Apocalyptic Cuisine

How to Survive the Nuclear Wasteland, and Look Good Doing It

Why it's Important to Eat in the First Place

During the weekend, you're going to be doing a lot of hiking, running, and fighting, so your activity level is likely to be much higher than you're used to. To make sure you’re able to enjoy all that activity, it's important to stay well-fed and hydrated during your Dystopia Rising event. Remember these important safety tips:

Eat regularly. Skipping meals is very hard on the body. Though you’ll be on the run a fair bit during the weekend, try to make sure to eat regularly. Even smaller, more frequent meals are better than skipping meals outright.

Genre Appropriate Food

• At Dystopia Rising, we've worked very hard to create a grim setting and we continue to work hard to maintain your immersion in the world for the whole weekend. That immersion can be ruined very quickly, and modern food packages are one of the most common offenders. Here's some tips on how to enjoy your meal while keeping everyone’s immersion intact:

• Several generations have passed since the Fall. Pre-packaged, pre-Fall food is very rare. Try not to eat foods that look very modern or processed (Doritos, Pop Tarts), and at the very least, try not to eat anything directly out of the bag or package. Cans should have the labels torn off.

• Consider your character's background when choosing genre-appropriate food. Is he a proud Natural One Hunter? Then it's likely he'd be eating food he hunted down and killed with his bare hands. Is he a foppish wealthy Pure Blood with Deep Pockets? It's more likely he might be able to afford “old world delicacies” (such as canned foods, sodas, and other rarities.)

• Try to place any food or drink into a genre-appropriate container when eating it. Wood and steel bowls (especially if dented) are the sort of thing that might survive the apocalypse.

• Consider what's available in the world. The global market of the modern age is gone: farmers, hunters, scavengers, and fishmongers provide the town almost all the food they have available. Exotic ingredients and spices that we take for granted may not exist in the post-apocalyptic wasteland.

• Keep your cabins clean! Nothing is more disruptive than modern cans and candy wrappers strewn about a person's sleeping area. Clean it up and hide the evidence, and everybody will have a better experience.

• Try to find appropriate ways to refer to the food you're eating. Instead of drinking 'sports drink' say 'watered down hootch' or 'fruit juice'.