June 9, 2021 • 43 mins
This post-apocalyptic game franchise features an array of food and drink items for players to interact with – at their own risk. Anney and Lauren explore the questionable cuisine of ‘Fallout’.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hello, and welcome to Savor production of I Heart Radio.
I'm Annie Reese and I'm Lauren Vogelbaum. And today we're
talking about the foods of Fallout, the video game series
and things etera and etcetera. Yes, I'm very, very excited
to talk about this. I'm like brimming with excitement. Um.
Several listeners have requested this topic. And I myself have
(00:33):
played most of the Fallout series. Despite the fact that
I'm a completionist quest wise and games like this one,
these games really stressed me out. It becomes hard work. Yeah.
And also, um, it is one of those games, especially three,
which is the one I played most in depth, that
(00:53):
has a lot of those kind of moral decisions you
can make characters, so there's like eight options. And I accidentally, uh,
and people played the game will probably know exactly what
I'm talking about. I accidentally took part in a I
don't know if genocide is the term. I didn't mean to.
(01:17):
I misread the whole thing, but I was on the
wrong side of that one, and I still feel guilt
about it. Yeah. I always have a little bit of
a hard time with with those like like dialogue choices
or or right or like like moral compass choices because
there I feel I feel like the exact wording. I'm like,
(01:39):
it can be tricksy, it can be tricksy. As a
as an editor, I'm like, well, did you mean this thing?
Where this thing? Because those are two very different meanings
and we're about to commit genocide now. Yeah, that's why
I'm like, I meant to flirt and now it's genocide. Right.
I'm pretty sure I just thought that they wanted a
better space to live. Oh oops, well yeah. I have
(02:08):
never played any of the Fallout games zero, Silch, none. Um.
I think I've watched like the first ten minutes of
one of them being played by somebody else, maybe, Like
I feel like it might have been three. It's like
Liam Neeson is a voice in the thank opening of three.
(02:32):
I don't I All I remember is that the person
the player character was inn a Vault, and I mean
I don't, which I'm aware doesn't narrow it down, so
I'm not it would have been about twelve to fift
years ago. M hm. I don't know, like eleven or two. Anyway,
(02:54):
I haven't played. So this entire reading process was a
process of discovery and delight. And confusion. I would randomly
because I knew you hadn't played, and as I was
researching it, I would randomly be like, I can't wait
till Lauren uncovers this, or how has Lauren gonna react
to this? How much confusion is happening? Does any of
(03:17):
this make sense? Um? They're also an interesting game series
for me, and that Uh, you really saw the graphics change.
So like I started, I started with three, and then
I went back and played one and two, and like
they just it goes from you know, you take two
steps in the first one and those kind of bit
(03:38):
graphics to the third one being a very much more
advanced video game. Uh. And they've gone even further graphics
wise since then. Yeah, the series is over twenty years
old now, so yeah, and it I played them kind
of all in the span of I just went on
(04:00):
this Fallout, you know, every game that was available. I
haven't played seventy six yet. Um. But and I love
this because this about brings us to our question. And
I'm very tickled that you are the one that shall
be answered. Yes. So Fallout, what is it? Well? Uh.
(04:28):
Fallout is a franchise of games currently produced by the
company Bethesda, also known for Elder Scrolls and Skyrim. UH
followed is set in a sci fi post nuclear apocalypse world,
and there have been ten video games and three tabletop
games released within this franchise, mostly RPGs, that is, role
playing games, but also everything from tactical games to a
(04:50):
sim to virtual pinball. Apparently a TV series for Amazon
Prime is in development UM, and there are hotly debated
rumors about the perhaps inevitable next game in the main series,
fall Out five. Yes, but but that is not that
is far beyond my territory. UH. The series was started
(05:11):
back in the nineteen nineties by the company Interplay, who
had previously created this other post apocalyptic RPG for UM
for PC UH called waste Land, and the creators originally
wanted to continue that series, but e A had been
the original publisher and wouldn't give them the rights, so UM.
(05:32):
The first Fallout game was published in based heavily on
tabletop RPGs. UM. It really let players choose how to
interact with the world, and any number of skills and
like gameplay paths could be used to complete it, not
just like shooting stuff, right, remember, right? And this basic
(05:52):
concept would be expanded upon and kind of switched up
in various games in the franchise, UM and uh. The
involvement of all of these different development teams meant that
the games would shift totally here and there, from like
more goofy to more serious to like Hella Dark, and
the gameplay, as Anie was saying, kind of shifted a lot.
To The latest in the franchise released in is yes
(06:15):
Fallout seventy six, which is an mm O or a
massively multiplayer online RPG. But um at its base, these
games are about surviving, maybe even thriving in the wasteland
of the post nuclear apocalypse, and this includes needing to
(06:36):
eat and drink, right, because this is a need that
is universal in a way that players can connect to
games like this to ground something that can feel kind
of fantastical in reality, I think it's also just something
people have fun with. Oh yeah, oh look mac and cheese,
whatever random food item that you find, uh and yeah.
