fandomhigh | Entries tagged with foodie

The Danger Shop this week had been programmed in two halves - on one side, there was a formal dining room with fine china and silver. On the other, a neat blanket was spread out over grass, with a well-crafted wicker basket in the middle. The dishes there were sturdier and the silverware plainer.

Hannibal stood at a table between the two halves in a lovely summer suit.

He straightened up and nodded at the students. "This week, we're not talking about food; we're talking about how other things relate to food." He waved between the two halves of the classroom. "What sorts of food does each of these settings demand? What sorts of conversation and manners? What culture do you expect of each?"

He gestured at the table behind him, which held all the food. "Take some food, and sit where you like to eat it; move between the two, if you like. But think about this - when you choose your food and seat, is it only because of taste? Or is there a reason you prefer one over the other? What behavior do you feel is warranted in each place? What is most appropriate and most comfortable? Let us discuss it."

sharp_man

Class had been asked to meet in the Danger Shop; when they arrived there, they would find Hannibal leaning up against a table at the front of the room; the table had a number of dishes on it, each neatly covered with a lid or cloth napkin. He nodded and smiled at the students he knew, and made note of the ones he did not. The room was set up with a number of comfortable chairs, some at tables and some not, a couch or two, and even a beanbag. When they had all arrived and settled in, he began.

"Good afternoon. I am Dr. Lecter; this is The Philosophy of Food. I trust you are all in the correct place." He called up a syllabus on a screen at the front of the room. "I will send you each a copy of this. You may sit in a chair, or on the floor, or wander the room; whatever makes you comfortable, so long as you pay attention." You could tell a lot about people from how they chose to interact with their space.

"You will not need to take any notes, although you may do so if you choose. As you can see," he nodded at the syllabus, "there will be a final project, no exams or quizzes. I have only two requirements for our classes: one, you must participate." He indicated the dishes. "You may choose to eat or decline anything presented here. You may choose to eat none of it; while I might be disappointed, it will in no way affect your grade. However, you must have opinions and speak them, and possibly be prepared to defend them." He smiled.

"The second rule – there will be no judging. There will undoubtedly be things you do not think of as edible, or even that you may have a cultural or religious bias against. There may be practices in the raising or creation of food which you may find objectionable. I expect you to say just that, and to be prepared to explain why. There will be no use of the term 'disgusting', no 'ew's or 'gross'es." He frowned. "That will affect your grade if I hear it, and quite negatively."

He made sure they understood, and nodded. "Now, introductions I believe are traditional, but I would appreciate a little more as well. Please tell me your name, where you are from, and any allergies – food or otherwise – and dietary restrictions you may have. It is my goal to make you think about your food and to expand your horizons, not to kill you from anaphylaxis." Though he did have medicines just in case; he'd never lost a student unintentionally yet, and had no plans of starting now.

carbsliftthespirit

"I can't believe it's our last class! There's so much more food out there to eat," Raiden said wistfully. "We'll just have to save that for another semester, right? But not next semester. Next semester we're zeroing in on potatoes. Don't miss it." Who would want to miss potatoes? "I couldn't decide at first where we should go for our last class--I thought about just going back to New Orleans, because let's face it, that's never a bad idea--but then Gray wrote a bunch of countries down and pulled one out of a hat for me, and he picked a good one: we're going to India! More specifically, Delhi, the capital, home to over twenty-eight million people and the second-largest metropolitan area in the world, after Tokyo.

"Now, Delhi has a strong Punjabi influence, but because it's the capital people from all over India have come here, so there are other influences from all over the country, which means you can find all different kinds of Indian food here--and yes, there are different kinds of food, because India actually has a lot of different cultures and languages. A lot of the food in India is vegetarian, due to strong local religious influences, but we'll also be trying various meats today, and most of the food will be full of spices, because they're plentifully available in this region--and they happily adopted ones that came from abroad, like the chili pepper--and they make things taste good." Hmm. He might have to keep an eye on the English girl. "Today we're gonna go on a food tour to experience as much as we can in as short an amount of time as we can, so let's go!"

carbsliftthespirit

Was Raiden disappointed to be leaving Fandom's magical taps, however temporarily? Yes, but he was more relieved to not be a golden retriever the Pizza Planet staff wouldn't let drink from said taps any more. Apparently wine and chocolate were bad for dogs. Rude.

