Potato distribution, existance, and origin

[Erol of Backford]

4 hours ago, Akhôrahil said:

Assuming potatoes exist, you might be able to buy fish and chips from a street vendor in Pavis.

But would the fish and chips be any good in Pavis?

Would they be using dried fish, would the chips be fried in animal oil rather than vegetable oil? Do they have peanut oil in Prax or Glorantha?

Is there a city in Glorantha similar to Manchester of old? My wife says they have the best fish and chips she's ever eaten in Manchester... maybe it's Nochet that has the best but the chips are some other existing Gloranthian roots, anti-potato if you will?

Pavis seems, forgive me Pavis lovers, to be lacking any Michelin Star establishments...

What is the equivalent to a fine dining rating in Glorantha?

[scott-martin]

24 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

But would the fish and chips be any good in Pavis?

It's like Vegas . . . since everything is flown in, everything in the world is available and it is of relatively high quality for the price point. The Ingillis have worked out a secret magical system where black cod from Feroda get sent back up to the docks and distributed to the fry stalls or turned into hand rolls if you know the right people and show up on the right day. I can't vouch for the chips though.

[Ali the Helering]

Just now, scott-martin said:

It's like Vegas . . . since everything is flown in, everything in the world is available and it is of relatively high quality for the price point. The Ingillis have worked out a secret magical system where black cod from Feroda get sent back up to the docks and distributed to the fry stalls or turned into hand rolls if you know the right people and show up on the right day. I can't vouch for the chips though.

But.... the mushy peas?  What of the mushy peas?

[mfbrandi]

1 hour ago, Erol of Backford said:

Nochet that has the best but the chips are some other existing Gloranthian roots, anti-potato if you will?

Mogo chips? Do the fun police allow cassava in Glorantha?

[Erol of Backford]

47 minutes ago, scott-martin said:

The Ingillis have worked out a secret magical system where black cod from Feroda get sent back up to the docks and distributed to the fry stalls or turned into hand rolls if you know the right people and show up on the right day.

Do you have a source for this Mr. Martin? (hehe) Wait with guided teleportation they could easily do that, fresher than flown in. What's the max gross weight for guided teleportation? The RBoM doesn't say anything about weight, just another person... don't suppose it could be Mr. Orta?

48 minutes ago, Ali the Helering said:

What of the mushy peas?

Who wouldn't have mushy peas!? Does Glorantha have peas?

56 minutes ago, mfbrandi said:

Mogo chips? Do the fun police allow cassava in Glorantha?

...the starchy tuberous root of a tropical tree, used as food in tropical countries but requiring careful preparation to remove traces of cyanide from the flesh... so Black Fang members would use it along with puffer fish?

Wait is there puffer fish in Glorantha?

Sorry back to root food. If no potatoes what do we have in Prax as for root vegtibles?

[Akhôrahil]

2 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

Would they be using dried fish, would the chips be fried in animal oil rather than vegetable oil?

Surely Pavis Country has fine fishing? There's a big honking river going through it!

[Squaredeal Sten]

On 1/15/2024 at 4:28 PM, Erol of Backford said:

 

...the starchy tuberous root of a tropical tree, used as food in tropical countries but requiring careful preparation to remove traces of cyanide from the flesh... so Black Fang members would use it along with puffer fish?

The washed. cooked pulp is edible. and the cyanide is a valuable by- product when re- concentrated.  It's a win-win situation for us snackers and Black Fang Brothers.  There is an overlap between the two groups.

Edited January 22 by Squaredeal Sten
spelling / typing

[Squaredeal Sten]

43 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

...... If no potatoes what do we have in Prax as for root vegtibles?

Yucca root!  Remember Prax is modeled on the U.S. Southwest.

If you don't like that you will have to eat turnips, parsnips, radishes.

[Ian Absentia]

12 minutes ago, Squaredeal Sten said:

Yucca root!  Remember Prax is modeled on the U.S. Southwest.

At first I thought you were thinking of yuca (one "c") root -- manioc or cassava.  But, no, apparently yucca root can be eaten, though not commonly.  I've dug some up around the yard, and I haven't been impressed with their root mass, though Gloranthan species might differ.

By the way, I'll bear witness that yucca plants are absolute sons of bitches to handle.

!i!

[Squaredeal Sten]

It appears that yucca is related to agave.  A useful plant family.  So do Praxians make tequila?  IMHO better than fermenting bags of milk.

 

[Scotty]

Please stick to the OT (potatoes) or start a new topic.

[davecake]

On 1/15/2024 at 5:39 PM, Joerg said:

How much influence could her cult or the political machinations of her descendents have exerted on the Seven Mothers cult?

I think exerting undue influence on the Seven Mothers cult, and other Lunar religions, is one of the most popular hobbies among the Lunar upper classes. 

[Joerg]

1 hour ago, davecake said:

I think exerting undue influence on the Seven Mothers cult, and other Lunar religions, is one of the most popular hobbies among the Lunar upper classes. 

While I agree about this statement, the various opposing interest groups tend to create some balance of influence which can only be tipped by well-aimed darts.

[JonathanQuaife]

I read this entire thread. 30 minutes of my life gone... 😭

[soltakss]

On 1/13/2024 at 3:32 PM, Jeff said:

And there are no references to potatoes in any of the Chaosium books in the last decade.

