Sick of ordering out, we have begun to do themed pot lucks for food. I am running out of ideas and wanted to know if any of you do this and what themes you use.

Here is what we have done so far
1. Just like mom #1Meatballs, garlic bread. Having two radically different meatball sauces was interesting,
2. Just like mom #2Meatloaf , potatoes. Only to find out some people don't like meatloaf.
3. Picnic Fried Chicken, potato salad
4. Moar Bier! Spaetzle and grilled sausages, senf
5. Pie Day, shepards pie, chicken pot pie, pizza pie, cream pie, fruit pies (deadly stuffed by the end).

Commercial pizza has gotten to me and its about all that delivers in my area. (Yes, just 18 miles away in SF you can have everything delivered)

BlueMax

Go ethnic, or associate it with the game setting. I have done Chinese for the Oreintal Adventures game, with all of my tea sets, sake sets and such not. It would work as well with SR, do an Aztlan night or something. I know my players love that we're doing real food vs. aall that nasty stuff from fast food places.

Aztlan night sounds great. Though for us, it will be Mariachi rebel night. Where Burrito is an outlawed food of Spanish influence. Same for taco.*

BlueMax
*not going for realism but for theme people

Our group is spoiled. The friend that hosts just happens to have his fiance getting off work after we start up. So, we often just text her an order and she picks it up her way home. Plus the host always enjoys cooking, so surprises us with dinner from time to time...

I think in the 4 years of gaming at his house, we've only had pizza about 4 or 5 times...

Tir Dinner Party
Fresh cut carrots, celery, cucumbers, etc.
Dipping sauces
Bread
Sparkling water
Etc.
(And specifically, no meat.)

Dinner with The Family
Spaghetti with marinara -or- Fettuccine Alfredo
Breadsticks
Wine


My wife and I have tried cooking for our friends, but there doesn't seem to be one food (other than pizza) that we can get everyone to agree on. Even then, we need to get at least two pizzas because we have both meat-a-vores¹ and vegetarians² in our group.

-paws

¹ One guy in particular won't eat hardly anything that didn't walk, fly, or swim at one point. Bread, cheese, grape nuts, and the (very) occasional wedge of iceberg lettuce (no dressing) are the only exceptions I'm aware of. Don't get me wrong, he's an awesome person, but he's a really picky eater.

² Me.

Dude. Hells Kitchen BBQ. For realz.

Entree:
Soy & bbq sauce (for vegetarians, soy & soy sauce).

Side:
Soy & frozen carrots & peas (mostly peas)

Drink:
Dirty water and whiskey

Dessert:
Your choice of soy & raspberry sauce, or soy & hot fudge with oreo bits sprinkled over.



If you're feeling more ganger, buy a $5 snare trap and set it up in your backyard by peanut butter painted on something immobile. When you catch a squirrel (or oppossum or whatever), kill it, skin it, remove the head, tail, feet and viscera, and roast if on your grill. Serve with soy, potatoes and vodka. Garnish to taste. Not as good as the devil rat ma used to make, but it's in the ballpark.

when we host we cook whatevver we feel like it suits us examples incluce gingerchicken and rice with juice or random beer.... corned beef and veggies, speggitie sauce and cabbage(supprisingly good) turky loaf.... tofu encheladas


as a side note i think 2009 soy foods arent anything to the potential for 2070 so untill then no tofurky with a side of soy-gravy and mashed tatos(not potatoes but similar to "tatertots" grown to have that spungy crispy on the outside texture)

For a Deadlands game day once, we rustled up a big ol' pot of brown beans, made some cornbread, and drank coffee. I think there was meat in there somewhere, but I forgot what we did.

A long time ago my wife made up some 'Dwarven Tide Me Overs' from a recipe out the Dragonlance book...'Pages from the Inn of the Last Leaves' (probably not the right title but close-ish). They were really good!

For some reason whenever I think of shadowrun, I envision eating with chopsticks out of Chinese take out boxes!

In the summer months, I will normally fire up the grill and we break for BBQ. Famous Dave's 'Devils Spit' sauce, that is what I am talking about!!!

I do like the themed food idea though.

Soy and Krill.

Runner's Companion states that Mycoprotein is also totally in fashion. Quorn for everybody!

Not even if a nude Salma Hyak spoon fed it to me in the Playboy grotto!

There's always Igor Bars

Soy dogs. Enjoy the weird gray Playdough texture with artificial meat flavoring experience that all runners love.

