Food
1. What is your character's relationship with food? Is s/he a picky or hearty eater? Live to eat, or eat to live? Special dietary requirements?
Alistair has never been particularly picky when it comes to food; if it's there and it's edible, he'll have a go at it, a trait which has come in handy since he joined the Army. He's not a particularly hearty eater, either, even in peacetime; a bit here, a bite there, and that is sufficient unto the day. Eating is a thing which should hopefully be pleasant, but is necessary nevertheless, and there's no point in making too great a deal out of it.
2. Does your character have any food allergies, or substances s/he avoids for dietary reasons?
Not a one.
3. Has your character ever had any sort of eating disorder, food poisoning, or other food related difficulties?
He's had food poisoning a couple of times, but not more so than any other person. He does keep away from oysters, though; one too many bad experiences.
4. What sort of ethnic foods did your character eat / learn to prepare as part of their cultural background?
Kedgeree and "curry" and the other British Colonial appropriations of Indian cuisine - they came in very strongly when he was a lad.
5. What is your character's comfort food?
Toast soldiers dipped in a poached egg.
6. What food is his/her favorite food? Least favorite?
Ask him that today, over a rock-hard biscuit soaking in a tin dish of stew, and watch him gaze into the distance pontificatingly. "Just imagine," he says dreamily, "potted shrimps on a cracker, and mashed potato, and some roast squab, and then cigars and brandy in the drawing room..." Uncharacteristically for an Englishman, he abhors tea. Coffee for him, thanks; the only bit of Welsh he's picked up from the men he commands is "Dw i'n hoffi coffi."
7. Does your character cook for himself/herself? How well? Do they cook for others? Enjoy cooking, or view it as a chore?
He's never really had to - maid and all that - so he's never bothered to learn beyond the toast and poached egg - good to know how to do that if there's nothing in the icebox after a late evening and one feels a bit peckish. It's rather difficult to fluff a bit of toast and a poached egg, so within his extremely narrow sphere, he manages well enough. Toast with a bit of leftover chipped beef or kippers or what-have-you is also a possibility, if there is leftover chipped beef in the icebox. Toast and what's-in-the-icebox, that's his limit, but he'll cook it for you if you'd like and you're not particular.
8. What sort of foods does your character purchase when grocery shopping? How often do they shop? Do they visit specialty food stores?
Short answer for this one: he quite simply doesn't. That's the maid's job, or his wife's.
9. Does your character ever hunt/fish/gather their own food?
He's been hunting, but not for food.
10. When eating out, what sort of restaurants do they choose? What do they order there?
Usually used to dine down at his club. Bit of beefsteak, immoderate amounts of alcohol. Beautiful evenings.
11. How are your character's table manners? Does s/he have dining etiquette enough to use the right fork? Chew with mouth open?
Quite excellent, even when chowing on bully beef and stale bread in the trench. Pinky out, impeccable manners, sitting cross-legged amongst some of the men in C company and allowing them to mock him by extending their own pinkies and putting on airs.
12. How has your character's diet changed over their lifetime? Are their foods they hated and learned to eat?
I think the fact that he's gone from toffish dining in England to slop from a dixie in a trench in France counts, doesn't it?
Alistair has never been particularly picky when it comes to food; if it's there and it's edible, he'll have a go at it, a trait which has come in handy since he joined the Army. He's not a particularly hearty eater, either, even in peacetime; a bit here, a bite there, and that is sufficient unto the day. Eating is a thing which should hopefully be pleasant, but is necessary nevertheless, and there's no point in making too great a deal out of it.
2. Does your character have any food allergies, or substances s/he avoids for dietary reasons?
Not a one.
3. Has your character ever had any sort of eating disorder, food poisoning, or other food related difficulties?
He's had food poisoning a couple of times, but not more so than any other person. He does keep away from oysters, though; one too many bad experiences.
4. What sort of ethnic foods did your character eat / learn to prepare as part of their cultural background?
Kedgeree and "curry" and the other British Colonial appropriations of Indian cuisine - they came in very strongly when he was a lad.
5. What is your character's comfort food?
Toast soldiers dipped in a poached egg.
6. What food is his/her favorite food? Least favorite?
Ask him that today, over a rock-hard biscuit soaking in a tin dish of stew, and watch him gaze into the distance pontificatingly. "Just imagine," he says dreamily, "potted shrimps on a cracker, and mashed potato, and some roast squab, and then cigars and brandy in the drawing room..." Uncharacteristically for an Englishman, he abhors tea. Coffee for him, thanks; the only bit of Welsh he's picked up from the men he commands is "Dw i'n hoffi coffi."
7. Does your character cook for himself/herself? How well? Do they cook for others? Enjoy cooking, or view it as a chore?
He's never really had to - maid and all that - so he's never bothered to learn beyond the toast and poached egg - good to know how to do that if there's nothing in the icebox after a late evening and one feels a bit peckish. It's rather difficult to fluff a bit of toast and a poached egg, so within his extremely narrow sphere, he manages well enough. Toast with a bit of leftover chipped beef or kippers or what-have-you is also a possibility, if there is leftover chipped beef in the icebox. Toast and what's-in-the-icebox, that's his limit, but he'll cook it for you if you'd like and you're not particular.
8. What sort of foods does your character purchase when grocery shopping? How often do they shop? Do they visit specialty food stores?
Short answer for this one: he quite simply doesn't. That's the maid's job, or his wife's.
9. Does your character ever hunt/fish/gather their own food?
He's been hunting, but not for food.
10. When eating out, what sort of restaurants do they choose? What do they order there?
Usually used to dine down at his club. Bit of beefsteak, immoderate amounts of alcohol. Beautiful evenings.
11. How are your character's table manners? Does s/he have dining etiquette enough to use the right fork? Chew with mouth open?
Quite excellent, even when chowing on bully beef and stale bread in the trench. Pinky out, impeccable manners, sitting cross-legged amongst some of the men in C company and allowing them to mock him by extending their own pinkies and putting on airs.
12. How has your character's diet changed over their lifetime? Are their foods they hated and learned to eat?
I think the fact that he's gone from toffish dining in England to slop from a dixie in a trench in France counts, doesn't it?