(06:57):
These items can signal things like comfort and hope in
a very desperate situation, but can also take that and
instill it with disgust and horror and make you ask
the question, am I willing to eat this? Do I?
Want to survive. M Yeah. Yeah, there's a couple examples
(07:20):
that weirded me out. So that's that's impressive. Um. But
but yeah, including food and drinks in games like these
can serve a few purposes that emotional connection, a way
to let players restore health, get bonuses or detractors to
to health and other stats, and have a reason to
(07:40):
interact with UM NPCs nonplayer characters, or with other players
in UM multiplayer games. And the food and drinks and
fallout are kitchy and memorable enough that an official cookbook
was in fact published in twenty eighteen. It's called the
Vault Dwellers Official Cookbook. UM it's written in universe. Oh nice, Yeah,
(08:03):
I want to check that out. Yeah, and uh, I
do think it's also these games in particular, some of them,
not all of them, have kind of a fifties vibe
very much. So, yeah, very atomic age kind of concept exactly.
So there's some fun in that. And then just in
general there is uh I find that players of games
(08:28):
like this do you get a kick out of finding
a package of chips in a trash can, for example,
and eating it? Um, it's something kind of funny about
under a pile of Google corpses. Yeah sure, sure exactly. Um,
(08:48):
And the food and drink system works differently from game
to game. Introduced a hunger and thirst dynamic, represented by
depleting bars incentivizing this guy venging of food and drink items. UM.
I read on survival mode and fought for there is
a hunger dynamic as well. Um. One thing players have
to keep in mind is that anything procured fresh in
(09:11):
fall Out seventy six can spoil if kept in your
inventory too long. The shelf life can be increased by
cooking the item at a cooking station. Recipes can be
found throughout the world, and some of these recipes are
better than stim packs when it comes to bonuses and stimpacks,
you know, boost whatever quality you're looking at. It's more
like a medicine than a food. Yeah exactly. Yeah. The
(09:33):
recipes have to be read before you can cook them, though,
which is probably that's probably tripped up several players. Cooking
is generally a cheaper option than stimpacs too. Bethesda recently
announced the most popular food item in file Out seventy
six is canned dog food. Okay, yeah, it doesn't spoil.
(09:54):
It restores ten percent of your health, which isn't that much.
But if you have a good doggie perk car equipped
then it restores. Oh well, I don't know what most
of that means, but I'm very impressed. I appreciate you
going along the ride. Yeah anytime. UM. I will say
(10:19):
this didn't surprise me at all, but I just love
it so much. People who specialize in radiation have, of
course been interviewed about this game and how realistic it is,
especially in terms of food and drink and what will
last and things like that. Yeah yeah, um uh. Without
having checked in with any of them, I will say
that generally speaking, sealed preserved foods can indeed last hundreds
(10:43):
of years. Um. There have been a number of jars
and bottles and cans of of stuff that have been
unearthed on this our real world, UM and opened after
a century or more, and researchers have been like, yep,
that looks like food. That's a food product that is
nutritionally sound as food. Yep. And we you've even talked
about some of those cases, and so yes, scientists trying
(11:07):
these things and pretty much, I feel like generally the
reaction has been it's fine, it's fine. It's like maybe
the texture is a little off, like maybe, but other
than that, it's basically fine. Yeah, basically fine. So we
did want to break down this world a bit more
(11:28):
and get into some specific examples. Yes, but first we're
going to take a quick break for a word from
our sponsor and we're back. Thank you, sponsor, Yes, thank you.
And okay, So, so Annie, you're the one with the
(11:49):
with the practical knowledge of this, so chime in if
anything needs to be amended, we'll do ready, Okay, good,
all right. So, uh, the world of Fallout is an
alternate universe science fiction story. UM. The games are set
in a future ruins of the United States, but the
(12:09):
history of their world diverges from hours starting after World
War Two. So in this world, post war nuclear technology
and paranoia run absolutely a muck um. And so the
culture and history and esthetics of the Fallout world really
reflects that. Um it's very very atomic age. And in
(12:32):
this world, the United States government and its contractors became
super powerful during the late nineteen hundreds and early two
thousand's UM transistor in microchip technology was never developed, but
lots of tech that we don't have, like robots and
energy weapons, biomedical weapons and mutation related stuff stuff like
(12:53):
that was developed UM fossil fuel conflicts kick off the
nuclear weapons exchanges in the late two thousands that change
the very face of the globe and make much of
the world a waste land. Some humans and pre war
technologies UM and preserved foods rations stuff like that do
survive relatively unscathed thanks to shelters called vaults, but radiation
(13:18):
and a further biomedical mucking about have made much of
the life on Earth outside of that mutated and monstrous UM,
including plant and animal sources of food and drinks. UM
that The whole first game hinges on the player character
venturing out of a vault when their water supply filtration
(13:39):
technology breaks. So it's very much built into the games
that this is a focus that as living people, you
have to figure out a way to live. UM. Also,
I guess aliens keep crashing into the planet. Yeah, I
I think that was an aspect of it that I
was like, oh, this is just an easter egg, Like
(14:01):
have you ever delve too deeply into it? But yeah,
I pass ufo like like saucers, like huh, I wonder
what that is? And then I'll continue on my merryway.
