in a desert!), and gallons and gallons of coffee.  Its a university town.  Of course there's coffee.  Not to mention lots of junk food and street-vendor snacks for poorer students to grab a bite between classes.

Thabes: Khadein's culture is derived largely from the fallen city of Thabes, which in my headcanon was kind of like Troy.  No, the one in the Iliad, not the one in Michigan.

Archanea/Holy Kingdom: Quasi-Italian, though I figure the five regions (Menidy, Samsufe, and so on) are culturally and geographically distinct.  Pales itself would be very "civilized"-- more like Rome under the Borgias than rural Naples.  Very elaborate recipes, in particular banquets with exotic things-- think "turducken" and other abominations.  Lots and lots of sweets and desserts.

Aurelis: Plainsman culture is a big question mark, but I view Aurelis as the Old France to Archanea's Old Rome.  I kind of pegged it as having a Norman influence, even.  The area is known for dairy-- milk and cheese both-- and for apples.  And apple cider.  And apple brandy.  Wheat is definitely the staple here-- the plains are the breadbasket of the continent. 

Pyrathi/Port Warren/Galder Harbor-- cultural hodge-podges.  Marine-based diets featuring the influence of many other nations.  Also, moving eastward we're getting into the beer-drinking region of the continent.  Not to mention the hard stuff.

Talys: The token Celtic kingdom with food and drink to match.  Lamb and game play a role in cooking (though the forests on Talys don't register on the world map), breadstuffs are more beloved here than elsewhere, and desserts are more hearty and rustic than mainland confections.  Apples and berries are the most common fruits, used in both sweet and savory dishes.  People on fanfic!Talys like big breakfasts and they really like ale-- wine barely registers outside of dilettantes who look up to the mainland for culture.

Bonus Valencia Material!

Fanfic!Valencia is the New World to Archanea's Old World.  Sofia features colorful, flavorful, "exotic" cuisine-- meat in chili-chocolate-nut sauce, rich stews with bean, corn, and peppers, and a variety of wonderful fruits.  Rigel gets by on potatoes.  ;P

I'm hungry now.  -_-

Comments

[myaru.livejournal.com]

I love posts like this. <3 We have remarkably similar ideas for Macedon and Khadein, though I used Turkish and Egyptian cuisines as my models when speculating on what Khadein would eat. In keeping with a theme of decadence, I had Archanea pegged only generally as a place where lots of cream-based and butter-based food would prevail - and pastry. Mmm, pastry.

Valencia I threw to the mangoes.

Do you mind if I just pretend that your speculation on Altea and Talys is canon? :D

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

though I used Turkish and Egyptian cuisines as my models when speculating on what Khadein would eat.

Turkish, yeah, there's a bit of that as well in my headcanon. Egyptian, though... interesting!

I had Archanea pegged only generally as a place where lots of cream-based and butter-based food would prevail

Yeah, I have Aurelis doing the dairy-decadence thing, heh, whereas Archanea Kingdom I see as engaging in more out-and-out frivolity. The kind of place where they'd have the servants bring in a sixty-pound sturgeon, drop it deliberately, and then haul in an eighty-pound sturgeon. Just because they can. Meanwhile, half of Macedon is starving to death...

I'd say I'm being unfair to those countries, but in light of canon events... fair cop.

Do you mind if I just pretend that your speculation on Altea and Talys is canon?

As long as it doesn't end up on FE Wiki, go for it! Heh, I'm just pleased it makes sense to someone other than me. :D

[raphiael]

You know, I honestly rarely think about applying my worldbuilding ideas and processes to fanfiction. I guess I'm afraid to add to much to it without a lot of basis? I'm not sure, but I really like how you go about doing it. It adds a lot of depth to what you write, even if you don't explicitly mention it.

[myaru.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth, I do it all the time (with food, random history and mythology "facts" based on canon) and nobody jumps down my throat about it. This is mostly Tellius I'm talking about, but I've tweaked and added to Elibe too with no fandom reaction.

[raphiael]

I noticed in a couple of fics of yours that you did as well, and it really added to them. I'm just Super Fandom Noob Girl still, so I don't want to cause any stupid drama or anything like that. Like for example, I volunteered at a reservation in South Dakota, and I'd really like to incorporate that experience into the Sacaean plainsmen. At the same time, I don't want to deal with "OMG THEY'RE BASED ON MONGOLIANS" or whatever.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

I don't want to deal with "OMG THEY'RE BASED ON MONGOLIANS" or whatever.