I ate that stuff regularly for the first 14 years of my life (and even now eat it semi-regularly). It's really not that bad when prepared appropriately.

Please excuse me while I enter a diabetic coma!



I know that others have taken this stance but I would like to reiterate it. The whole soy food substitute theme that has (in the past at least) permeated SR, it just doesn't add up. Vitas wipes out how many people? Add to that the technology for vertical crop buildings (that can grow food year round) and improvements in genetically engineering food. I think even if the NAN stopped all export food production that food grown in the cities, year round would result in fresher and healthier food being readily available. Sorry Wesley, I know that you were not meaning to make some uber statement on SR...my soapbox flaw suddenly reasserted itself.

My mom visited last sumer and at one point I accidently took a sip of her soy milk...nasty...doesn't begin to describe that stuff.

Sorry, old cranky guy here...I sit (in my power scooter wheel chair) by my earlier statement!

I was hoping for some kind of shock, leading to room for admission that my family was vegetarian. My mother made a very nice cottage pie using Quorn. Seriously, it was delicious.

I also find Quorn sausages a tasty change from pork. Stay away from things that try to flavour mycoprotein to taste like meats - it has a unique flavour that can be brought into its own if cooked properly.

I've been meaning to try that stuff. Haven't found any place around that carries it though.


I rather enjoy the Morningstar brand vegi dogs. Don't care much for the Smart Dog and similar non-frozen vegi dogs.

Boca made faux Italian sausages for a while, but those didn't take off. Now I hear that Morningstar will be launching their own Italian sausages. Eager to try those.

I really want someone to make a vegi Bahama Mama or brat.


I tend to agree with this assessment. Though... many of the advances you're talking about have come about fairly recently, IRL. (At least in terms of them being viable for use.)

I do like how they talk about the soy boom of the 50's in... Runner's Companion, I think it was. So much soy was produced that people started becoming badly allergic to the stuff.


I loves me some soy milk (especially the Lite Chocolate Silk). Yummy.

Can't get into rice milk though - too sweet.

-paws

We do enjoy Igor Bars about every other year. They have enough calories for a meal but are served as a desert.

BlueMax

I hope everyone understands that this is just my personal preferrence and that my taste buds have a mind of their own. If anyone enjoys cuisine that is outside my comfort zone more power to them...well as long as it isn't Soylent Green.

Since my food thread turned into a Shadowrun thread: When they say soy, they just mean cheap protein. The two have become synonymous.
This paraphrases Draco18s last time we covered this topic
Nurtisoy: Now with 10& more soy

Exec: How much is that going to cost us?
Processing engineer: 10% more of 0 costs us 0 sir.
Exec: Run it.


BlueMax

I don't drink milk anymore so I've substituted soy milk for my breakfast protein shakes. Soy milk is very foul on its own but mix in a Carribean Chocolate shake mix and it's very smooth and tasty.

I do recommend vanilla rice milk. It tastes like the real thing.

If you can get it, Oat Milk kicks hoop. However, when Coke bought Odwalla Oatmilk by the quart was one of the casualties. Though I am sure they say the purchase wasn't the cause...

After years of not drinking milk, I am back in the habit. With two lads in the house, whole milk is something that's always in stock. Whole Milk, because the pediatrician says they shouldn't drink the watery stuff yet.

BlueMax
/bitter
//unlike Oat Milk which was silky smooth

you should have a coupla hot babes make some food for you and deliver it in a schoolgirl outfit...just saying...

Chili has been banned from our table...and Hot wings are on thier way out...apparently some food does not agree with the digestive track of middle aged role-players and the host's wall paper was peeling off the walls by the end of the session.

This sunday I am making swedish meatballs and zuccini cassarole( the zuccini are producing like crazy this year.)

Your not from the UK are you he sounds like my friend John.

Forgive me if someone else has posted this:

Heart Attack in a Bowl

One pound ground sirloin, or other lean meat
One Quart Salsa, I prefer a medium level of spice
One block of velveta cheese
One Bag Tortilla Chips
Cilantro to taste

Optionals:
1 sliced up pepper
1 diced onion

Brown burger. Add in cheese. Melt cheese over burger. Add salsa. Serve in one gooey hot mess.

OK, this happens.

Though for my group the velveeta will be replaced with Tillamook Extra Sharp Cheddar. They like their cheese with some hefty bite.