I love that. That's just a thing that you just
run across and you're kind of like, not the strangest
thing I've seen today, Okay, keep going. Definitely, Yeah, and
(14:23):
uh so these worlds are very gameplay does change from
game game, but they're very open world so you can
kind of just go wherever, and you do have a
usually an overarching mission, but there's so many submissions. And
one of the ways you learn about a lot of
these foods is there's a radio that you can turn
on when you're just wandering about um, and so you
(14:47):
can listen to end up the announcer will eventually start
talking about you if you cause enough trouble. Interesting, Oh no, yes,
so you get that, and then there's a lot of
um like load screens would have ads for these foods
on them. Yeah, they would be actual ads in game,
(15:08):
just plastered all over. So yeah, it was a pretty
big part of it. And you can tell, at least
to me, it felt like the creators had fun coming
up with these things. Yeah, and they were excited to
to share it. Also, my accidental genocide was, um, there's
like a group of people and they the radiation mutated
(15:29):
them so they're very traditionally ugly. It kind of looked
like mummies and they were just trying to find a
place to live. Uh. And I thought I was helping
out in that regard. But yes, uh, I mean there
was also like a faction that were murderers, so it
(15:50):
was complicateds like a lot of anger against them. Annie,
I forgive you for your accidental genocide. I feel like
I'm digging myself deeper and deeper into a whole year.
Probably are Perhaps we should move on, I do want
to say, but that's I think it was Fallout three.
(16:13):
They are. I could be remembering this completely incorrectly, but
I think they're based in d C or they have
some kind of connection with d C Washington, d C.
And they have like maps that you can the uncover
of Washington, d C. And they're accurate. And I actually
used their maps and the knowledge I had absorbed from
(16:34):
them when I wrote a short story about an apocalypse
time during at Washington d C. It's okays fall Out Well. Also,
now I know that if we ever take a field
trip there, um, you're gonna be like, oh man, I
can even tell you about like the metro, the subway, systems. Heck,
they'll be like, oh, yeah, that's where the mole rats are. Cool.
(16:55):
We don't want to go that way. So yes, let's
let's talk about some of these foods. Um. Much of
the food items scavenge in the fall universe are canned items,
UM like Blambco mac and cheese and potato crisp. Those
are two that came to my mind, um, things that
would theoretically survive in nuclear fallout situation. And yeah, like
(17:16):
Annie was saying, a lot of the packaging and advertising
for these brands has survived along with some of these foods. Um. Right,
blam Co, Dandy Boy, Fancy Lads, Saddle Up Cram, which
is like spam. Yeah, sugar bombs, Instamash, Young Young Brand.
Um the Ladder makes pure dried, whole deviled eggs. Question mark.
(17:42):
I believe so. I that's what it's set on a package,
and I am only given to believe it. More questions
than answers. UM. Plants and animals can be eaten as
well in this world, several of which do exist in
our own exists as our own real world, like fruits, vegetables,
and spices. Some are even eaten on purpose in our
(18:05):
real world like opinion nuts, which is a type of
American pine nut. Others are more clearly survival foods, like
iguana on a stick. This food item has been around
since the original Fallout. It's it's either whole, roasted or
in chunks, sometimes with vegetables. Gets rave reviews. Yes, I
(18:25):
love the kind of Godzilla they're uh and yeah. Others
still are strange mutated versions of things. Uh. A mute
fruit is a whole category of mutated fruit. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah yeah. And um. One of the examples of that
(18:46):
that is kind of a fancier and more memorable meat
in the game. Um is Brahmin meat or meat from
two headed cows. Like most things in these games when
we're talking about food and drink, it restores health when eaten,
but it also bumps up here radiation. Yes, by cooking it,
the radiation damage caused by eating it is lessened though. Yeah.
(19:10):
Apparently the steaks can be used to help make a
super healthy desert salad. That's super healthy dessert salad. Okay,
I love it. Um. Of course, like real world animals,
it's not just Brahmin steaks. Um. There's also apparently a
delicacy in some locals called Brahmin fries, which are Brahmin
testicles that have been battered and deep fried, served with
(19:31):
extra fried batter bits. Um. I'm pretty sure this is
a reference to the movie Funny Farm. Um, this wasn't
Fallout to Fallout two is widely agreed on the internet
to be like the Weird goofy one, So that's interested
coming from that that franchise that says something. Another protein
(19:56):
from the series is uh. Myer lurk eat. Myer Lerks
are aquatic animals that have mutated from existing real world
animals at crabs, lobsters, and snapping turtles. Apparently they can
be a dangerous nuisance, but some types are domesticated and
demand for their meat is high. Um. Also uh, death
(20:19):
claw meat and eggs. Death claws are genetically engineered humanoid
reptiles developed by the US military. I like the question question.
