What's your headcannon around Food at Festivals?

[chemster]

For the moment, let's not consider the Night Market, Desert Festival, or the fishing derbies. At the other festivals, there's usually food shown. Some of the villagers discuss the food - Leah talks about the punch at the Egg festival, Clint talks about eating, etc. But except for one case, the player can't actually eat any food, and doesn't gain health/stamina.

Obviously, this decision was made for reasons of game balance / game play. But does anyone have any fun in-game theories why we never seem to really eat anything? Or do you pretend that you do eat stuff?

 

[Nonak]

Well you can eat survival burgers on the startdew valley fair
But on other festivals, the farmer is not allowed to eat anything, because when they do they eat everything including the plate, so Lewis doesn't want to buy new dishes every festival and a little afraid of what else could the farmer eat considering their digesting abilities. (Who knows, maybe the farmer could eat through the maze on the spirit's eve? Is Tree of the Winter Star safe? Or my precious solid gold statue)
So he made a deal with the farmer that we don't have to pay taxes to him but don't eat anything on the festivals (not just food)

 

[BeenASon]

Well you can eat survival burgers on the startdew valley fair
But on other festivals, the farmer is not allowed to eat anything, because when they do they eat everything including the plate, so Lewis doesn't want to buy new dishes every festival and a little afraid of what else could the farmer eat considering their digesting abilities. (Who knows, maybe the farmer could eat through the maze on the spirit's eve? Is Tree of the Winter Star safe? Or my precious solid gold statue)
So he made a deal with the farmer that we don't have to pay taxes to him but don't eat anything on the festivals (not just food)

Lmaoo.

 

[BeenASon]

I never really thought about it but the farmer is probably just not hungry at said festivals. Or it's just that the farmer doesn't like to eat festival food.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Don't forget about the Desert Festival, there's this crazy cook with his crazy meals, which are always helpful for Marlons quests...

But why not see it the other way round? You never see anyone else eating except the Governor, they just sit/stand at their full tables and stare at the meals or talk about what they should have for diner tonight... I mostly feel sorry for that and go home to cook something nice for myself.

 

[RennyBenny]

maybe there was a food poisoning incident where the farmer no longer trusts those festivals. personally if i had eaten somewhere and felt like crap afterwards, i'd never eat there again :P although maybe its just with like, how popular it is? the only festivals you eat at are the desert and valley fair, and those are really popular, with a lot of people showing up, and you can eat at those ones.

wait... what if the other festivals are only serving fake food..? like i've never actually seen someone eating or drinking, they've just talked about it... maybe they get paid to promote it?

idk but i'm advocating that we can eat at all festivals because that would be fun to try random dishes! (although i'm not interested in a bowl of community-shared jello :P)

 

[Lew Zealand]

maybe there was a food poisoning incident where the farmer no longer trusts those festivals. personally if i had eaten somewhere and felt like crap afterwards, i'd never eat there again :P

Now who could be responsible for that in Pelican Town? What one person has the agency to add something to a cooked dish that just might be shared by everyone so all can bask in her culinary choices? Perhaps when a visiting official is in attendance because sharing is caring?

Who might have added

Void Mayo or

White Algae or a

Salmonberry, a poisonous

Red Mushroom or

Pufferfish or even that local delicacy preferred by but a single person in the Valley: the

Purple Lettuce.

And MOST importantly!

Who are we paying off to let us do it again next year?




Ohhh you betcha I'm toootally gonna be a good girl next time

 

[FilthyGorilla]

Have you seen how ravenous the player is? I can scarf down 20 complete breakfasts in under 5 minutes and suffer no adverse effects. I don't think we don't eat out of choice, I think the player is just banned from eating food at the festivals, lest the whole town go even farther in debt.

 

[MogBeoulve]

This actually plays well with a pet theory of mine: What if you, the player, just don't eat meat, other than fish and seafood? Thus, none of the recipes you cook contain meat, and since many common festival foods are heavily meat-based, you don't eat the communally-prepared foods. You eat the vegetarian survival burger, for example, but not the roast pork. And perhaps the luau soup happens to be fish/seafood based rather than meat based, so you participate in that.