BlueMax

Ha! Its chili cheese dip. We make that stuff where I grew up at for social get togethers like football games and such.

What can I say? Your average super bowl menu would do just fine at our games. We like a vegetable tray, sliced cheese and apples, and some sort of chips and dip. Add drinks, and well then we have the proper mood for game my friends.

We did this once.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2378/184129...be97c0e35_o.jpg
Yes, that's a Schnitzel between the plate and the Pizza-Toppings . .

Wow,gonna have to try that one! maybe add some bacon and sour cream between the cheese and pepperoni...yum!( Racheal Ray eat your heart out!)

Occasionally I would take the meal bags from left over rat packs and have those at games. They were pretty good, and if you were lucky the person would even have a pot to cook it in, so it would be hot. American MREs though taste like crap and larger then most TV dinners.

Not for me, thanks, i am a strict salami-pizza-man . . ok maybe the bacon, but not sourcream . . consistency and looks of pus . . no, thank you, very much, but not on my food please <.<

Our group just usually brings a bunch of snack foo and we nibble through out the game and order pizza. Lately we have been making like bean dip and stuff like that. Cause the pizza kinda gets to you after a while.

The one time I made real food for my group it was a pot of bolognese sauce served over rotini. The GM had three helpings and spent basically the whole session telling me how great it was. Gotta try my cheesy chili mac casserole on them sometime.

Well, if you're in a hurry, you could always grab some Ramen from the Stuffer Shack on the way home. Throw it in a big insulated mug, set it in the coffee maker, and stir. True SR style cookin.

If you wanna get fancy with it, brown a half pound hamburger, throw in can of beans (any), a can of peas, and a can of corn, then add two packages of Ramen. It'll feed 4 people. I call it "goop". Lived off of goop and sugary cereal for six months once, healthiest 6 months of my life.

For a gaming session though, normally I boil 2 bratwurst per person in beer, then throw 'em on the grill. Add whole wheat buns, chips, beer (and pop for the prudes and the ones driving a long way), and a good spicy mustard. Mmmm, brats tasty. Mmmm, beer tasty, too.

Today, I bought Quorn. A report will follow after the next Shadowrun session.

BlueMax

Quorn™ canceled. For reasons which I would describe as entirely Shadowrun. Our Troll sized player has an allergy to MSG, so it could not be served at game night.

I ate it... its not bad.

BlueMax

MSG allergy thats almost as bad as a chronic lactose intolerance for diet limiting.

Excellent.

Real gaming food comes from This is why you're fat.com, at least, for our group... I don't think you'll find a drop of soy on that whole website. Of course, we have to really plan ahead when to eat... The main question is "Do you want to game before or after the food coma?"

Linking to the CBT forums since they allow images and its already there...
Last weekends meal

I cook for my gaming group almost every session. Team favorites as reported are:
Homemade Calzones
Stew (Beef or Lamb)
Chix and Bacon Quesadillas
Homemade Macaroni and cheese with spinach onion and garlic
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Lazagne

And of course, grilling

And sometimes homemade salsa

I have also made tiramasu and cream puffs on occasion

I misread that as Vanilla Ice milk at first. I used to drink some vanilla flavoured soy milk thing in cartons every day from my school's canteen, but I can't remember what it was called, does anyone know of anything like that in the UK which would cater to schoolkids? (It was a few years ago, before I found out what responsibility meant )

I know for Chicago, we did a Fallout-esque meal. It just made sense. Other than that, some of us who can cook will occasionally do a battle of who can cook X better. Chinese does reign supreme, though.

This is why I wish I curently had an RL gaming group not a few PbP games no awesome foodage there.

I am one of those GM's who like to cook good food for my gamers.. That way it is easier to lure them back to the table... Not to mention back to the game.

Snacks are usually healthy ones (cucumber, carrots, chips) with home made guacamole dip and stuff like that.

I'd prefer doing a stew of some kind of red meat (I prefer deer, lamb or cow, sometimes all three of them in one stew) with lots of gravy, carrots, beets, all kind of veggies, homemade tomato sauce, red wine, cream, garlic etc. A stew that can cook slowly, yet tasty and filling. Lots and lots of mashed potatoes to go with it.
Dessert is usually ice cream with my special brand of chocolate sauce.

Or pasta bolognese. Or veggie lasagna. Odd how my veggie lasagna always disappears rather speedily.