"Is everyone ready to visit Hanoi, Vietnam?" Raiden asked his students, doing a quick visual scan to make sure everyone had gotten his message about how to dress for the weather at their destination. It was entirely possible someone hadn't, since he hadn't had thumbs for very long, but he reminded them, "Vietnam is a country in southeast Asia, so it'll be warm there," before launching into explaining, "The food is based on a combination of five fundamental flavors, or ngũ vị: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and spicy, in keeping with an overall Vietnamese philosophy of five elements It's a very fresh cuisine, using a lot of vegetables and not a lot of dairy or fat, and like many Asian cuisines, rice is a staple, although the period of French colonialism gave birth to the banh mi, or more properly the bánh mì thịt, since in Vietnamese 'bánh mì' is just the bread. You may also be familiar with pho, which is a noodle soup--our tour includes phở gà, or chicken pho, but I've checked with our guide and phở bò, which uses beef, will be available as well. Plus there are lots of other yummy things waiting for us, so let's head through the portal and get started on our food tour!

carbsliftthespirit

"All right, guys!" Raiden exclaimed happily, "today we're doing something a little bit different." And Raiden had a Gray-shaped tagalong for some reason. "We're headed to Frankfurt, Germany, and we're not going to be exploring the city and area's food as a whole. Instead, we're going to be exploring the Christmas markets and all the delicious snacks and drinks in it!" Christmas. Christmas would be the reason for the tagalong. "These markets are common in European cities during December, and they sell things like seasonal decorations and toys, along with all sorts of things to eat and drink! You'll definitely want to get some glühwein, or maybe kinderpunsch if you're not feeling the alcohol, and pick up a bratwurst and some stollen, but beyond that there's a whole range of yummy treats, plus maybe you can get some Christmas shopping in while we're there! So let's get going and get in the festive spirit!"

carbsliftthespirit

Raiden's students should have gotten a message last week letting them know class was cancelled due to the upcoming holiday, but in case they hadn't there was a sign on the desk at Portalocity:

Class Cancelled
Your teacher is busy making pie.
Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate!

carbsliftthespirit

"All right, folks," Raiden said to his students, "today we're headed to Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Tokyo is the largest metropolitan area in the world--over forty-one million residents!--so we won't get to explore all of it, but we'll get a little taste that might just leave you hungry for more.

"You may already be familiar with one form of Japanese food from the Sushi Station in town, but there's a lot more out there, and you may not know that 'sushi' refers to the rice, not raw fish.

"Now, Japan is an archipelago, which means it's an island country. Until very recently, this kept it pretty isolated from most other cultures and outside influences on its food--except for China, its nearest neighbor--although these days that's changed and you'll see foreign influences in things like the wild proliferation of different flavors of KitKat." To name just one. "Rice is a staple, as well as the products of the sea, like fish and seaweed, and spices are used sparingly, because they were hard to get here for a very long time, resulting in a different flavor profile from what you may be used to.

"Today we're going to go on a food tour before we stop by a 7-Eleven, where you can try some other classic Japanese foods (or one of those sandwiches with whipped cream and strawberries) and pick up some snacks."

carbsliftthespirit

"All right, guys," Raiden said to his students, "Today we're headed to one of the food capitals of the world: Paris, France. Now, people will fight about which is better, French food or Italian, and personally, I think the Italians have got the French beat hell for leather when it comes to dinner--the Italians did invent pizza, after all--but it cannot be denied there are some things the French do very, very well--and we're gonna eat as many of them as we can today.

"For those of you who are not familiar, France is a country in Europe which borders Italy, where we went a few weeks ago. They're separated by the Alps mountain range, and by the north-south European food divide: in France, except maybe in the south along the Mediterranean, you see more butter than olive oil, although garlic and the onion are both enthusiastically embraced, as they should be. France is home to amazing wines and cheeses, some great dishes like French onion soup, beef bourguignon, coq au vin--when in doubt, stew it in wine, am I right? You may also be familiar with crepes, which are a thin pancake you can put pretty much anything in, savory or sweet, and yes, the French do eat escargot, or snails, and frog legs. Hey, if you're hungry, you'll eat almost anything, and don't knock a readily available protein. If you can make it taste good, all the better. France, Paris in particular, also takes their baked goods really seriously, and with good reason. Some of the best bread and pastry in the world are made here, and every year Paris holds a contest with strict requirements to find the best one--the place we're going first won the award for best croissant in 2018!

"Today we'll be going on a tour of some places making some of the most iconic foods you might think of when you think of Paris--some of which are iconic in their own right. You can try everything, and buy things to bring home with you as well, of course. Along the way we'll get to see some sights like Notre Dame, which is still closed after that fire a few years back, although I hear they'll be reopening soon! And then we'll be heading over to a restaurant near the Eiffel Tower for a proper French meal." And those oh-so-necessary snaps of the Tower, of course. "I hope that sounds good, because it's time for our portal!"

carbsliftthespirit

"All right, guys, listen up!" Raiden said to his students today. "Today we're going to Mexico City for a taco tour, and you're gonna want to pace yourselves, okay? Today is gonna be a marathon, not a sprint.