 

[REtroGeekery]

Similar to MogBeoulve, I've always headcanoned the farmer to be a pesco-ovo-lacto (or even just pesco-ovo, with how I often play) vegetarian. Maybe for personal reasons, maybe for medical reasons. Either way, the stuffing and cranberry sauce they make at home fits their dietary restrictions, but the ones at the feast of the Winter Star might have meat, meat-based broth, or gelatin in them, so the farmer doesn't eat it. Marnie is the same, as are some of the other younger members of the town (like Elliott, Leah & Emily). Evelyn is a strict lacto-ovo vegetarian. This is why the farmer eats Evelyn's cookies without hesitation.

Over the years, most of the town has learned enough from Marnie and Evelyn that they know which recipes they can share with the farmer as they befriend them now. Gus makes sure to include several options for everyone's dietary restrictions in the saloon menu, and makes Survival Burgers in addition to meat offerings at the fair, because he likes to feed everyone. Evelyn needs to be reminded every year that the burgers are vegetarian.

This is connected to my headcanon for why Marnie is always the one stirring the 'pot luck' soup at the luau. When she was younger, she asked about the ingredients in the soup to make sure she could eat it. Wanting to ensure everyone could partake in the community soup, everyone asked her to stir for a few years so she could offer guidance when they added their ingredients. She really liked knowing exactly what was in the soup, so she asked if she could keep being the stirrer (everyone traded off previously) and then it just became tradition.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Now who could be responsible for that in Pelican Town? What one person has the agency to add something to a cooked dish that just might be shared by everyone so all can bask in her culinary choices? Perhaps when a visiting official is in attendance because sharing is caring?

Who might have added

Void Mayo or

White Algae or a

Salmonberry, a poisonous

Red Mushroom or

Pufferfish or even that local delicacy preferred by but a single person in the Valley: the

Purple Lettuce.

And MOST importantly!

Who are we paying off to let us do it again next year?




Ohhh you betcha I'm toootally gonna be a good girl next time

OMG, for a second I thought you'd blame our sweet big Baby with that lots and lots of Community Service hours

 

[RennyBenny]

Have you seen how ravenous the player is? I can scarf down 20 complete breakfasts in under 5 minutes and suffer no adverse effects. I don't think we don't eat out of choice, I think the player is just banned from eating food at the festivals, lest the whole town go even farther in debt.

maybe we're an unstoppable void once we unhinge our jaw, so lewis had banned us from eating haha

 

[Cuddlebug]

Similar to MogBeoulve, I've always headcanoned the farmer to be a pesco-ovo-lacto (or even just pesco-ovo, with how I often play) vegetarian. Maybe for personal reasons, maybe for medical reasons. Either way, the stuffing and cranberry sauce they make at home fits their dietary restrictions, but the ones at the feast of the Winter Star might have meat, meat-based broth, or gelatin in them, so the farmer doesn't eat it. Marnie is the same, as are some of the other younger members of the town (like Elliott, Leah & Emily). Evelyn is a strict lacto-ovo vegetarian. This is why the farmer eats Evelyn's cookies without hesitation.

Over the years, most of the town has learned enough from Marnie and Evelyn that they know which recipes they can share with the farmer as they befriend them now. Gus makes sure to include several options for everyone's dietary restrictions in the saloon menu, and makes Survival Burgers in addition to meat offerings at the fair, because he likes to feed everyone. Evelyn needs to be reminded every year that the burgers are vegetarian.

This is connected to my headcanon for why Marnie is always the one stirring the 'pot luck' soup at the luau. When she was younger, she asked about the ingredients in the soup to make sure she could eat it. Wanting to ensure everyone could partake in the community soup, everyone asked her to stir for a few years so she could offer guidance when they added their ingredients. She really liked knowing exactly what was in the soup, so she asked if she could keep being the stirrer (everyone traded off previously) and then it just became tradition.

Yeah, the only one ever eating meat in the game ist Alex. There's no way to slaughter your animals (which is good) but it leaves you stranded in a more or less vegetarian community... I swear there are times when my Farmer Girls would like to kill Alex for his steak

Btw, is it even possible to throw Pufferfish in the potluck?