They look a little bit like creature from the Black Lagoon,
(20:40):
but like on dry land, I guess, but in horns
more horns. I don't know anyway. Uh. Death claw eggs,
um and and omelets made thereof are apparently a delicacy. Um. Uh.
You can at some point make or obtain a death
claw Wellington, which is you know, death claw meat with
pastry baked in a baked in a tin. Nice and yeah,
(21:03):
and I think both of those those are very common,
if my memory serves me correctly. But they also have
like Myra a lark queen or you know, fancier, more
dangerous versions okay into it. Yes. Uh. There are also
rad roaches, which are pretty much what they sound like.
They're these huge mutated roaches. Uh. While the meat isn't
(21:27):
good and we'll raise your levels of radiation exposure, they're
easy to hunt down if you're desperate. I think that's
probably one of the first things you kill in every game.
Um Rat roach eggs are considered by some a delicacy
and yeah, I related. You can also eat ant meat
and cave cricket meat and blow fly, which are giant
(21:48):
mutated flies. And this was the first thing that reading
about really eked me out. M m M. I don't
know why, but giant fly meat just didn't sound like
I'm usually I'm usually not. I'm usually like I'm in.
Is it food, I'll eat it? Right? But the giant
bloat five Yeah, I don't know. The pictures were very unappetizing. Again.
(22:14):
I love how they try to mess with you with this,
like are you gonna eat this? Are you gonna eat this?
It's called bloat fly. Uh. The official cookbook contains recipes
for a few things that I'm not positive are actually
eaten in the game, like ummule rat, wonder meat dip.
(22:36):
If it is, I never encountered it, I don't. Yeah,
mlerats being these large rodents that were uh genetically engineered
again by the American government during the war. But I
get the feeling that they weren't really used for food
in the games. But it's a great recipe name. Indeed,
(22:58):
I agree on that one. All right, So let's talk
about mystery meat. It is human okay, Yes, often eating
skewered and roasted okay. Um. Cannibalism has been present since
the very first FILET game. Players could encounter roaming groups
(23:20):
of feral cannibals, so it was more like something you
didn't want to become their food. You were eating human flesh.
I wasn't until File three that the player could get
a benefit from eating human meat. Yeah. However, if someone
sees you eating human meat, your karma score would go down.
(23:43):
And yes, unless the person seeing you is also a cannibal,
doesn't bother them. Okay, yes, yes, UM, but here's one
of my favorite discoveries of the episode. In Fall seventy six,
players can eat other players in the game. Like, not
(24:04):
just because it's a multi it's an online gaming system,
so you can eat. Like if Lauren and I were playing,
you might have to watch out, man. Okay, I couldn't
do it. I'm such a Yeah, you probably have to
watch out for me. That would be hilarious. I would
(24:26):
be kome increasingly paranoid. You wouldn't even have to do anything.
So out of this came a gaming collective of cannibals
in game Cannibals Eat are the establishment of Appellation Taste testers,
the group's founder said of it. In the early days
of the game, many with the taste for human flesh
(24:48):
were concerned about judgment from outsiders stuck with pre war notions.
UM members have admitted it's hard to dress other cannibals. Yes,
I can see that when do grabbing a situation where
after teaming up with another player who got hurt UM
but thought there was a chance for survival. The founder
said he was relieved that it had come to his aid,
(25:09):
only to have that relief snatched from him as I,
instead of reviving him, decided to eat his cheeks instead.
He didn't come back after that snap. Can you imagine
you're like, oh, another player to help me, I am rescued.
Oh no, oh, they're eating me. Okay. The act of
(25:30):
cannibalism in fall Out seventy six is so outrageous. This
is a continued quote from the founder. Your character leaps
to the ground and starts pulling chucks of flesh from
the corpse, stuffing it in their mouth, occasionally releasing a
large burp at the end. That it seems to function
much more as a bonding experience. The group took inspiration
(25:51):
for this from a high class of society in the
game that was introduced in fall Out Vegas, the White
Glove Society, who, of course, they all turned out to
be cannibals. Uma has over six hundred members. They have
a comedy club uh and, and an event called the
Most Dangerous Game. The founder has said, some outsiders have
(26:15):
taken offense to eat and what it stands for. These
people have made it their purpose to try and destroy
the great community that we have built. We have names
for those kinds of people meet. Dang. Wow, you know,
I love I love it when gaming brings people together
that uh yeah, and you know, to be fair to
(26:38):
eat uh not everyone in it is cannibals are cannibals.
Some people just join in for the money. Yeah okay, yeah, sure, sure,
now that's great. I mean, you know, and like the
the online game that I've played the most of is
like in like the Halo series, and in those, I
(26:59):
mean you're just you're just running around shooting people. In this,
at least you're at least you're using the whole person.
