T2K Cuisine - Food in the aftermath

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Graebarde

Most of what people do not want to eat or even try is all psychological.. mind over matter.. get it out of the mind it don't matter.

True. If they are hungry enough people will eat nearly anything. I remember a discussion here a while back in which North Korea's last big famine was mentioned - people there were eating things like soft inner tree bark and grass shoots. People have even boiled up boot and belt leather to eat when they are starving. But us soft westerners are often squeemish about trying something new in an Asian restaurant!

I'll eat all sorts of things that my girlfriend refuses to eat. Some things I can kind of understand but she won't even indulge my love of kangaroo meat. She thinks it is like eating Skippy. But there are millions and millions of kangaroos in Australia and they make for a much more sustainable food source than cattle or sheep. Hard-hooved animals tear up the ground in Australia (which is mostly quite arid) and cause soil erosion and degradation. Kangaroos are soft-footed and can eat all kinds of flora without getting sick. A much more sensible food source IMO.

[Mock26]

Originally Posted by Targan

True. If they are hungry enough people will eat nearly anything. I remember a discussion here a while back in which North Korea's last big famine was mentioned - people there were eating things like soft inner tree bark and grass shoots. People have even boiled up boot and belt leather to eat when they are starving. But us soft westerners are often squeemish about trying something new in an Asian restaurant!

I'll eat all sorts of things that my girlfriend refuses to eat. Some things I can kind of understand but she won't even indulge my love of kangaroo meat. She thinks it is like eating Skippy. But there are millions and millions of kangaroos in Australia and they make for a much more sustainable food source than cattle or sheep. Hard-hooved animals tear up the ground in Australia (which is mostly quite arid) and cause soil erosion and degradation. Kangaroos are soft-footed and can eat all kinds of flora without getting sick. A much more sensible food source IMO.

To date there has only been one food that I have refused to try, and that was Surströmming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcnfEVqNdoA

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Mock26

To date there has only been one food that I have refused to try, and that was Surströmming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcnfEVqNdoA

Now he just needs to find a girl to torture...I mean kiss...it would be the same thing.

[Ironside]

I've just had a horrible thought. What are we Brits going to drink instead of tea in the aftermath?

Anyone have any ideas?

[helbent4]

Originally Posted by Ironside

I've just had a horrible thought. What are we Brits going to drink instead of tea in the aftermath?

Anyone have any ideas?

Ironside,

I imagine you could still drink tea, it just wouldn't be from India or tea plants in general. Nettle tea is an example of a herbal tea that is also supposed to have healing properties.

Tony

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Ironside

I've just had a horrible thought. What are we Brits going to drink instead of tea in the aftermath?

Anyone have any ideas?

I'd have the same problem with a lack of Pepsi - <shiver> withdrawal symptoms...

[HorseSoldier]

Tea, but without caffeine, wouldn't quite be the same. About as fun as using chicory instead of coffee.

[Legbreaker]

Anyone with the forethought to plant out a few greenhouses with tea would make a mint!

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Anyone with the forethought to plant out a few greenhouses with tea would make a mint!

Or a mint tea ...OK, bad joke.

[helbent4]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

Or a mint tea ...OK, bad joke.

Paul

No, that was actually worth a chuckle!

Tony

[pmulcahy11b]

One thing is that while cat food is not properly nutritionally balanced for a human over the long term, dog food is. I occasionally eat a handful of my dogs' dry food -- it makes a tasty light snack. I've tasted their canned food -- it's a bit bland, but nutritionally good for a human as well. Dog food could be useful for humans in T2K as well as their dogs.

[Canadian Army]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

One thing is that while cat food is not properly nutritionally balanced for a human over the long term, dog food is. I occasionally eat a handful of my dogs' dry food -- it makes a tasty light snack. I've tasted their canned food -- it's a bit bland, but nutritionally good for a human as well. Dog food could be useful for humans in T2K as well as their dogs.

or just eat the dog or cat.

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

I'd have the same problem with a lack of Pepsi - <shiver> withdrawal symptoms...

Dear God! A world without Pepsi!?!? While that may make Coke happy, the inhumanity!!!!

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

I'd have the same problem with a lack of Pepsi - <shiver> withdrawal symptoms...

A world without Pepsi! While Coke may be happy with that...the inhumanity!!!

[Rockwolf66]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

I'd have the same problem with a lack of Pepsi - <shiver> withdrawal symptoms...

Since i can't stand the taste of pepsi without a ton of added salt...I'll give you any pepsi i run across.

problem Solved.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Canadian Army

or just eat the dog or cat.

I could never eat one of my dogs -- I'd rather eat a person.

[Legbreaker]

mmmmm, Solent Green....

[WallShadow]

Originally Posted by Canadian Army

or just eat the dog or cat.

Ummm...remember in the 14th century, when the European populace killed all the cats they could because the cats were thought to be witches' familiars and responsible for the plague? The cats that might have kept the rodent factor of the flea-borne disease vector population down?

And often, cats bring "gifts" to their humans--birds, mice, rats, snakes, moles, voles.

I'd be trying to keep my cats and dogs in good health as a public health and safety measure! And besides, they're loyal to me--I keep them fed in tough times.

On a totally different topic: sprouting beans. Sprouting dried beans is very easy--Soak the beans for about 4 hours or so, the pour off the liquid, keep them damp in a moderately warm/stable temperature in a shaded location. Full sunlight will encourage the sprouts to go leafy, which may be fine if you want to plant them, but not as an immediate food source. Rinse and drain the beans several times a day; after about 2 days, you will see the sprout emerging from the hull. The sprouts are at their peak at about day 7--eat them raw or cook them. They have lots of certain B-vitamins (B1, B2, and B3) and vitamins A and C--important for scurvy and vision impairment prevention. Note: according to my best source, soybean- and Kidney bean sprouts are toxic. Some sprouted beans may contain natural defensive enzymes that may inhibit fat and protein absorption: these need to be cooked before eating them. http://www.growyouthful.com/recipes/sprouts.php One of the episodes of Jericho had the techno-geek girl mentioning how the bean sprouts were coming along well--important when they were going to be the main source of Vitamin C as winter continued.

