Making the Meal

On to our final installment for this theme, or perhaps I should say course, we are going into the meal. The final part of our food journey and there is a lot to say about the meal. I felt it was appropriate to release it on the day with the meal that inspired this entire theme, Thanksgiving.

The first thing I’m going to go over is courses, or rather the idea of courses. Different settings and different cultures have different ideas of what makes up a course. This often tracks with the duration of the meal, more courses take more time. Meaning that a culture that takes more time for their meals may end up with more courses. More courses also can turn the average meal into an event. I am thinking about the traditional Italian meals. Where it is less a meal and more of an entire evening, especially when a grandmother is involved. Now it is obvious that not all courses will take place every meal. There is a difference between a quick lunch and a formal dinner. There’s a lot one can do with courses. From setting rules on when different courses should be served to what different courses should consist of. I think of the draw of a full three course dinner when compared to the more common single course one.

There are as many reason for the number of courses as there are for what those courses are. Often with a cultural touchstone embedded into each choice and when one should choose one over the others. It may seem pointless but there is a lot of depth to be hidden within this part, of the meal building. While it is more common for courses to be fixed there is no rule. I am reminded of a conversation I had with a fellow worldbuilder a good number of years ago where they had built a system of phases rather than fixed courses. The number of phases varied and the number of courses that could go in each phase also varied. While I don’t suggest going that deep. It is a wonderful example of what can be done should one wish to go that deep.

Moving on from the courses we then have the meals themselves. From how they are served to what is in them. Think about how a family style, feels compared to individual entrees, compared to a buffet with, and with out a carvery. Each of these give a different feeling and have come from different times and cultures. Couple it with everything we’ve talked about, where does the food come from, how does it get around, and how the preparation is handled. Changing the way the meal is presented can change how the meal feels and how people will interact with it and each other during the meal. If everyone has their entire meal no one will need to ask for their sister to pass the potatoes. On the converse if one has the ability to pick and choose their meal things can be more isolated. It is also possible to merge things, blending between the different types to get something unique. It is worth noting that last week’s musings on where the kitchen is can play into this. If everyone is eating in the kitchen around the grill it should be different than when the kitchen is a separate building and food must be carried in to the table.

I’m going to move on to the table, or other equivalent location. There are dozens of ways of approaching this topic. Honestly the formal dining table could be it’s own topic. Yet I digress; thinking about where and what meaning the eating location, for want of academic terminology, is one of the easiest areas with largest returns. This comes from the fact that this is one of the few things where the exception can be the rule. While I know this is the inverse of the usual advice I give I stand by it. If the rule is that people should eat in a separate table from the kitchen, culturally that is the way it is supposed to be. Yet if most people don’t really have that space, and instead eat at a seating area in or directly connected to the kitchen. They all want, and perhaps know they should put just a little more effort into getting that separation however something stands in their way. It also is one of the easiest parts of this whole theme to connect back to characters. Knowing what is normal for the culture and then normal for the character can either highlight the commonalities or differences and from there character can grow. Likewise the differences between cultures can be highlighted with how the characters take their meals.

Moving on to our next course, is there a bigger point behind the meal? There is a difference between eating to survive and a feast. Generally this difference is purely cultural, but it doesn’t have to be. As it is Thanksgiving how many of us are going to be eating foods we don’t normally eat? There’s no rule claiming pumpkin pie, turkey, or any of the other foods associated with Thanksgiving can’t be eaten any day of the year, or year round. Often times there are meals that get tied to events, or holidays, that end up with their own rules. Things such as a state dinner, or a Thanksgiving. End up with different expectations, and foods. Why certain foods get picked tends to reveal parts of the culture. Generally these events will have foods that are outside of the normal due to their cultural significance.

Which leads into the next course: Feasts and festivals. While I mentioned them back in the beginning of this theme, this is where they have the most impact. As festivals often become the reasoning for people to make special foods, think the spread from fair foods to Christmas cookies. While festivals are not exclusively food based feasts are, and the meals that come with both often play an important part in both the cultural fabric of the society and the characters’ lives. Meaning the question: How does the food at the feast, or the festival, impact our characters? If these are common occurrences it’s possible that people look forward to the food they will have and the meals they will share with people.

With these various settings there is then the question of manners. Different settings have different styles for what is deemed proper. A festival where most of the streets and alleys are open air food vendors will be a very different from a formal dinner. While the etiquette of a culture can be something to mull over for a future, meals are often one of the few places where it can be held to high standards. Likewise it also one of the places where people can be more judgmental than on the street.

I also feel a few words should be put towards the presence, or absence, of religion and it’s impact at the table. Are there rituals that should be done before, after, or during the meal? Any answer does add layers, and ties in to the biggest player in culture overall.

To simplify how I would use all of these pieces I would cluster it into three types of meals. Survival, every day, and special. This would be in the writing notes, so when a meal comes up in the plot I can figure out where it lies and then treat it accordingly.

Survival is when you eat because you have to. Outside of the dystopia these are seldom used and for good reason. If civilization exists and is stable enough than the need to eat for survival isn’t relevant most of the time. These meals are often simple, bland, and cut down to what is required. Meaning if a character or a culture does something, take saying Grace as an example, it shows how deep that connection to food is, and how important it is to the culture. It can be a subtle way to show the core of a culture without spelling it out.

Every day meals are the most common. Generally two or three of these happen per day although I’ve seen some go higher. Treat this like your baseline. The core of the culture should be here but in moderation. Because it’s routine things get glossed over, things get forgotten, things get sloppy. Thus think about what should be connected to a meal and then go from there.

Lastly there is the special meals, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Dinner would be examples from today, literally, where everything is up on display. Everything must be done properly. Prayers said, manners kept, hours spent cooking, everything is done as per the prescription of the culture. These are rare, but regular, and even when things are going unwell things are done up for these meals if they can be as they carry that kind of cultural weight.

Regardless of which type of meal, understanding how the culture influences the meal, and how the meal sits in the mind of the culture will help provide guides for characters. Like most worldbuilding the more we know the more one can embed into the story which builds a deeper, better story.

Happy Thanksgiving! I know it’s not Wednesday. I wanted to put this out on the day. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and everyone made their travels safely.

Saturday the rules for NYNS drop. And my letter from the editor will hit. There’s been some things happening in the background. Will see you then.