The reminds me of the Mongoose approach of ignoring what has gone before. Sure, retcon things that you don't like, but please don't ignore that potatoes were mentioned in Glorantha previously.

[Jeff]

19 hours ago, soltakss said:

The reminds me of the Mongoose approach of ignoring what has gone before. Sure, retcon things that you don't like, but please don't ignore that potatoes were mentioned in Glorantha previously.

Whatever Simon. There were some throwaway references in RQ2 to potatoes and such in Cults of Prax and Pavis (the potato bread fund of the Teelo Norri poorhouse, a prisoner offering some potato bread, and Light Sons being forbidden from eating potatoes). At the same, there's no mention of potatoes in the lists of foods, farming materials, etc. This stuff happened all the time with the older material - or does anyone really think that billiards is a common game in rural Sartar?

When I was working on the Guide, food and crops came up a lot. We wanted to put the Seven Mothers back at the center of the Lunar religion (remember they pretty much got eliminated in the ILH materials), and the Poor Fund came up. Greg said the poor fund would give maize bread (because maize is the Lunar crop after all), and just drop potatoes as a reference. Maybe there was some sort of local "Earth apple" or tuber (like a Jerusalem Artichoke) grown in Rinliddi but they likely are little better than pig fodder, and once Hon-eel brought back maize, that is what would get stored and used (why bother having a Maize Goddess if you aren't going to use maize?). 

But we decided that potatoes - at least what we moderns would recognise as potatoes - aren't present. 

[Squaredeal Sten]

On 12/4/2023 at 12:19 AM, Malin said:

......

And I think the reason why potatoes are a point of contention (at least for me) is that they are a core staple crop that yet somehow has not left any greater mythic trace .....

I don't think it's a question of "american continent foods," Maize is here, but it also has massive mythical underpinnings so it becomes obvious how important a part it is of Lunar culture. It's not a question of being so entrenched that it can't be removed by "purists," it's a matter of actually fitting into the setting just because it is so entrenched ......

tldr: Glorantha cultures are the old fertile crescent grain-based cultures lacking any potato myths.

Is there really no Peruvian potato myth?   

[Malin]

16 minutes ago, Squaredeal Sten said:

Is there really no Peruvian potato myth?   

I was talking of a Gloranthan potato myth! I am sure there are tons of Peruvian ones...

[Joerg]

1 hour ago, Jeff said:

the Poor Fund came up. Greg said the poor fund would give maize bread (because maize is the Lunar crop after all), and just drop potatoes as a reference.

What did the Teelo Norri poor fund distribute before Hon-eel brought back maize? Something like the Jerusalem artichoke?

[Squaredeal Sten]

9 minutes ago, Malin said:

I was talking of a Gloranthan potato myth! I am sure there are tons of Peruvian ones...

But whether there is a RW myth is relevant. since there is clearly a link from Bronze Age RW Middle Eastern myth to the dominant Gloranthan myths and cults.

Anyway, see this:  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axomamma#:~:text=Incas not only grew and,gods during a special ceremony.

And feeding the Maize with the blood of human sacrifices seems to me to be a tip of the hat to certain Middle American practises.

 

 

[Malin]

Just now, Squaredeal Sten said:

But whether there is a RW myth is relevant. since there is clearly a link from Bronze Age RW Middle Eastern myth to the dominant Gloranthan myths and cults.

Not really? Yes, Gloranthan myths are clearly inspired by real-world ones, but I was talking about the fact that no Gloranthan potato myth was created in the past (unlike for Maize). However, if my players ever do the potato heroquest I have half boiling in my head and bring potatoes to the land, I will certainly draw inspiration from the real deal!

[Squaredeal Sten]

4 minutes ago, Malin said:

Not really? Yes, Gloranthan myths are clearly inspired by real-world ones, but I was talking about the fact that no Gloranthan potato myth was created in the past (unlike for Maize). However, if my players ever do the potato heroquest I have half boiling in my head and bring potatoes to the land, I will certainly draw inspiration from the real deal!

Who knows what myths they might encounter if they explore far lands?  Pamaltela, perhaos?

[Jeff]

Just now, Joerg said:

What did the Teelo Norri poor fund distribute before Hon-eel brought back maize? Something like the Jerusalem artichoke?

Probably some tuber or something that can double for pig food. Probably something like duck-potato.

[Joerg]

Just now, Malin said:

I was talking about the fact that no Gloranthan potato myth was created in the past (unlike for Maize). However, if my players ever do the potato heroquest I have half boiling in my head and bring potatoes to the land, I will certainly draw inspiration from the real deal!

To be fair, we had hardly any myths for barley or wheat, and even less for oats and rye (and an experiment which proved land goddesses could be switched), with the assigned grains for land goddesses changing between RQ3 and RQG.

We know plenty variations of rice and sweet grass from The Glorious ReAscent of Yelm (and the Sky) which we have little culinary or mythical information about. There are plenty other harvests which have no myth and little information about their role or importance in the diet of the people who grow them. Which is absolutely fine for a rpg setting or even a well-described literary creation. 

We ask for a lot from Glorantha, don't we?

It is quite astounding that we have as much information as we do.

[Malin]

4 minutes ago, Joerg said:

We ask for a lot from Glorantha, don't we?

It is quite astounding that we have as much information as we do.

Yeah, I am loving Glorantha so much! The Grain goddesses sadly gets so overshadowed by Ernalda, maybe I need to sit down and think about some myths there eventually...