Lastly, a word about lentils, the lovely little lens-shaped legume that is a great ingredient. Lentils do not have to be soaked overnight: they take about 45 minutes of cooking to be edible. They are a great protein source and have a broad range of uses, whether ground up or in their natural form. Lots of Middle Eastern and South Asian dishes include them. And you can sprout them (see above).

[bobcat]

goat, dates, chai...
...wait thats a long patrol in iraq...

but seriously
in my area it would mostly be cattails, elderberries, spearmint tea, dandilions, and any meat we can acquire. (also corn since so many people plant patches for the deer)

[WallShadow]

Originally Posted by Ironside

I've just had a horrible thought. What are we Brits going to drink instead of tea in the aftermath?

Anyone have any ideas?

Do just what your forefathers did--go out and conquer an empire to grow and process it, spreading cricket to the poor benighted 'eathens as a side-effect

[Graebarde]

Originally Posted by dragoon500ly

A world without Pepsi! While Coke may be happy with that...the inhumanity!!!

Ahh, if there's no Pepsi, I highly doubt there will be Coke.. or <sigh> Dr Pepper.

[Graebarde]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Anyone with the forethought to plant out a few greenhouses with tea would make a mint!

Yep, however it's not as simple as it sounds. Tea is raised as far north as South Carolina however with some success. There is a large plantation of tea over there, much closer than Ceylon. Of course in 2000 I don't know what condition it would be in.

[Graebarde]

Originally Posted by Ironside

I've just had a horrible thought. What are we Brits going to drink instead of tea in the aftermath?

Anyone have any ideas?

Barley pop!!! Malt the barley, extract the malt, add hops if you can or prefer, ferment the extraction, age for a bit.. )

[Graebarde]

Originally Posted by Ironside

I've just had a horrible thought. What are we Brits going to drink instead of tea in the aftermath?

Anyone have any ideas?

Barley pop!!! Malt the barley, extract the malt, add hops if you can or prefer, ferment the extraction, age for a bit.. )

[Graebarde]

Originally Posted by Ironside

I've just had a horrible thought. What are we Brits going to drink instead of tea in the aftermath?

Anyone have any ideas?

Barley pop!!! The same stuff they drank before the addiction to tea?

[dragoon500ly]

Here's a listing of the edible plants that can be used to make tea

Bearbearry AKA Kinnikinnick; found in the artic and subartic regions, the young leaves can be brewed to make a refreshing tea

Blackberries, raspberries and dewbarries; found in temperate regions, the leaves are used to make tea, if suffering from diarrhea, brew a tea from the dried root bark of the blackberry bush.

Broad leaf lawn plantain: found in the north temperate regions, a tea to treat diarrhea can be made from 1 ounce of this plant boiled in one pint of water.

Chickory; native of Europe and Asia, found in Africa and North America; doesn't brew a tea, but can be used as a coffee substitute.

Dandelion; grows throughout the Northern Hemisphere; the roots can be roasted and ground as a coffee substitute.

Juniper; roast the seeds and ground and use as a coffee substitute, the young twigs can be vrewed to make a tea.

Nutsedge; grows in sandy areas throughout the world, the tubers can be roasted and ground and used for a coffee substitute.

Oaks; throughout Europe, North and Central America and parts of Europe and Asia; the acorns can be baked until dark, then ground and used as a coffee substitute.

Persimmon; throughout Africa, North America and the Far East; dry the leaves and soak them in hot water to make a tea.

Sassafras; a common tree in Eastern North America; dig the undergroun portion of the tree, peel off the bark and let it dry, thne boil it in water to make a tea.

[Graebarde]

sorry for the multiple multiple posts. dang lagging machine.

[dragoon500ly]

Since we're talking about tea, remember this little tidbit?

Mindful of the possibility of desperate shortages in materials critical to the war effort, in 1940 the British government moved to corner the market on what it considered its most precious strategic resouce, establishing a worldwide monopoly on tea. At the height of the war, Great Britain maintained stockpiles of about 150 million tons of the stuff, eneough to brew up about 6 trillion cups. So critical was tea to the British war effort that only ammunition had a higher priority than tea for delivery to troops in action.

Source is "Dirty Little Secrets of World War II" byJames Dunnigna and Albert Nofi

[simonmark6]

Too right, you can kill the enemy without ammunition, but without a cuppa the average Tommy isn't going anywhere!

[Raellus]

A brief and interesting article by a sci-fi/food writer (from NPR).

http://www.npr.org/2013/07/13/201181...paign=20130715

Food seems to be neglected in RPGs too. When I GM, I don't really make an issue of it. It's very rarely that my players post something about eating. In the other games I play in, food is rarely, if ever, an issue. It just seems to be taken for granted that food is available and that the PCs eat it. In a post-apoc world, this doesn't seem right. In computer/console RPGs, food is usually used only as a mode of minor healing.

I think that food should play a bigger part in RPGs, especially T2K. First off, it's necessary for basic survival. Getting it should be one of the players' primary concerns. When it's generally scarce, food also becomes currency. Why can't one barter with food in a post-apoc video game like Fallout 3 (one of my all-time fav's). And lastly, food is a social lubricant. Meal times are opportunities to get together and chat. In a social game, like an RPG, this doesn't seem to happen enough. I find this quite ironic because the one FtF I participate in is also always pot-luck and we tend to gnosh throughout.