"Mexico City is the sixth-largest city in the world, and it's full of delicious food. It was originally founded as Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire, on Lake Texcoco--that's right, I said on the lake, on a series of islands and floating buildings, although most of the lake has now been drained to allow for building on solid land--and it has been occupied since about 1325 CE. It's a really great city full of art and culture and did I mention tacos? Let's stop wasting time talking about it and get to eating, yeah?"

carbsliftthespirit

"All right, folks!" Raiden said with an enthusiastic clap of his hands once everyone had assembled. "This week we're heading to my country of origin, although I've never actually been where we're going today, because one of my brothers is...dramatic." No, not that one. "See, I'm from Corinth, which is a little bit west of where we'll be going today: Athens, Greece! Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world, with a recorded history going back almost three and a half thousand years, and evidence of people living in the area going back to...like...thirteen thousand years ago. In ancient times, Athens was one of the most powerful city-states in what is now Greece, and it's considered the birthplace of democracy and the cradle of what we consider Western civilization. In modern times, the metropolitan area is home to almost a third of the population of Greece, home to numerous museums and historical sites like the Acropolis...and they've got some very delicious food.

"Greek food is a Mediterranean diet, which means that it's based on certain things: wheat; olive oil, wine, and seafood traditionally more than red meat, although these days meat is more common...though usually sheep or goat over beef, because the terrain in most of Greece isn't overly suited to cattle. Greece was one of the earliest wine-producing areas in the world, and the olive oil and yogurt from Greece are renowned worldwide. They use a lot of phyllo, which is very thin sheets of dough used for making pastries, both sweet like baklava and savory like spanakopita. Some other Greek foods you may be familiar with include feta cheese, moussaka, which is a delicious baked eggplant casserole with ground lamb, horiatiki, more commonly known in English as 'Greek salad,' tzatziki, a sauce made of that delicious Greek yogurt and cucumber, and gyros or souvlaki, the Greek version of fast food made from meat roasted on a spit. While we're in Athens I would also encourage you to try retsina, a wine made with pine resin that's been produced since ancient times, or ouzo, an anise-flavored spirit." If you did try both of these, you might be left with the suspicion that Raiden was secretly evil. Or you might like them. Who could say?

"I'm starving, so let's head through our portal to Athens and get started on our self-guided food tour!"

sharp_man

"Good afternoon," Hannibal greeted them all at Portalocity. "I understand last week was quite something; I'm still working my way through the radio broadcasts." And not at all bemoaning the fact that he'd been unable to get here. "This week we will be finishing up our tour of the continents with North America. Much of the food you will find here is a mixture of various colonial influences. However, the indigenous peoples, generally referred to as Native Americans or First Nations, have their own cuisines. Unfortunately, due to the extensive actions of colonists, those cuisines and often the ingredients that inform them have been denigrated or lost to varying extents. To say nothing of the people.

"Today we will be visiting the Tsuut'ina nation for a meal at the Little Chief restaurant. Their menu includes a wide selection of native meats and vegetables, with recipes both local and inspired by cuisines around the world. After the meal, since it would seem we have no need to shop and you could likely use an opportunity for fun, you can explore the casino to which the restaurant is attached."

He led them through the portal. "Enjoy."

sharp_man

A message was sent to all the students today:

Apparently the portals aren't working, so I won't be able to get there for class today, and if I could, we couldn't go anywhere. Enjoy your free time.

Hannibal was an optimist.

sharp_man

Today's class had necessitated some last-minute portal changes and arguing with gnomes, and Hannibal was not in the best of moods, but he greeted his students nevertheless.

"Good afternoon. Today we are continuing our trip around the world by visiting Australia, which is both a continent and a country. We are going to a different world's Australia, because apparently the usual one has no seafood, and seafood is a staple there." Honestly, Fandom, talk about timing!

"We will be visiting the city of Sydney to go to Quay for dinner. It has consistently been ranked one of the best restaurants in the world. From there, we will be going to Market City, which contains a number of food shopping stores as well as cheap goods of all sorts." He waved them through. "I suggest you try the seafood, as it is both a signature of this sort of food, and apparently unavailable this week upon the island."

sharp_man

Hannibal greeted his students as usual at Portalocity, then nodded and started. "This week seems...odd, but unpredictable. So, we will start with dinner, in Lima, Peru. That will make four of the seven continents of Earth we've seen so far. The primary language there is Spanish; I speak that, and if any of you speak it as well, please speak up so the others will know they can use you as a resource. Peru's standard cuisine owes much to any number of immigrant groups in the area; the restaurant we'll be visiting pares down some of those influences and focuses on local ingredients and flavors from the Amazon forest. The chef has researched quite a bit, and formed relationships with local suppliers that enable him to offer a wide variety."

