Since my main farmer is basically me, I tend to just have her eat things I enjoy, or I think I'd enjoy. So, she cooks & eats certain dishes, never eats raw fish, and has consumed so much spicy food, she probably has a hole in her stomach. If only drinks were as likable as the foods for me. My farmer must be the most dehydrated person in town. Unless she's drinking water secretly from the tap or sprinklers, she's never consumed any of the drink items, because IRL, I wouldn't touch them, either. I don't drink alcohol. I don't like the taste of coffee. I don't like vegetable juice (except carrot juice, but you can't make it in game). Can't drink soda pop, since it tends to have HFCS, which I'm highly allergic to. And no milk, since I'm lactose intolerant. So, since there's no fruit juice, rice/almond/coconut milk, or teas in the game, my farmer must suffer! Btw, being forced to drink mysterious liquids via cut scenes doesn't count. ~w~ I wasn't given the option to refuse. (Albeit, I'd say yes for the wizard's forest brew because it's magic. Wow!) This game needs some fruit juice & loose-leaf tea, now that I think more about it. Tea is especially profitable IRL too. Have you guys ever set limits on what your own farmer can consume, or just do in general?
Well I was thinking about something like this earlier today. Create some form of challenge or whatever you may call it: Food consumation. Bascially, your character should in order to stay healthy, eat breakfast, lunch and supper. The bigger the meal, the longer he/she'll manage.
Tea as a crop is an idea. Heck, there were wars fought over tea. It was nearly ten percent of the British GNP at one point, when the British Empire was literally the Empire upon which the sun never set. Then various tea- related beverages. And of course, various additives. You've got beets being milled into sugar, you've got honey as an alternative sweetener, and you've got milk for those who prefer that.
Heh, I wouldn't drink whatever the wizard gives you, exactly because it's magic. Who knows what bad things could happen and that reaction you have to it... Nooo My farmers wouldn't go thirsty if they had to drink what I personally drink IRL. I mostly drink water, but my weakness is soda. Oh my god. I'm trying desperately to keep it to weekends only. And then I rarely drink milk as well as fruit juice. I would love to be able to make fruit juice and cider, it's kind of weird you have to brew alcohol out of fruit unless you make jelly out of it. Tea would be nice too, not a tea drinker myself but it's a popular beverage. Even more popular than coffee.
There is the cranberry candy drink. It's cranberries, apples, and sugar. The sugar can be made in your mill using beets, so that's not too bad.
For In-Game, what about Goat Milk? (Some people who are lactose intolerant can still drink Goat Milk. Not all, but some!) And even though you can't make them in-game, what about the fruit juices, like Tomato Juice? Apple Juice? Orange Juice? Pomegranate Juice? Maybe Peach Juice or Cherry Juice or Apricot Juice?
Tea would be awesome, both as a crop and a beverage option. I myself mostly stick to water and unsweet iced tea, and coffee in the morning. Occasionally milk. Most other drinks are woefully full of sugar and I don't like sweet stuff that much so I avoid those. I like fruit juice when I can find some thats actually juice and not just colored sugar water. In my game I tend to cook by season (meaning recipes that use crops growing that season), and mostly stuff that's worth 200+ energy points. No real preference beyond that though. I'm with others that fruit juice would be fun to make, along with the tea. And hot chocolate as an option in winter would be delightful.
I've long been a proponent of teas and tisanes in the game. I can't stand coffee myself and I'd really like a hot beverage alternative for those snowy winter days. It doesn't even need to give any perks; I'd want it just for the roleplay value. Right now I'm usually using wine or mead, and pretend it's mulled, hot. But that's not really a good idea when you're trying to get things done in the game. As for limits, I do try to cook seasonally and eat at least one actual 'meal' a day. I really wish the game would let you sit at a table to eat, though. There's something hollow in making a nice meal and then tossing it down your throat in one big chomp.
I use timespeed to make food much more important in my game. I do try to make food that I would personally eat. In fact, I'm kinda making my farm into specifically a mead hall/ apple orchard because I enjoy making my own drinks irl and its nice to be able to make a farm around my personal tastes. I feel bad that you're unable to drink alcohol, milk, or any vegetable juice other than carrots (I love carrot juice too, I wonder if you can make cave carrot juice?). Tea would be amazing, I was just wishing for the ability to be able to make some sweet tea in the game. I don't think it would make sense in kegs, but you could have some fun areas dedicated to laying out leaves to dry in the sun (new mod anyone?). Maybe using the oven or a special station to boil and steep the tea. Anyway, I'm enjoying the ideas here =3
I suppose deep down, I wish I could gain some sort of magical ability. If drinking a potion could grant that and not kill you, why not? I wasn't sure if that was a drink, or not. It looked like a popcicle, or something like that, to me. I even googled it, but I didn't get any pictures that looked like the game's version. Cranberry juice is really delicious, though! I kinda forgot about that, since goats are an animal I skipped in-game. I wonder if it's tasty. If so, that could be an option if I decide to buy some goats. And yeah, I did mention I do drink fruit juices (not tomato, though). But, since you can't make them in-game, my farmer obviously can't have any. You're like me when it comes to fruit juice. I only go for the 100% kind too! And hot chocolate sounds like a great option too, especially for winter time. Yum! I dunno. There are times IRL I wish I could just throw a huge meal in my mouth and not choke on it. But, I guess I'd have to unhinge my jaw like a snake, so it wouldn't look too pretty. Nah, no need to feel bad. ^^ I can't really miss what I've never had (or dislike). But, if only I could make cave carrot juice. I bet it tastes pretty starchy and sweet. It's so nice to see so many like the tea idea!
Certainly Hot Cocoa is a tasty winter treat, but chocolate is a complicated crop and even with the usual simplification of the game seems a little out of your usual farm crops. Hot tisanes and herbals (if not actual Camellia sinensis-- the tea plant) can be made from a variety of easily grown garden plants like mint, lavender, chamomile, etc. A little plot of 'kitchen herbs' or something along those lines, perhaps?
Hmmm... I'm also wondering if you can set up an array of recipes rather than having to hard-code every single potential combination of tisane. You do have a point, though. And you know, dandelions are also pretty good in a tisane.
Tea and cocoa would be awesome additions, perhaps you could get cocoa seeds from Sandy? Climate-wise, Stardew Valley seems to support a wide variety of temperate and tropical crops/trees, so that'd be fine. Cocoa could be made into a beverage via cooking (just add milk and sugar) or made into chocolate for selling (or eating) via some other process. Come to think of it, my current farm economy is 100% artisan goods (104 preserve jars, 30 kegs etc.), I'd love some variety there - maybe we can get a juice press or soda machine to finally make JoJa completely redundant by making a non-alcoholic beverage that doesn't contain hazardous mutagens
