Culinary Ethnography
Food is many things, to many people. What exactly that thing is, says a lot about that group of people as a whole. What we eat is a huge part of who we are, who we’ve been, and what we experience as we encounter the new.
The study of Culinary Ethnography is a holistic one, analyzing what is consumed by a group while considering the geographic, economic, and ecological reasons for their developed food culture. The goal is to understand not just what a group is eating, but why? And there are oh so many reasons that this could be the case.
This is by no means a rule book, as if I am some sort of dictator of what is, and isn’t proper for a member of a lineage to do in the kitchen. Lines are blurry, and it is not a study of taxonomy or classification. Approaching this work with a desire to fit thousands of years of individual experiences, friendships, familial bonds, and dinners, all into the neat and tidy boxes of “is” and “isn’t” is a complete fool’s errand.
Rather, this is a collection of observances in regards to commonalities and trends among members of the same lineage. While my own experience is obviously limited, and there are plenty of individuals I have yet to dine with and learn about, I would like to offer up what I have learned so far.
-Adelbert Boffin, Halfling Culinarian
Dwarves
Many races use food as a way to celebrate the good times, and what race more so than the Dwarves. Anyone who has been in a busy tavern in a cosmopolitan city has probably seen some Dwarven revelers drinking friend and foe alike under the table. However, a penchant for alcohol is not all that this folk has. Let us look at their diet as a whole.
Elves
Elves are an interesting race to discuss the culinary habits of. What happens when you give a group of people all of the bounties of nature, and enough discipline not to use it purely for their own gain? The resulting food is a direct result of their unique relationship with the land, so let’s discuss it.
The footnotes version of this text can also be found here.
The Underdark
The Underdark is a location that speaks for itself, the place below even the thickest darkness. Rather than a specific locale, the Underdark is made up of a series of underground caverns and tunnels that run below our lands. Let’s discuss what’s for dinner here.
The quicknotes version of this text can also be found here.