 

[ThatOneTposingDude]

This actually plays well with a pet theory of mine: What if you, the player, just don't eat meat, other than fish and seafood? Thus, none of the recipes you cook contain meat, and since many common festival foods are heavily meat-based, you don't eat the communally-prepared foods. You eat the vegetarian survival burger, for example, but not the roast pork. And perhaps the luau soup happens to be fish/seafood based rather than meat based, so you participate in that.

There are the burgers at the festival.
Edit: But they're apparently vegetarian.

Yeah, the only one ever eating meat in the game ist Alex. There's no way to slaughter your animals (which is good) but it leaves you stranded in a more or less vegetarian community... I swear there are times when my Farmer Girls would like to kill Alex for his steak

Btw, is it even possible to throw Pufferfish in the potluck?

Yes, according to the wiki.
But my headcanon is the same as most people's here: We would just eat too much.

 

[Lew Zealand]

OMG, for a second I thought you'd blame our sweet big Baby with that lots and lots of Community Service hours

I was very very much thinking of my BFF Samson but I feel Farmer Bobbi arrived at the Valley in the nick of time to steal the spotlight from some of his shenanigans just as he was trying to shed a bit of his previous reputation. It was a public service Bobbi could provide to a local boy who needed a co-conspirator or at least someone who would listen to his schemes and enact only the worst ideas which made her laugh.

Thanks Bobbi, 2 more points on my community service record and Lewis would have me mucking out the stalls at Marnie's. For some reason…

Btw, is it even possible to throw Pufferfish in the potluck?

Hee hee LOL Muahhahhahhaaaaa!

Yes you can.

 

[Cuddlebug]

I was very very much thinking of my BFF Samson but I feel Farmer Bobbi arrived at the Valley in the nick of time to steal the spotlight from some of his shenanigans just as he was trying to shed a bit of his previous reputation. It was a public service Bobbi could provide to a local boy who needed a co-conspirator or at least someone who would listen to his schemes and enact only the worst ideas which made her laugh.

Thanks Bobbi, 2 more points on my community service record and Lewis would have me mucking out the stalls at Marnie's. For some reason…



Hee hee LOL Muahhahhahhaaaaa!

Yes you can.

Yeah, I see... Community Service in one way or another These two searched and found one another, perfect match

Well, Pufferfish, I was wondering, 'cause I once tried to add Spice Berry I think and it was not possible...

 

[REtroGeekery]

Well, Pufferfish, I was wondering, 'cause I once tried to add Spice Berry I think and it was not possible...

You can add spice berry. On my first ever farm, I was bringing a cake for the potluck, because I've only ever heard the term 'potluck' used for events where everyone brings a complete, cooked dish. Never soup ingredients. Fortunately, on the way to the beach for the luau, my farmer foraged a gold-quality spice berry and was able to add that to make a good soup.

 

[Cuddlebug]

You can add spice berry. On my first ever farm, I was bringing a cake for the potluck, because I've only ever heard the term 'potluck' used for events where everyone brings a complete, cooked dish. Never soup ingredients. Fortunately, on the way to the beach for the luau, my farmer foraged a gold-quality spice berry and was able to add that to make a good soup.

Well, I'm not sure anymore, might have been some other berry, but in the end I had to buy the starfruit from Pierre

 

[Ereo]

I don’t think the survival burger is vegetarian, because Evelyn complains there are no vegetarian options (and then the next year her dialogue suggests Gus made zucchini skewers). We just don’t get to see the meat.

 

[Nonak]

I don’t think the survival burger is vegetarian, because Evelyn complains there are no vegetarian options (and then the next year her dialogue suggests Gus made zucchini skewers). We just don’t get to see the meat.

There's no meat in the recipe if you cook it yourself, but maybe its the same situation as with chocolate cake? You can make it even though there's no chocolate in the game. So meat is kinda there but not as an ingredient cuz there's no meat in the game (and I don't think a burger with bug meat would be very tasty)