Food and Feasting in the Realms
by Melissa "Aymise" Metzger
Providing food at events makes sense because everyone needs to eat, doing so with friends is generally a pleasurable experience, and hungry adventurers can be downright grumpy. So it is no surprise food is an important part of Realms events. Ranging from salty snacks on the side of a quest, to multi-course formal feasts, and many levels in between. Feasts in particular are a fantastic opportunity to get together with friends and socialize over delicious food with a good deal of roleplay thrown in. They are also a great opportunity to show off the cooking skills of Feastocrats, introduce recipe ideas and give something back to the community.
For some people, however, the activities surrounding food can be a stressful experience. Current trends in society show more and more people are contracting allergies and/or other medical ailments which can cause managing their food to be a struggle. In addition, there are also those whose beliefs require them to eat in a certain manner. Naturally, as our community grows and becomes more diverse, the food restrictions do as well. For these Event Goers, eating can become a real challenge. This challenge can also impact Feastocrats as well, especially when expectations are not clearly defined. Sometimes the communications between Event Goers and Feastocrats can fall flat, which leaves both sides feeling frustrated in the end.
In our community, anyone can throw an event. By this tradition, anyone who can secure a ‘kitchen’ can throw a feast. Many Feastocrats in the Realms are cooking hobbyists, who have no formal commercial kitchen or food safety training. They just want to do something nice for their friends and community. There is nothing wrong with this style, as it has produced a huge array of experiences and competition, bettering the feasting experience for all. In this free form environment, however, communication is key to create a safe food experience for all.
Adding another layer of complexity, the kitchens used in the Realms are rented spaces. As Feastocrats only have the ingredients they bring with them, and limited time and equipment availability in these spaces, many of them opt to prepare parts of dishes in advance of the event. This can mean some or all of the food being served at an event is already prepared well before the event starts. In these cases, no last-minute changes can be made, even if a Feastocrat would normally want to honor a last-minute dietary restriction.
How can the community help improve the experience for all?
If you are a non-affected player:
You can best serve the community by respecting the space at a dayboard. Try to keep things clean as you serve yourself, and minimize mixing food between serving plates or using serving utensils on other dishes, to keep things safe for others. If you do see any issues, reporting them to the staff promptly is appreciated.
As a player affected by a dietary restriction:
It is your job to be proactive about your health and/or beliefs. Pre-registering your dietary restriction with the Feastocrat/Event Holder as soon as possible is a must; it does not matter if your restriction is common, or you believe you are going to be the twelfth vegetarian there. Be aware that not all dietary restrictions can be accommodated by every event staff, but the more time the event staff has to plan around your needs, the better they can serve you, and the safer your experience can be. Personally, I feel two weeks is the acceptable minimum, with earlier obviously being better. If all else fails, remember any time before the event is always better than while in the buffet line. You can facilitate this by saving your dietary restriction in your character profile on RealmsNet, so it automatically sends every time. For times when you do not know for sure you can attend in advance, you can always email the Feastocrat to give them a head's up about your situation.
If you do need to ask clarifying questions at the feast, be polite and be patient. Not all servers will have all the information you seek, and sometimes the Feastocrat is dealing with matters a bit more urgent (like a literal fire in the kitchen). I know from personal experience it can suck sitting there staring at your plate while everyone around you chows down, but know you are not being ignored and your answer is still a priority to them.
Be specific and realistic about your needs and the extent of your restriction. An allergy could mean you cannot be in the same room as an ingredient, or can be fine as long as you do not eat beyond a certain quantity. An intolerance could mean you just need to know to have Lactaid on you, or could put you in crippling pain for a week. Clear communication is key to ensure you and your Feastocrat have the same expectations for your experience.
Feastocrats and kitchen staff do not get off easy here either.
As a Feastocrat:
It is your place to set registration expectations in the event announcements. It is on you to follow up on any restrictions you feel you cannot accommodate and be realistic to the players about what you can and cannot do. It is also on you to follow through with your agreed upon accommodations. This means keeping a clean kitchen, briefing your kitchen staff, monitoring your staff, and above all else, treating each dietary restriction with the same level of care and respect, regardless of how trivial or serious a restriction may seem.
If you are a kitchen helper:
Always wash your hands, tools and work surfaces. If you are preparing items for different dishes, wash your equipment and space between dishes. Even if the Feastocrat gives you a list of all ingredients of concern, they may get surprised by another one mid-feast, and then it is that much harder to work through what could have touched what earlier in the day. Also, accidents happen and you should immediately let the Feastocrat know if any ingredient ends up where it should not have so they can assess the impact and inform the appropriate parties.
Those affected by dietary restrictions know this is a battle which is waged in real life every day, not just in the Realms. It is our duty as a community to support each other in these efforts to ensure no one gets sick and everyone can enjoy our rich feasting traditions!
Happy Feasting!
Melissa Metzger
Aymisara Cursoraventis Filiamterrae
Guild Mistress of the Order of the Spoon