H m hmm. What many lessons can be learned from
eat goodness? Um? Well, all that being said, I guess
don't forget the dessert h m hm, such as perfectly
(27:21):
preserved pie, which is a sealed slice of pie under
glass or I imagine plastic um that can occasionally be
obtained from a pre war claw style vending machines called
Porta Diners that you can find located in cafeterias, businesses,
and other locations. Also a Dandy Boy brand candied apples
(27:45):
and Fancy Lads snack cakes. Um. Another pre war entry
gum drop candies and apparently the flavor that has most
frequently survived is a sour flavor that we're marketed is radioactive.
So that's the thing. I wonder if that's a warhead's reference. Yeah,
(28:07):
oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah hoof Oh goodness, that was
too much for me. Yeah, spicy candy share oh sour No, uh,
don't worry though. People do still produce homemade baked goods
in the game Apocalypse or No, like sweet rolls and
Mississippi Quantum pie I gotta love the name, Mrs Quantum
(28:30):
pie Um. And now let's talk about drinks. Just like
the food items, most of what we have in our
real world does exist in game, both alcoholic and non alcoholic.
Like beer, so many types of beer, um Bobov's Best Moonshine,
so many types of wine, Vim's Captain's Blend, Vim's being
(28:52):
a competitor to what we're um Deezer's lemonade. And of course, yes,
all the varieties of the Coca Cola send up Nuka Cola.
So definitely this is the most iconic item on this list. Yeah,
when people write in about this, most of the time
(29:14):
they're like, can you just do an episode on Nuka
Coola and I was like, well almost almost yes. Um.
It is one of the most iconic video game foods
of all time. I've seen it on several lists. Um.
In the world of Fallout, this drink was hugely popular,
so much so that a decent supply of Nuka Coola
survived two hundred years after a nuclear disaster. Um. There's
(29:39):
a Nuka Cola theme park in game. There are missions
dedicated to your locating more limited Nukakola quantums like limited
edition drinking regular Nuka Cola will boost HP, A, P
and radiation. Oh no, all three? Okay, all three. One
serving contains one of your daily girl allowance. The original
(30:07):
recipe has seventeen fruit essences alongside some additives like coloring,
ascertain and caffeine. You can find all of this online
if you're so desire. It warms my heart. Oh yeah. Yes.
It was marketed as a health tonic, but too much
consumption of the product could lead to addiction and headaches. Um.
(30:30):
It is the main product of the Nuka Cola Corporation,
first launched in the US after two years of experimentation,
it went on to become the most popular in top
selling soda in the US, and only a few years
later almost all competitors were bought out by the corporation,
(30:51):
and yes, products from at least one competitor appear in
game Vim the exclamation point Vim vim pop incorporated. Yes
in Nukakola Quantum featured an isotope of strontium ninety. By then,
there was a vending machine offering Nukakola on pretty much
(31:11):
every street in America. After the Great War, the bottle
caps were used as currency and the drink was called
quote the number one choice of refreshment among armageddons survivors.
I love that they're still doing advertising, you know, yeah, yeah,
you know. You gotta you gotta move with the times,
you gotta adapt. Uh. The blue of the curved bottle
(31:37):
was well received by consumers too. So I love this
that basically there's so much information about the changing of
design of this product. Yes. So there was the survey
and game that came out a few decades after Nukakola
was first introduced that found that eighty six out of
one hundred people surveyed named blue as their favorite color,
(31:59):
with Nukakole suggesting they had something to do with that. Oh. Yes, However,
thanks to patent litigation about copyright infringement, and yes they're
still talking about video game. They had to replace the
bottle design, opting to go with a rocket ship look,
and luckily for them, fans liked it. Um again, fans
(32:22):
in this game. But this is all fictional. Everything we're
talking about is completely fictional. But they have fleshed out
no pun intended from our eat conversation before this entire
history of this fictional soda pop company yep uh and
their marketing overall was very effective, particularly towards kids, but
(32:46):
some good old fashioned Americana and military imagery got swept
up in there too. And yes, um, in the beginning
there was the red backdrop and white font. It is
very Coca Cola evocative, very clear. Um. When the bottle
design changed, space elements were introduced, including the scantily cloud
Nuca girl with her thirst Zapper blaster. The slogan was
(33:10):
updated to Zap your thirst. And now for a saver list.
Because Nuka Cola comes in a wide variety of flavors,
this is by no means an exhaustive list, but here
are some Nuca Berry, Nuka bomb drop, Nuka Buzz, Nuca cherry,
(33:31):
Nuka Side, Nuka Cola Dark, Nuka Cola Quantum, Nuka Cola Quartz,
Nucaola Victory, Nuka Cola Wild, Nuca Fancy, Nuca Free, Nuca Fruity,
Nuca Great, Nuke Love, Nucleixer, Nuka Hardy, Nuka Power, Nuca Punch,
Nuka Ray, Nuca Rush, Nuka Sunrise, Nuka Twin, Nuca Void,
Nuca Extreme. Well that's just a taste, yeah, gosh gosh indeed, well,
(34:00):
speaking of gosh um a few years ago, but THEES
defiled a patent for Nuka Dark Rum. Yes, so this
is a real world um. After several delays, fans could
finally get their hands on some of this limited edition
product for about eighty bucks. And here's the official description.
