recipe inspirations

Naomh

So, I was making dinner for my kids and thinking this would make a great recipe in game and it got me to wondering, for all you Achaean chefs out there, what are your inspirations for the food you create? I know I'm going to be pondering over bacon wrapped crab stuffed prawns now, as they were sooooo good.

Kyrra

My very first recipe was based off a delicious duck salad I had at some event that I didn’t want to attend. I marvelled at the flavours and textures and thought it would be a great dish to have in game, to convey the taste.

I also made a pie that I used to have for breakfast pretty frequently in my old job and people love it ICly.

When it comes to seasonal recipes, I like to try and create existing dishes in game. One Christmas, I planned out a banquet dinner and made those recipes. I tend to only prepare them around that time of the year because limited shop space.

The one thing I struggle with though is trying to convey awesome tastes without dictating and forcing it. Like Skye makes a lot of seafood dishes that she probably thinks taste amazing, I find seafood revolting. Conveying that while allowing people to still react how they want is something that trips me up occasionally but I love the creative freedom you can get designing food.

Cailin

Not trying to spoil anything, but some ingenious person used some unique plants they found in game for inspiration. I thought that was brilliant.

I haven't attained a cooking license yet, but quite frequently the food or drinks in game make me sad cause it's not real. like, yes, this delicious, now can I please eat it?

I guess a lot of people are influenced by RL cravings. I know I seek out food and drinks in game that I like IRL, not sure if I should, but I do.

Melodie

A lot of my early recipes were things I really enjoyed OOC, or things I thought were kind of themed to something.

A lot of my later recipes are based off things I find in-game that I think "Ohhh this would probably be interesting". One of the major challenges I had with Mhaldorian-ish dishes that weren't just your stereotypical gross stuff was that Mhaldor Isle doesn't naturally have a lot that's ediable (lycopods and mussels mostly), so I had to get creative and look to places tied to Mhaldor, which is why I made things like Haraekanewa (sourced from Harae) crab legs, or a bunch of different fish or wildlife recipes based on flora and fauna found on Shala-Khulia. 

I'll also totally get inspiration from other chefs in Achaea a ton. In particular, Skye and Ruth.

Lastly, I watch a lot of cooking shows on youtube, so sometimes things I see there inspire me and I want to try and achieve in Achaea, as well.

Sidebar: I'd probably get more inspiration from actual irl cooking if I cooked much right now. Living by myself doesn't really motivate me to cook much, alas. One day I'll dig back into things.

Skye

I read a lot. Like, food magazines (cooking and travel/reviews), old cook books from the library and such. I especially like books that are peppered with more personal anecdotes and experiences. They usually give you more insight as to what sort of flavours and textures you'd expect from an ingredient, honestly I value the chef's perspective more than I do the actual recipe.

I also pay a lot of attention to menus. I'm not above writing down or taking photos of items that I find interesting, especially how they describe something is plated. I'm like that annoying person who stops outside restaurants and flips through the menu out front before walking away >_>

Aereidhna

For me, it's a vast mix. I have several recipes inspired by local ingredients found in-game (many of them unique to Achaea and not from RL, but some also found in RL), or by local cultures in-game. I do a lot of Pinterest recipe and/or general image collecting for all my design work, and the Pinterest method works best if I have a particular ingredient or something in mind (e.g. unusual bacon recipes, boozy desserts, etc.). I'm sometimes inspired by RL restaurants I visit, or by RL food cravings I have. My physical condition keeps me from experimenting as much in the kitchen as I'd like in RL, so I get a lot of that creativity out in game instead. I particularly enjoy doing full menus in game around specific themes/areas/collections of ingredients.

Archaeon

I like tacos and think they would be great in game

Amunet

I never got into cooking as much as tailoring and jewellery. I've been a vegetarian for nearly a decade, and I can't remember with clarity how most meats taste. Every time I design a recipe that contains any, I have to have someone describe the meat flavour to me.

One dish that I made for Achaea - a bog vegetable salad - was based upon a salad I had after my best friend wheedled me into taking a foraging class with her. It was surprisingly good, and I doubt my Achaean version did it justice.