Tried some bear stew. It was a little grizzly. (open)

[metaari]

WHO: Anyone who wants to show up
WHAT: Learn how to cook, eat food, drink, talk, be merry
WHEN: waves hands at the last weekend of Kingsway
WHERE: Camps just outside Skyhold
NOTES: Followup open log to this post

It's through travel with everyone recently that Metaari has come to realize that... well. There aren't a lot of battle chefs around. Not that he considers himself a chef, either, but at least he knows how to do a little more than stick meat over a fire. And now it's time to impart his knowledge on others so that they, too, may eat a little better when on the road. And, you know, assuming they aren't in such dire straits that they can afford to spend a little time pampering themselves.

Comments

THE COOKING

[metaari]

The reason people were invited. Metaari spends most of his evening near the campfire, various meats on a plate near him, as well an assortment of herbs and spices. And, strangely enough, vegetables. He'll chat about what he's doing when people stop by to watch, or when they have questions, but mostly he's just cooking for everyone who showed up. He kind of loves it.

[gatheringstorm]

"Hey, need help sorting or chopping anything?" Korrin approaches with a friendly smile. While she can't say cooking, outside of a few recipes, is her strength, she can take direction well enough. And she'd feel guilty just standing around waiting for someone else to cook for her when there isn't any reason to hang back.

[metaari]

He glances up at the familiar voice and offers a similar smile in return. If nothing else, he could usually count on her to come around. "Well, if you're looking for a little dirty work..." A glint crosses his eyes and the smile turns to a grin. "The onions still need peeling."

[gatheringstorm]

"Starting me off with the fun stuff, I see. I think I can handle that. Maybe even without much in the way of tears." She won't promise anything, though. Spotting the onions, Korrin quickly gets to work. "How've you been, Metaari?"

[metaari]

"You volunteered. I'm just taking advantage of it." He lets out a laugh as he turns his attention back toward the meat, taking care in prepping it.

The question makes him pause for a moment and he smiles. "Well, we just returned not long ago from a trip to help Clan Ashara with a little rift problem they were having. That was..."

...

"Something."

[gatheringstorm]

Deftly chopping as her grandmother taught her, Korrin glances over with raised eyebrows upon hearing that. "Merrick's clan? What were they like, the ones who didn't all join us in one feel swoop?"

She's a little curious about the clan, given that several of her friends are from it...though she'd wonder about the welcome a qunari would receive. So there's some concern mixed in with that curiosity as well, for Metaari's sake.

[aceso]

Christine has been cooking for awhile now at Skyhold. She doesn't do it everyday because she has plenty to keep her busy, but she can often be seen in the kitchens lending a hand. She's here because she's very interested in learning to cook over a campfire. It's so inconsistent, unlike being inside the kitchens.

"What if it is windy? Or raining? How do you regulate the temperature of the fire for even cooking?" She's sitting close by, chin in her hand as she watches Metaari work.

[metaari]

He's seen her in the kitchens more than once (he likes to pop in now and then to snag something before being shooed away), and she certainly has an air of curiosity to her that he can appreciate. His eyes glance up from his work briefly so he can cast her a smile. "Well, if the weather is off, your first goal will most likely be to find more suitable shelter. Caves over overhanging rocks help. If you're still stuck outside and it's raining, well... not too many people are going to be keen on trying to keep a fire going anyway. That's a night for jerky."

Metaari laughs a little as he sets a grate over the fire, lifted up by sticks he has buried into the dirt around the pit. "Wind is a bit easier to cope with. If you've a spare cloth--a blanket, someone's extra large cloak, what have you--you can string it up on whichever side of the fire the wind is coming from. That'll usually do a fair job of blocking it."

[aceso]

Christine nods along, smiling at the jerky joke. Cold, wet, and miserable is not the way she would want to spend a night outside. She did it plenty after the Circles fell and she's not keen to return to it. Back then she busied herself with tending to injuries among the mages and not trying to cook, which is why she's trying to educate herself now.

"I see. I supposed you could not string it up in the desert. You would need a place with trees. Or at least bring a tent in order to use the poles." She takes note of the grate he's set up, looking fascinated.

"Will you be cooking directly on that, or in a pan on top of that?"

[metaari]

"Honestly, if you're traveling through the desert, you probably have a few more problems to think about than cooking." He grins a bit. "Sand does not make for a very tasty seasoning, I can tell you that. And that's mostly what you'll find. Desert travels are another prime opportunity for jerky. And nuts, too. Though there's plenty you can do to both before you hit the desert..."

He sounds thoughtful at that, trailing off for a moment as he thinks on it before shaking his head, mentally moving on.

"Right on it. Pots and pans are a nice luxury, but often times get left behind. It also gives everything nice, crisp lines, and a better smokey flavor."

[aceso]

"But you can always hit someone with a pan," she jokes, nose scrunching up at her own joke. "A smokey flavor is good. The flavor comes from the type of wood burned, does it not? I am afraid I know little of trees or which to use, but when roughing it, I suppose beggars cannot be choosers when it comes to selecting wood."

[circleprodigy]

The small, pale elven woman in attendance does her best to learn, listening intently and following directions, though it's obvious she's learning everything from the ground-up. Her smile is a little apologetic, used to being a faster pupil than this. "The Circles and Grey Wardens don't exactly have cooking instruction as a priority. I hope this effort proves at least somewhat edible."

There's a hopeful huff at her side, and she glances down to the mabari. "You don't count, Garahel. You'll eat anything not poisonous." Garahel ignores that comment, instead following her around in hopes that she or someone else will drop something.