Oh yeah, that's the upside of writing Archanea. The pool of people who actually care about what you write is small enough that there's not that many people to piss off.

[hooves.livejournal.com]

Coming in very late to say...honestly, Mongolians is just a fan thing. It isn't even MY fan thing. I don't use it myself. /lol is a horrible person what

No but really. There's a pretty bit chunk of fandom that enjoys seeing things interpreted differently by different people. So that way reading 'fics is a totally different but still canonically correct experience for everyone.

Am I making sense. I have no idea.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

I guess I'm afraid to add to much to it without a lot of basis? I'm not sure

I understand where you're coming from, but canon is scant enough that it's either make stuff up or have this huge cultural gap in the fanfic-- food, after all, generally being a key component of cultural identity. Archanea has enough background info that it's possible to get a sense of each of the countries as individual countries, with histories and separate cultures, which makes it possible to do something like this in detail. Whereas, with Magvel... yeah, your guess is as good as mine. They eat fish in Frelia. Michew berries make good pies. Beyond that?

I bash Magvel's world-building a lot, but compared with the earlier games, the thought put into the whys and hows of the continent is simply not evident... if it even was done. Inventing background info for Magvel feels like faking it a lot of the time.

It adds a lot of depth to what you write, even if you don't explicitly mention it.

Thanks. Archanea is definitely my "home world" where Fire Emblem is concerned. :D

[raphiael]

I definitely agree with that - as much as I love the idea of FE8, a lot of it is so vague that I can't do much except make things up. At the same time, though, it gives me enough free reign that I could say something and no one could be all like "that's not canon!!!!", which, in its own way, is awesome.
I guess it's more FE7 I'm worried about. It's so popular, and people have these ideas on which area's based on what, and most of my thoughts contradict with what I've seen. I have a lot of experience building worlds for actual stories, but not really fic.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

It's so popular, and people have these ideas on which area's based on what, and most of my thoughts contradict with what I've seen.

This, in a nutshell, is why I do not and most likely will not write for Elibe.

[sailorvfan10.livejournal.com]

This, in a nutshell, is why I stopped writing for Elibe. Especially now, what with people complaining all the 'good' fic is being pushed off the page. Kind of made me take a hiatus from FE full stop, but I've been thinking about stuff and just not posting.

Also I got very bored of seeing the same shit over and over again. At least Akaneia, no matter how small it might be, has some interesting ideas floating around. Elibe seems to just rehash the same crap to the point of desensitisation.

[writerawakened.livejournal.com]

But you could say that 90% of fanfiction in general rehashes the same shit. It isn't Elibe or even FE-specific, and it has nothing to do with "pushing" anything...

Personally, I don't mind if other people have already established their views of what country = what. I've made my own (often off-beat) opinions on that and I just write what speaks to me when I set out.

(Just as an example, I've never understood the Sacae=Mongolia thing. From what we've seen in 6 and 7, the Sacaens were more than happy to stay in their own country and live isolated until people invaded them, whereas the Mongols were infamous for being more...bellicose, I guess.)

[sailorvfan10.livejournal.com]

It might be a 'your fandom may vary' thing, but I've been in a lot of fandoms where certain parts of fandom are rehashed to the point of vomitting and other parts and extremely progressive. In Elibe's case, I found that churning out the same kind of fic (how many tactician sue fics do we really need?) is boring and stale. Smaller parts of the fandom seem to not have that problem.

I make headcanon for everything, and sometimes it meshes with what others think, sometimes it's a conglomerate, and other times it goes completely against. It depends on the fandom for me. And as long as I don't see it as 'out of character' or 'uncanonical', then I'm not bothered by it.

[hooves.livejournal.com]

Just as an example, I've never understood the Sacae=Mongolia thing.

I kind of see where it comes from, but in the end I don't use it myself. Obviously I don't care if other people use it, but if someone tried to tell me it was The Way Things Were I'd probably laugh in their face.

[hooves.livejournal.com]

Elibe seems to just rehash the same crap to the point of desensitisation.

Oh God, so guilty of that.

[hooves.livejournal.com]

This, in a nutshell, is why I do not and most likely will not write for Elibe.

*IS SAD FOREVER*

[shimizu-hitomi.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I actually think the hardcore worldbuilders are in the minority (I swear I just read a non-AU Shakespeare reference in a fic the other day), and I at least like seeing other interpretations as long as they're internally consistent. I mean... I'm nitpicky with my own stuff because I am compulsive AND lazy (i.e. can't be bothered to make up things if I can just extrapolate), but I don't really care when other people play fast and loose with canon.