This drink temporarily increases one's strength and endurance by one,
(34:24):
but decreases perception by one as well. Chilling a bottle
of Nuka Dark with Buddy Yields ice called Nuka Dark,
but there is no added benefit in doing so. The
bottling company behind it described it as quote a classic
tropical rum distilled with exacting standards. Soft on the palate,
this dark rum exhibits flavors of molasses and vanilla with
(34:45):
a distinct note of coconut on the nose. However, a
lot of fans were not happy to learn the product
came in a plastic bottle instead of glass. And of course,
you know in video game world and fanned worlds, people
get really angry about of course. Sure yes, uh welp welco. Indeed,
(35:12):
I would love to hear from listeners if anybody got
their hands on on this. I know that this is
not the first time that Bethesda has done or fall
Out the video game series has had tie ins with
other products. Yeah, yeah, there's there's been at least one
or two other examples of Nuka branded products on real
world shelves. But yeah, let us know, let us know.
(35:38):
Um and there is a recipe for homebrewing your own
Nuca Kola and the aforementioned cookbook. Mm hmm. I have
a friend who uh he was from England and he
came to our huge nerd convention in Atlanta, Dragon Con
for the first time. He was so excited and he
(36:00):
dressed as Fallout and as like a Vault dweller, the
classic blue and yellow um. And we went to a
Fallout party and it was really cool. It was really
catchy and funny. And there was nukicla there. I don't remember.
I don't think I tried it, but the bottles were
really cool. I appreciate the design. Oh yeah, I love
(36:27):
I love this, I love this. I it's a it's
a genre of video games that I don't often get
into because I am I yeah, like like you, I
kind of feel like it's homework. I'm like, I'm like,
I haven't even collected enough food and water to survive
in the real world today, so I'm gonna I'm gonna
wait on starting that game. Mm hmm. Yeah, it's a lot.
(36:54):
It's a lot, for sure, but fun but fun and
and these aspects of it are some of my favorite
parts of it. Of this kind of uh digs, I
guess I don't know, something to make you chuckle while
you're in this hellscape and yeah, and kind of like
kind of pointed social commentary to always always love some
(37:17):
of that. Yes, this has certainly been a fun one.
Uh So, as always, listeners, keep those fictional food suggestions coming.
We adore them. And speaking of, we do have listener
mail for you, we do. But first we've got one
more quick break for a word from our sponsor and
(37:42):
we're back. Thank you sponsor. Yes, thank you, and we're
back with snow. There's some top notch hand motions on
that one. Listener, I wish we'd been doing some video
(38:03):
over that. In in general, I really feel like we
should figure out the video technology to record that bit.
I think so only that, only that. The rest of
it is just me clearing my throat and and Annie
patiently nodding. Uh. Yeah, you know, I'm not sure that
(38:26):
I think the audience for that would be much smaller.
But the listener mail video. Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah,
Katie wrote, I just listened to your fond episode and
was reminded of a trip from high school. Every year
my close friends families would go into the mountains here
in Colorado. We would all rent a monster of a
cabin to house all four of our families, with us
(38:47):
teens and whoever we were dating at the time. It
was a big ordeal and a lot of fun for everyone. Well,
one evening on one of these trips, we decided to
have fond. This was all well and good until we
found the bread. We didn't think about the heated floors
drying it out till we attempted to cut into it,
but seeing as we were on top of a mountain
in October, we just went with it. This night ended
(39:09):
up being an evening of absolute gluttony. We started with cheese, fondue, bread,
broccoli and apples, then the oil and broth with all
the meat, potatoes and seafood you could boil and fry up.
By the time we got to the chocolate, we were
all too full to even think about eating more, with
the exception of the boy I was dating at the time.
He proceeded to eat two pounds of strawberries, a whole
(39:31):
bag of marshmallows, and he polished off all the fourth
of the two sour cream pound cakes we made. What
it was like washing a car crash. You couldn't look away,
but it was all horrific to washing as all of
us but him, we're trying not to slip into food
combas ourselves. I have rarely seen that much food eaten
by a rather skinny man. So my cousin's boyfriend came
(39:53):
to stay with us for a week. I hope you're
all having a great time with your in person D
and D. We just had our first game in person
last night. Oh yeah, and I hope uh huh, congratulations,
Yeah for all of that. Yes, and that does sound
like quite the fondue memory. Yeah, that is epic. Heck,
(40:16):
those appetites when you're younger, My little brother was a
site to behold sometimes. Oh yeah, oh yeah, I was.
I was too, Like I know, there were a number
of years where I was eating a lot more than
my dad and I was like, what, my bones are growing.
I'm a hungry growing child. Yep uh. Lacy and Ashley wrote,
(40:44):
this is my first and definitely very important correspondence with you.
I turned my good friend slash coworker onto your podcast. Also,
we work front of house at a popular local brewery.