[metaari]

Metaari grins and tips his head slightly as he watches her, leaning over to adjust her hold on her knife just slightly. "More of a rocking motion, rather than chopping, means you don't even need to lift your blade from the board. Just don't go too fast; I've found that people tend to not enjoy blood in their food. Usually. But don't fret too much about it, we all start somewhere."

And don't mind him if he tosses a bit of meat he wasn't planning to use toward the mabari.

[circleprodigy]

That doesn't escape her notice and she smirks as Garahel goes to town, tail wagging madly. "I hope you know what you're doing. Now that you've given him something, he'll pester you forever. Refuse, and he has the most wounded look I've ever seen."

She tries the rocking motion as suggested, definitely wanting to take the time to get this right. "...I would definitely prefer a bloodless meal, yes. Now I have to wonder if a Barrier spell could protect against that for a time, but I have no intention of being so careless as to find out."

[metaari]

"Oh, now there's a pity. However will I survive?" A grin flashes across his face and he glances toward the mabari again, chuckling quietly to himself. The best part of Ferelden, to be honest.

He hums thoughtfully at her own musings. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen anyone try. If you're ever feeling experimental, it might be worth a shot." It'd certainly make things easier for... well, everyone, probably.

[circleprodigy]

As Garahel plops down happily and rolls onto his back, Inessa shakes her head. "Shameless." Of course he needs belly rubs from his new best friend, because food is awesome but so are pettings.

"I see something to be gained from using magic for practical endeavors, if it can be done. Which is not to say it can replace all mundane efforts, but if they can be made easier...." She shrugs. "Ever since Anders' mage conference, I've been in that frame of mind."

[el_tybs]

His cooking isn't anything fancy, and he doesn't know a lot of techniques, but it's edible and hearty. Even so Sam comes to this lesson since it was something different, and he knows there's more he could learn.

Vegetables is certainly something different for him. He helped cook plenty when he was younger, but with being in the Circle and a lack of them on missions for the most part, it isn't something he deals with currently.

"So... where do you start off first?"

[metaari]

"Figuring out what you want, of course!" Metaari grins up at Sam as he arrives, gesturing for a place nearby to sit. "I'm going with some skewers tonight. They're fast and easy enough for anyone to pick up on." He hopes, anyway. There are only so many ways someone can mess up meat-vegetable-meat-vegetable on a stick.

"I'm working on seasoning the meat right now. I've a mixture here that I use with my own personal blend that I've come to enjoy. Some pepper, cloves, a few other things." He places the small pouch he has filled with the mixture next to the food and gestures with his head. "Go ahead. Just take a small bit of it and start rubbing it into the meat."

[el_tybs]

Skewers huh? He's had practice to put meat on sticks, but nothing like this - generally there was a lack of vegetables first off. Easy enough to prep and cook though, but still took a little time to put everything together.

"You carry spices with you?" Taking a seat, Sam pinches a bit to give it a sniff before he reaches over to start rubbing it into the meat as instructed. "What if you don't have any with you when you're cooking?"

[metaari]

"When you're the designated camp cook, you generally have them on you." He grins as he flips the slab of meat over, rubbing the mixture across the back of it.

"There are plenty of herbs you can find growing in the wild, depending on your area. I've a small book of them with drawings back in my tent, if you're ever interested. Mint is relatively easy to come across, and goes well with most things. Slap a bunch of the leaves on the meat and cook it together. It's all very exact, as you can tell."

[el_tybs]

A small book on them he said? "I would be interested in seeing that. Might come in handy some time." Especially since he was considering going camping soon and could spend a little time actually looking at the plants around the area.

"Mint? Even fish?" He's had that with some sweet things, but nothing savory. "And here I was thinking a bit of salt and pepper was just fine."

[justice_is_blond]

If he was unsure about being at the right place, the qunari set up cooking dismissed that. For a time Anders simply watches; he's got some basic knowledge, he can make something edible that isn't grey-brown mush, but it might be nice to do more than that.

After that time, he heads up to the guy. "I know what the spicy spices are, but the rest I'm pretty unfamiliar with. Would you mind walking me through what you're doing?" The only way to learn is to ask questions, after all.

[metaari]

"Of course. That's why I've got this set up, after all." Metaari straightens himself up a little as he gestures for Anders to sit. He's got some sort of powder he's taking out of a small pouch that he's rubbing into the meat, rather generously on both sides. "I'm just at the seasoning part right now. I want to let the meat sit with it a bit before I cook it up, so I'll get to chopping the vegetables while that happens. It's a personal blend--a pepper, fennel seeds, things easily found in most markets or even in the wild--and being dry means that it lasts longer and transports easier than a sauce."

A pause.

"Plus if I need to run I can throw it in someone's eyes and it'll blind them long enough for me to get away."

[justice_is_blond]

Anders takes a seat happily, watching, smiling at the last comment.

"You're qunari. You dwarf everyone. I can't imagine you having to run." He has to run often, but he's almost two feet shorter than Metaari. And a mage. As he talks, he's leaning forward to catch what scents he can in the blend.

"Could you use a hand with chopping? I'm fairly talented when it comes to cutting things up."

[metaari]

"You'd be surprised. I'm a hell of a shot, but outside of just slamming my fist into someone's face, my close-quarters combat leaves something to be desired." Though, to be fair, his face slamming tends to be very effective.

He nods before inclining his head toward the small pile of food. "By all means. I'm planning on skewers for it all, so I need things in large enough chunks yet so they won't fall off."

His eyes cast around the fire for a moment, a faint smile on his face at the small gathering, before he goes back to his work. "I'm glad to see people taking advantage of a small bit of downtime."