[shimizu-hitomi.livejournal.com]

Er, which is to say. I don't think FE has much explicit worldbuilding anyway, and since so much of it is in the subtext I think it would be silly to say something isn't canon

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's so much that (though the sheer amount of TEXT in FE6/7 canon makes it intimidating to process). I get the feeling, and have from the beginning, that more FE7 writers have a deep personal attachment to the characters and a great deal of emotional investment in them. Which is part of what I'm getting at when I've complained that FE7 fanfic often seems to be more a reflection of the fandom than it is of the source material.

Consequently, I don't feel my mode of operations would be especially welcome in Elibe-land. Whereas with Tellius, I just don't care enough about the characters to want to write anything at present. If the fancy struck me to write, I'd be in there. But Elibe... it feels like there's an invisible dog fence around it.

[shimizu-hitomi.livejournal.com]

Ah yeah, that's true. I was mostly responding to raphien's concerns, but I think I know what you're getting at too. I do think that's part of why I veer closer toward FE6 fic rather than fic explicitly set during the FE7 generation. On one hand it's just a matter of personal interest, but otoh my interpretations of a lot of the FE7 characters (or the situations I would much prefer to write them into) -- heh. And I think you're right, since FE7 is the first FE game a lot of fans encountered people seem to feel particularly strongly about the story and the cast.

[raphiael]

I agree here. I definitely have my own ideas about things, and I do have favorites, but I wouldn't say I'm specifically attached to any character/pairing/idea. I'll write just about anything if the idea seems plausible and interesting.
But at the same time, a lot of my ideas are really contrary to others'. That's fine in say, Magvel, where people are more "no1curr" about it. But for example, I said that with Lucius being as sickly as he is in the game, I could very easily see FE6's "father" being someone else and Lucius dead of illness. There was much in the way of "omg no it's canon that he is", when really, it's a fan-made leap. And that just bites.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

when really, it's a fan-made leap

Fire Emblem is chock-ful of that, though. From the very beginning the scripts are full of hints and clues and ambiguity and things that might be the "preferred" reading of canon but you can't be 100% sure.

Like Linde having a crush on Merric. Up until FE12 came out, it was a popular idea but there wasn't solid canon evidence. That's sixteen years of a fan-made leap before a remake-- which might possibly be "tainted" by ascended fanboys somewhere along the way-- made it canon.

[raphiael]

True - I have no trouble at all with things being the preferred interpretation. It's inevitable in a series that really pays relatively little attention to the myriad of side characters, and tends to hint at things that aren't quite Suitable For All Ages.

What bugs me is that if you choose to consider alternate options, there can be RAEG. I'll probably end up writing weird things like that anyway, but don't tell me something is canon when it's really left open ended, you know?

[hooves.livejournal.com]

I could very easily see FE6's "father" being someone else and Lucius dead of illness. There was much in the way of "omg no it's canon that he is", when really, it's a fan-made leap. And that just bites.

I actually really like this idea, and would even consider writing it someday. If I wasn't lazy and stuff. :3

[writerawakened.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about that: I don't think any Elibe writers would hold it against you if your head-canon veered away from the "norm". Or, if they did, I don't think you should let them sway you. In fact, there would probably be a lot of people who'd love to read your Elibe stuff (myself included) considering all the thought and work you put into your other fics.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is, if you have an inspiration to write FE6-7 fic, don't worry about "the establishment". There are plenty of us who'd love to read it! :D

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the encouragement. I do have a Hector/Lyn piece sitting around unfinished, plus a plot bunny for Eliwood/Lyn (they get married because she's his best friend and Ninian went back to Dragonland, but not because they're truly "in love"). But IDK. I guess the other half of the problem is that I'm not emotionally invested enough in Elibe to want to deal with the trouble if trouble comes up.

If someone comes along and says (in a non-trolly way), "I think you're seriously whacked regarding your characterization of Marth," I can cite a whole line of reasoning plus chapter and verse of canon to defend myself. If someone says, "Do you seriously think Eliwood would DO that?" or "Your version of Lyn is just wrong," I don't have much to say right now beyond, "Well, it felt okay to me. :/"

[hooves.livejournal.com]

If someone says, "Do you seriously think Eliwood would DO that?" or "Your version of Lyn is just wrong," I don't have much to say right now beyond, "Well, it felt okay to me. :/"

If I may interject here (WHATEVER I HAVE DONE IT LIKE 12 TIMES ALREADY IN THIS POST), I just want to say that I know for a fact I have screwed up various fandom-favorites but nobody has ever pointed it out to me.