The portal opened, and they would step through into a wide, sunny street in front of the restaurant.

"After this," he informed them, "we will be visiting the Mercado Central, the central market, where you may find everything from clothes to meat on sale. Also, I am told, pickpockets, so keep an eye on your valuables." He'd mostly be watching to see if any of said thieves were bold enough to try him. He'd be impressed if they managed it.

sharp_man

Class today met at Portalocity, and Hannibal was calmly smiling. He didn't trust the island, but so far it seemed normal this week. So far.

"In the past weeks, we have been to Europe and Asia - two of Earth's continents - and today we are heading to another - Africa. The country of Morocco, to be precise, in the north of the continent."

He led them through the portal and into a bustling early-evening street surrounded by stalls. "Marrakech, Morocco," he explained. "Morocco has been a hub of trade for centuries, and its spices and cuisine reflect that. Mediterranean and Arabic cuisines are the strongest influences, and olive oil, fruits, grains, and a number of meats, including lamb, are common."

He led them further down the street. "Today we will be eating at Dar Cherifa, a restaurant meant as a calm oasis in the midst of the souks - the markets. This makes it handy for us, as we will be able to spend the rest of our time in Souk Semmarine. The restaurant features a fairly traditional and varied menu. I will order a number of things for us to share, and you're welcome to order your own as well."

He nodded at the waiter as they were led to their table. "The predominant languages here are Arabic and Berber, but most people will also speak French, and some will know Spanish or English. Please don't hesitate to ask should you have any questions. When you visit the souk, keep in mind that the vendors will expect for you to haggle over the price; it isn't an insult, it's tradition."

sharp_man

Hannibal nodded and greeted the students at Portalocity.

"Today's Fandom seems fairly normal, although apparently we're in for another nasty one later," hey, he listened to radio, "so we'll be going on another general run. Today we're going to Tokyo, Japan. Seafood is much more prominent in Japanese cuisine than in the French we had last week, as are rice and noodles; the sauces tend to be lighter. We'll be dining at a lovely restaurant we've been to before - Mikawa Zezankyo, a restaurant that serves tempura - seafood and vegetables, deep fried. Specifically, this one serves food in the style called Edomae tempura - tempura in the style of the Edo period, approximately one hundred fifty years ago. The chef uses traditional ingredients and techniques that would not have been out of place then."

Their portal opened and he ushered them all through to a small, mostly residential street, where they stood outside an unassuming door. "Chef Tetsuya Saotome prepares all the food himself and will be standing in front of you, so I trust you will all use your best behavior," he told them. "I will demonstrate the use of chopsticks to those of you who've never used them, and I trust your classmates who know how will also help. Also, when we enter, you'll need to remove your shoes and leave them by the door; it's tradition and proper etiquette. If you have any questions, please ask me, as the chef and his assistants do not speak English.

"After that, we will be making a trip to Nissin World Delicatessen. They have foods from around the world, as well as a very good wine selection should our water turn unpotable, and a sizeable garden shop."

sharp_man

Hannibal met the students at Portalocity and nodded at them. "Good afternoon. As this is the first week, we will be doing introductions. As part of the purpose of this class is to leave the island, we will be doing them in the restaurant."

He waved them through the portal and onto a street outside a restaurant. "Welcome to Paris. Le Grand Véfour is a restaurant that has been here for several centuries, and which looks out over the gardens of the Palais Royal. The food is a mixture of traditional and modern French. Please ask any questions you may have; the local language is French, but many of the servers will speak English, and I am fluent in French. Once we have eaten, we will be visiting La Grand Epicerie for shopping. Please let me know if there is anything specific you would like to purchase, and we can find it."

He led them into the restaurant.

sharp_man

"Welcome back," Hannibal said to the students once they arrived in the Danger Shop. "Today is our last day, and that means our final. Ordinarily we would have been working on this throughout the term, and I would require that you cook it yourself. However, the island's whims being what they are..." He spread his hands.

