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

[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."

[metaari]

"I'll let you borrow it some time, then. It's not a bad study." A little dry, maybe, especially if someone has zero interest, but Metaari keeps it updated fairly regularly. "There's also a collection of things you most certainly should not eat under any circumstances, unless your goal is to... cleanse."

Personal experiences, those pages.

"Salt and pepper is definitely the easiest to go with, and some people will say it's all you ever need. But... well, it can get boring, right? Mint with a bit of something citrus goes great with fish."