Now. Maybe it's because I'm a raving lunatic/crazy bitch/something weird, but I don't really think you could totally screw anything up. ("Do you really think Eliwood would DO that?" <--Oh, the crap I think Eliwood would do that half of fandom probably wouldn't agree with... ...I mean uhm, I tend to keep those things to myself but if I were to write it in a 'fic, I would hope that the sane people in fandom would be sane enough to at least see where I was coming from. If not, I could at least explain it, I suppose. Most of the characters don't have set-in-stone personalities/hobbies/traits/etc anyway. :U

;__; Do not be afraid. I mean, if you want to write it, write it. If you're inspired, write it. Trouble will not come up or I will beat it back with a stick, I promise. In a public entry on my journal in 20point blinking bolded font. Sparkles are optional.

[sailorvfan10.livejournal.com]

Do not be afraid. I mean, if you want to write it, write it. If you're inspired, write it. Trouble will not come up or I will beat it back with a stick, I promise. In a public entry on my journal in 20point blinking bolded font. Sparkles are optional.
I will help Manna in this endeavour.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Oh, the crap I think Eliwood would do that half of fandom probably wouldn't agree with..

INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW. RIGHT NOW.

But thank you. :D

[hooves.livejournal.com]

WELL OFFA THE TOP OF MY HEAD I got nothing. But it's 5am and I just woke up. Eliwood's a perv. RIGHT? Okay not a creeper perv. But. Okay never mind. He's just a horndog.

Shutting up now because I can't really explain that without sounding weird.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Eliwood's a perv. RIGHT?

Okay, I am so writing that down for the next time I see someone whining about how Lords X, Y, and Z are generic and interchangeable.

And when you come up with the full explanation, I will be waiting. ;D

[hooves.livejournal.com]

Yeah, listen to him. HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT.

Mark, you put so much detail and just GENERAL AWESOME into your 'fic, that I know you'd do good writing for any fandom, even if your interpretations aren't exactly the same as the rest of fandom. Hell, I know they'd still be IC. And that you'd have thought through things enough to have reasoning for writing things certain ways, etc etc.

tl;dr, Mark, your writing has never disappointed. EVER. And I'm sure FE7 stuff would be no different. Hell, you blew me away with that 'fic about Catria and Palla and etc and I hadn't even played FEDS nor had I seen the characters or anything-- I didn't even know what they looked like. SO YEAH. Shutting up now because I'm obviously insane.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

And that you'd have thought through things enough to have reasoning for writing things certain ways, etc etc.

Weeeeell, the other thing holding me back is that I haven't played FE7 a jillion times, or FE6 even once, and a lot of other people obviously have. And I can't cheat by cross-referencing the script. :/

Shutting up now because I'm obviously insane.

Heh. Well, it was nice to read, anyway.

[hooves.livejournal.com]

Actually.

I beat FE7 once when it was released here. And one more time in 2007. SO. Not a jillion times. :(

[hooves.livejournal.com]

Which is part of what I'm getting at when I've complained that FE7 fanfic often seems to be more a reflection of the fandom than it is of the source material.

And I deeply regret being one of the authors who does this/did this. It's actually fairly embarrassing to see in past writing. On one hand at least I care about the characters I'm writing about? On the other, I just look like a fangirling n00b.

I might have finally found that line I mentioned quite a while back in my journal-- the one I kept crossing in 'fic, where I felt Kent and/or Lyndis bordered on OOCness. If it helps, your comment about her being selfish was a really big push in the right direction. I felt that way, but never thought to ever explore it in a more detailed way or insert it firmly into headcanon. That problem has been rectified. I daresay it makes Kent/Lyn more interesting to me, now. (Even though I'm still burnt out as all hell writing it.)

FWIW I would personally love seeing FE7 from you if you felt inspired and had an idea. I mean, obviously not going to pressure you like a creeper and be all AH MAH GAWD RITE SUM FE7!111one but your interpretations would be welcome, emotional investment aside on my part.

I know I disagree with a huge chunk of fandom about Farina, for example, but I'm okay with that, so long as nobody torches me for how I write her.

(But by "disagree", I mean, "I didn't walk away from the game/supports/etc with the same impression". Not, "My way is canon, theirs is not." For clarification.)

[hooves.livejournal.com]

fjdlsafjdsa;fdksa

I will listen to your ideas. I mean. I have AIM. And you can PM me. Or email me. Or Skype me. Or MSN me. OR or or. OROROR.

