Post by ryuutenshi on Apr 22, 2008 16:35:55 GMT -5
Ok, so...
When I think about the foods of D'ni (and the Ages of Myst), it's always a good idea to find some place to start from. If we just started picking recipes willy-nilly we'd end up with some sort of mad mishmash.
Thing is, we only know of a very few kinds of D'ni cuisine, and nothing about cuisine from the Ages of Myst (well, other than Sirrus' little alcohol problem and a few things about what the Rivenese ate ) If we just stop there, we won't be able to go any further.
So, what this thread is about is to discuss surface inspiration for D'ni cuisine so that we can then go ahead and think about what the D'ni might have eaten.
Before you protest, realize that D'ni culture itself is (OOCly) a construct. It's very heavily based on Middle Eastern culture (especially their writing!) with some influences of Far Eastern culture as well.
So let's start with what we know about the D'ni and their food:
-We know about Chor Bakh, a kind of meat pastry.
-We know about Shroom Bread, which I can only assume is not a flat bread and is in fact leavened (technical term, foodies?)
-We know that the D'ni had access to a huge number of different worlds and civilizations. Thus, though they would have their own special touch and things they preferred, their cuisine was likely very international - perhaps a bit like high class American cuisine today, showing influences from many worlds and cultures. Yes, even despite their xenophobia - I doubt a D'ni would really turn down good food even if it was invented by an outsider!
-The D'ni were a cave-dwelling culture, and so it's no wonder they had a thing for shrooms. What other things would people who lived in caves eat? Even if they had some way to deal with this, they'd probably need an external source of Vitamin D and other sun-related nutrients due to the lack of sunlight. So lots of dairy, perhaps, or another source?
-Middle eastern influence. Despite the many other sources of food the D'ni had access to, I think their own native cuisine would have a very, VERY middle-eastern touch, specifically similar to the areas of Lebannon and Morocco. I can very much see them having something similar to (good) pita bread and other unleavened breads, and having dipping for them (stuff like homous and babaganoush).
-A friend of mine pointed out that he thinks the D'ni would have spiced their foods but very subtly - they'd enjoy peculiar nuances of flavor and overtones, sometimes almost imperceptible ones. As an example, they'd probably be more fond of saffron than, say, jalapeneo.
-Color. Somehow I think the d'ni would like a wide variety of colors in their food as well, to make up for the lack therof in the cavern.
Other thoughts?
When I think about the foods of D'ni (and the Ages of Myst), it's always a good idea to find some place to start from. If we just started picking recipes willy-nilly we'd end up with some sort of mad mishmash.
Thing is, we only know of a very few kinds of D'ni cuisine, and nothing about cuisine from the Ages of Myst (well, other than Sirrus' little alcohol problem and a few things about what the Rivenese ate ) If we just stop there, we won't be able to go any further.
So, what this thread is about is to discuss surface inspiration for D'ni cuisine so that we can then go ahead and think about what the D'ni might have eaten.
Before you protest, realize that D'ni culture itself is (OOCly) a construct. It's very heavily based on Middle Eastern culture (especially their writing!) with some influences of Far Eastern culture as well.
So let's start with what we know about the D'ni and their food:
-We know about Chor Bakh, a kind of meat pastry.
-We know about Shroom Bread, which I can only assume is not a flat bread and is in fact leavened (technical term, foodies?)
-We know that the D'ni had access to a huge number of different worlds and civilizations. Thus, though they would have their own special touch and things they preferred, their cuisine was likely very international - perhaps a bit like high class American cuisine today, showing influences from many worlds and cultures. Yes, even despite their xenophobia - I doubt a D'ni would really turn down good food even if it was invented by an outsider!
-The D'ni were a cave-dwelling culture, and so it's no wonder they had a thing for shrooms. What other things would people who lived in caves eat? Even if they had some way to deal with this, they'd probably need an external source of Vitamin D and other sun-related nutrients due to the lack of sunlight. So lots of dairy, perhaps, or another source?
-Middle eastern influence. Despite the many other sources of food the D'ni had access to, I think their own native cuisine would have a very, VERY middle-eastern touch, specifically similar to the areas of Lebannon and Morocco. I can very much see them having something similar to (good) pita bread and other unleavened breads, and having dipping for them (stuff like homous and babaganoush).
-A friend of mine pointed out that he thinks the D'ni would have spiced their foods but very subtly - they'd enjoy peculiar nuances of flavor and overtones, sometimes almost imperceptible ones. As an example, they'd probably be more fond of saffron than, say, jalapeneo.
-Color. Somehow I think the d'ni would like a wide variety of colors in their food as well, to make up for the lack therof in the cavern.
Other thoughts?