"So, for your final today, use this room's abilities to help you create a food with special meaning to you. Serve it to the rest of us, and explain it - what makes this food special, what gives it its meaning, what the flavors are, and what setting you would choose for it. Tell us all about it."

sharp_man

Hannibal looked calm as the students arrived at Portalocity. It was better than looking grim. "Since once again it would be pointless to stay here and attempt to eat local foods, we're engaging in another field trip. We've discussed some of the economics of food. Today we will gain some practical experience, as we observe and discuss the culture around producing food, rather than preparing it. I haven't made any food this week, but that doesn't mean there won't be anything to eat."

He held up a map to show their destination. "We're not going far; ordinarily we would have driven, but, well." Underwater and all that. And Iceland, not that Hannibal knew that part yet. "We'll be working with an organization called Gather Baltimore."

He rolled up the map and looked at the students. "Local farmers bring their produce to a number of markets around the area; at the end of the day, what they don't sell often gets thrown out. This group takes that food and redistributes it to shelters and societies that feed the hungry. We're going to help them, and I also would like you to speak with the farmers and learn more about how the food is grown and how they make a living.

"Try not to wander too far, please, but do take advantage of the entire market. If you'd like to use this opportunity to purchase some food for yourselves, please do. Or feel free to take advantage of my good nature and my wallet." He had at least one of those. "I plan on stocking up myself, given this week's locale."

He checked his watch. "I expect you all to stay and help for the duration of our class. If you wish to stay longer and avoid the island today, you may. Questions?"

sharp_man

The room was back to normal this week, and Hannibal was grateful for it. After one week of swimming out his windows to get anywhere, and another of trying not to smell anything, he would easily take being grumped at by his cat.

This time the front of the room featured a table with a number of identical silver cloches over dishes.

When everyone was settled and listening, Hannibal stood behind the table and spoke.

"While I like to think that food can truly be an art form and a beautiful thing, I am well aware that not everybody shares that opinion. Nor does everybody have that option. Art, preference, culture - many things affect how we think of food. One of those is economics. Availability." He looked at them all seriously. "Not everybody gets the best food. Not everybody gets food they can eat. Some people are lucky if they get anything."

He gestured at the dishes. "So. Each of you gets one of these. No peeking. When you each have your own, we'll uncover them all. If you don't like what you have, feel free to try to get something else. Barter, bargain, trade, give away, or steal, whatever you like, remembering that you may still need to see each other later. Consider this a hands-on experience."

[OOC: If you play and want to do it randomly, just click a dish below and see what you get. But feel free to check them all out and mod your results for the most interesting playing. :) ]

sharp_man

If Hannibal had been mildly disgruntled last week, he was downright put out today. Class had been asked to meet at Portalocity instead of the school.

"Since the island has seen fit to drop us in the middle of a wasteland today, we'll be going somewhere else. As it happens, the Victoria and Albert - in several universes - has an exhibition that fits nicely into this class's purview. So, we have tickets and will be going there, and then for late lunch or early dinner in London before we return. The local language is English, so you should have no difficulties. If you've any questions about the exhibits, please feel free to ask me or any of the employees."

sharp_man

Hannibal welcomed everyone to class just a little more studiously calm than usual. And with wet hair. Swimming to school had not been in his plans. Still, he was determined to fulfill his obligation.

"Good afternoon. I hope you made it here without too much problem. Today we continue our discussion of what is and isn't food, and how our preferences are formed."

He waved toward the table behind him, which held pairs of dishes this time. "We've got an assortment of foods and beverages today. You may choose only one from each pair - you cannot have both. You may choose neither, if you prefer. But in any case, you must explain your choice. Why do you prefer the option you've chosen - taste? Nostalgia? Curiosity? Feel free to debate with each other as well, and ask each other or me questions. Remember, there are no wrong answers - it's reasoning and thought we're looking for."

sharp_man

The Danger Shop this week had been programmed in two halves - on one side, there was a formal dining room with fine china and silver. On the other, a neat blanket was spread out over grass, with a well-crafted wicker basket in the middle. The dishes there were sturdier and the silverware plainer.

Hannibal stood at a table between the two halves in his best...lizard-skin suit. He was still a bit disgruntled about it, yes. It looked fine, he supposed, but leather did not drape the way cloth did.

He straightened up and nodded at the students. "This week, we're not talking about food; we're talking about how other things relate to food." He waved between the two halves of the classroom. "What sorts of food does each of these settings demand? What sorts of conversation and manners? What culture do you expect of each?"

He gestured at the table behind him, which held all the food. "Take some food, and sit where you like to eat it; move between the two, if you like. But think about this - when you choose your food and seat, is it only because of taste? Or is there a reason you prefer one over the other? What behavior do you feel is warranted in each place? What is most appropriate and most comfortable? Let us discuss it."

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