For our annual work pot luck outdoor at Memorial Day party,
we were in fired by your long ago episode about
Aspects as an opportunity to torture our coworkers. I can't
(41:06):
explain how much fun we had, from developing our concept,
to chopping ingredients, to building our layers, to most impressively,
unmolding the beast, which definitely made a section sound as
it released. We went with what I'll call a breakfast
hash situation with hard boiled eggs, VEG potatoes, and ham
with a veg broth gelatin. Needless to say, our coworkers
(41:31):
were confused and horrified at our creation. I've never laughed
so much at my food in the kitchen. Everything is
said and done. Some people tried it and we're polite.
I tried it and it was not good. The pure
joy of making it was absolutely worth it. By the way,
I did make a real dish to share. I'm not
(41:52):
a total jerk. I would suggest to anyone who likes
to have fun in the kitchen, make an aspect and
make something else to eat. Aspect rational it was. It
was a beautiful, terrifying monstrosity. Lacey and Ashley sent pictures.
(42:12):
I mean that can hunt your dreams something you know,
you know, I love it though, I love it, And yeah,
I love the spreading of education through a horrifying dish.
Um and the joy, the joy all yes, yes, the
joy and the horror. I think that's what this episode
(42:35):
has been all about. I think so it feels very
appropriate place to end on UM. Well, thanks to both
of those listeners for writing in. If you would like
to write to us, you can. Our email is Hello
at saber pod dot com. We're also on social media.
You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at
Saber pod and we do hope to hear from you.
Savor is production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts
(42:56):
my Heart Radio, you can visit the I Heart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Thanks as always to our super producers Dylan Fagan and
Andrew Howard. Thanks to you for listening, and we hope
that lots more good things are coming your way
Hello, and welcome to Savor production of I Heart Radio.
I'm Annie Reese and I'm Lauren Vogelbaum. And today we're
talking about the foods of Fallout, the video game series
and things etera and etcetera. Yes, I'm very, very excited
to talk about this. I'm like brimming with excitement. Um.
Several listeners have requested this topic. And I myself have
(00:33):
played most of the Fallout series. Despite the fact that
I'm a completionist quest wise and games like this one,
these games really stressed me out. It becomes hard work. Yeah.
And also, um, it is one of those games, especially three,
which is the one I played most in depth, that
(00:53):
has a lot of those kind of moral decisions you
can make characters, so there's like eight options. And I accidentally, uh,
and people played the game will probably know exactly what
I'm talking about. I accidentally took part in a I
don't know if genocide is the term. I didn't mean to.
(01:17):
I misread the whole thing, but I was on the
wrong side of that one, and I still feel guilt
about it. Yeah. I always have a little bit of
a hard time with with those like like dialogue choices
or or right or like like moral compass choices because
there I feel I feel like the exact wording. I'm like,
(01:39):
it can be tricksy, it can be tricksy. As a
as an editor, I'm like, well, did you mean this thing?
Where this thing? Because those are two very different meanings
and we're about to commit genocide now. Yeah, that's why
I'm like, I meant to flirt and now it's genocide. Right.
I'm pretty sure I just thought that they wanted a
better space to live. Oh oops, well yeah. I have
(02:08):
never played any of the Fallout games zero, Silch, none. Um.
I think I've watched like the first ten minutes of
one of them being played by somebody else, maybe, Like
I feel like it might have been three. It's like
Liam Neeson is a voice in the thank opening of three.
(02:32):
I don't I All I remember is that the person
the player character was inn a Vault, and I mean
I don't, which I'm aware doesn't narrow it down, so
I'm not it would have been about twelve to fift
years ago. M hm. I don't know, like eleven or two. Anyway,
(02:54):
I haven't played. So this entire reading process was a
process of discovery and delight. And confusion. I would randomly
because I knew you hadn't played, and as I was
researching it, I would randomly be like, I can't wait
till Lauren uncovers this, or how has Lauren gonna react
to this? How much confusion is happening? Does any of
(03:17):
this make sense? Um? They're also an interesting game series
for me, and that Uh, you really saw the graphics change.
So like I started, I started with three, and then
I went back and played one and two, and like
they just it goes from you know, you take two
steps in the first one and those kind of bit
(03:38):
graphics to the third one being a very much more
advanced video game. Uh. And they've gone even further graphics
wise since then. Yeah, the series is over twenty years
old now, so yeah, and it I played them kind
of all in the span of I just went on
(04:00):
this Fallout, you know, every game that was available. I
haven't played seventy six yet. Um. But and I love
this because this about brings us to our question. And
I'm very tickled that you are the one that shall
be answered. Yes. So Fallout, what is it? Well? Uh.