But seriously, even if your ideas contradict what you've seen? It doesn't matter. It's still okay. I mean, it might be a little odd if, say, Sacaens are eating lobsters or something regularly (I mean what.) but if it makes sense in general, it should be fine?

I'm always up for listening and giving my opinion if you wanna share. I tend to not be picky about those things, though, because I really like seeing what people thought up on their own vs. what they say in fandom/fanon and are borrowing/feel they have to use. :(

[shimizu-hitomi.livejournal.com]

I love your headcanon. Have to confess that food is really one of those things I don't think a lot about (though I should and occasionally try), but your headcanon makes total and awesome sense.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

:D

Glad it makes sense to someone else who knows the territory. Clearly I've thought way too much about this... but I like food.

[sailorvfan10.livejournal.com]

Mmm, food posts. Good to know I'm not the only one who would sit and think, "HMMMM, WHAT WOULD MARTH BE EATING?"

re: Altea's and Talys's food, you and I have very similar ideas, though I put more fish in Altea, especially for the poorer folk, because it'd be easier to grab at. But that's just me, personally.

... Now I'm gonna run off and eat.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Altea's and Talys's food, you and I have very similar ideas, though I put more fish in Altea

I think there's a lot of fish eaten, but shellfish would be just as important-- shrimp, scallops, and the like. That's what I meant by "fruits of the sea," anyway.

And I like the idea of Talys and Altea having sharply different cuisines. I imagine Jagen cuffing some of the younger knights around the ears when they first wash up in Talys and the guys are like, "WTF where is the real food?"

Also, I like the idea of conversations that go like this:

Caeda: We're having the best dessert ever tonight!

Marth: Yay? (Is thinking of flan with candied orange bits in it)

Caeda: Suet pudding with blackcurrants!

Marth: ...

[sailorvfan10.livejournal.com]

...

I am going to write both of those.

As soon as I've had some sleep.

[hooves.livejournal.com]

The thought you put into this stuff is just amazing. I have zero experience outside of the food I can cook myself (ie: GOOD HOMECOOKED FOODS but only I guess southern FRIED CHICKEN AND MASHED TATERS type stuff). So this just blows my mind.

Half of this stuff, I probably wouldn't know what it was if I saw it. I tend to stay away from food because I'm just that unfamiliar with non-American/standard fare where I live. Which, c'mon, rural Ohio, you can't find anything that isn't very normal and regular without going probably an hour away.

But then I'm reminded of Wallace and potatoes, though I honestly have absolutely no idea how that even started.

Also I see you mentioned currants above? See, I grow currants and sadly nobody knows what they even are when I talk about eating them. It is sad.

Maybe I should think more about food... Then again, I'm food-dumb. If it's not something I can grow in my yard I probably don't eat it.

[sailorvfan10.livejournal.com]

The Wallace and taters thing was...something that started with PREF and our dysfunctional family. idk how it actually came about though. Probably in one of the cracky conversations you, me, Rein, and Maruta were involved in.

now i want taters

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Which, c'mon, rural Ohio, you can't find anything that isn't very normal and regular without going probably an hour away.

Rural Michigan seems to be the same way. Fortunately the Detroit Metro area is better... we even used to have two Nepalese restaurants!

See, I grow currants

Do tell. I love currants and gooseberries.

[hooves.livejournal.com]

...Nepalese restaurants. :O Haven't even...heard of them!

Gooseberries! Our gooseberry bushes don't bear any berries these days. Maybe I will have to buy new ones to replace them (they were 20 or so years old anyway).

But currants. Oh yeah, a few years ago I bought new bushes to replace the old ones that (were also very old and) had died. Red/pink/white I think are the kinds I have.



But we have a lot of fruit trees/flowers around here. (All flower icons I have but the sunflower icon are from my own plants.)

Anyway, years ago. Currant jelly. I like currants. I could eat them forever. I think the red ones are my favorite, but the white and pink are good, too! If I see a new variety in the seed catalogues this year, I might be tempted... (I am the only one in the world who gets enjoyment out of looking through tons of them every year.)

[sarajayechan.livejournal.com]

I like this. :D Especially the description of Khadein, it makes me think of visiting my sister and cousins at college. Grust reminds me of FE4's Thracia, I loved the description of Talys, and your perception of Macedon looks spot-on.

You tempt me to write up some food worldbuilding for Jugdral and its countries, lol.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

You tempt me to write up some food worldbuilding for Jugdral and its countries, lol.

DO IT.