Chapter 1: Human Cuisine - Heroes' Feast

Chapter 1: Human Cuisine. It's just as well Caramon's not here. Can you imagine the bellyaching we'd hear about missing a couple of meals? No people within the multiverse are as determined and adaptable as the human race. Their thirst for knowledge, their penchant for adventure, and their indomitable spirit have rendered them a force to be reckoned with. Along with this assertive culture comes a hunger for adventure, technological advancement, and creative experimentation. It is often said that humanity is a melting pot of ideas, and the same is certainly true of its gastronomy. With such diverse people, it is difficult to define the similarities across each culture, except for perhaps this: the only constant is change; the only characteristic is variety. A Broad Spectrum Humans of the planet Toril alone boast nine major ethnic groups, with basic physical attributes such as height and skin tone varying greatly by region. In short, there is no typical human. Seemingly undaunted by climate and topography, human civilizations have thrived in all manner of environments, and with this diversity comes an eclectic array of culinary foodways. As by far the most common people throughout the multiverse, humans and their preferences tend to set the standard at taverns and other public eating establishments when it comes to portion size, flavor, and even the very design of the tables, seating, and flatware-most of which are made to accommodate human size, human hands, and human sensibilities (sorry, halflings!). While dining etiquette, presentation, and ingredients used can vary wildly across the mélange of human cultures, one general constant seems to be the speed at which humans eat: fast. Among the most short-lived within the multiverse, humans generally seem to be in a rush while dining, no doubt eager to get back to ambitious plans of adventuring, or cultivation. This haste carries over to all aspects of their food preparation as well. Elves and dwarves, with their long...