(04:28):
Fallout is a franchise of games currently produced by the
company Bethesda, also known for Elder Scrolls and Skyrim. UH
followed is set in a sci fi post nuclear apocalypse world,
and there have been ten video games and three tabletop
games released within this franchise, mostly RPGs, that is, role
playing games, but also everything from tactical games to a
(04:50):
sim to virtual pinball. Apparently a TV series for Amazon
Prime is in development UM, and there are hotly debated
rumors about the perhaps inevitable next game in the main series,
fall Out five. Yes, but but that is not that
is far beyond my territory. UH. The series was started
(05:11):
back in the nineteen nineties by the company Interplay, who
had previously created this other post apocalyptic RPG for UM
for PC UH called waste Land, and the creators originally
wanted to continue that series, but e A had been
the original publisher and wouldn't give them the rights, so UM.
(05:32):
The first Fallout game was published in based heavily on
tabletop RPGs. UM. It really let players choose how to
interact with the world, and any number of skills and
like gameplay paths could be used to complete it, not
just like shooting stuff, right, remember, right? And this basic
(05:52):
concept would be expanded upon and kind of switched up
in various games in the franchise, UM and uh. The
involvement of all of these different development teams meant that
the games would shift totally here and there, from like
more goofy to more serious to like Hella Dark, and
the gameplay, as Anie was saying, kind of shifted a lot.
To The latest in the franchise released in is yes
(06:15):
Fallout seventy six, which is an mm O or a
massively multiplayer online RPG. But um at its base, these
games are about surviving, maybe even thriving in the wasteland
of the post nuclear apocalypse, and this includes needing to
(06:36):
eat and drink, right, because this is a need that
is universal in a way that players can connect to
games like this to ground something that can feel kind
of fantastical in reality, I think it's also just something
people have fun with. Oh yeah, oh look mac and cheese,
whatever random food item that you find, uh and yeah.
(06:57):
These items can signal things like comfort and hope in
a very desperate situation, but can also take that and
instill it with disgust and horror and make you ask
the question, am I willing to eat this? Do I?
Want to survive. M Yeah. Yeah, there's a couple examples
(07:20):
that weirded me out. So that's that's impressive. Um. But
but yeah, including food and drinks in games like these
can serve a few purposes that emotional connection, a way
to let players restore health, get bonuses or detractors to
to health and other stats, and have a reason to
(07:40):
interact with UM NPCs nonplayer characters, or with other players
in UM multiplayer games. And the food and drinks and
fallout are kitchy and memorable enough that an official cookbook
was in fact published in twenty eighteen. It's called the
Vault Dwellers Official Cookbook. UM it's written in universe. Oh nice, Yeah,
(08:03):
I want to check that out. Yeah, and uh, I
do think it's also these games in particular, some of them,
not all of them, have kind of a fifties vibe
very much. So, yeah, very atomic age kind of concept exactly.
So there's some fun in that. And then just in
general there is uh I find that players of games
(08:28):
like this do you get a kick out of finding
a package of chips in a trash can, for example,
and eating it? Um, it's something kind of funny about
under a pile of Google corpses. Yeah sure, sure exactly. Um,
(08:48):
And the food and drink system works differently from game
to game. Introduced a hunger and thirst dynamic, represented by
depleting bars incentivizing this guy venging of food and drink items. UM.
I read on survival mode and fought for there is
a hunger dynamic as well. Um. One thing players have
to keep in mind is that anything procured fresh in
(09:11):
fall Out seventy six can spoil if kept in your
inventory too long. The shelf life can be increased by
cooking the item at a cooking station. Recipes can be
found throughout the world, and some of these recipes are
better than stim packs when it comes to bonuses and stimpacks,
you know, boost whatever quality you're looking at. It's more
like a medicine than a food. Yeah exactly. Yeah. The
(09:33):
recipes have to be read before you can cook them, though,
which is probably that's probably tripped up several players. Cooking
is generally a cheaper option than stimpacs too. Bethesda recently
announced the most popular food item in file Out seventy
six is canned dog food. Okay, yeah, it doesn't spoil.
(09:54):
It restores ten percent of your health, which isn't that much.
But if you have a good doggie perk car equipped
then it restores. Oh well, I don't know what most
of that means, but I'm very impressed. I appreciate you
going along the ride. Yeah anytime. UM. I will say
(10:19):
this didn't surprise me at all, but I just love
it so much. People who specialize in radiation have, of
course been interviewed about this game and how realistic it is,
especially in terms of food and drink and what will
last and things like that. Yeah yeah, um uh. Without
having checked in with any of them, I will say
that generally speaking, sealed preserved foods can indeed last hundreds
(10:43):
of years. Um. There have been a number of jars
and bottles and cans of of stuff that have been
unearthed on this our real world, UM and opened after
a century or more, and researchers have been like, yep,
that looks like food. That's a food product that is
nutritionally sound as food. Yep. And we you've even talked
about some of those cases, and so yes, scientists trying
(11:07):
these things and pretty much, I feel like generally the
reaction has been it's fine, it's fine. It's like maybe
the texture is a little off, like maybe, but other
than that, it's basically fine. Yeah, basically fine. So we
did want to break down this world a bit more
(11:28):
and get into some specific examples. Yes, but first we're
going to take a quick break for a word from
our sponsor and we're back. Thank you, sponsor, Yes, thank you.
And okay, So, so Annie, you're the one with the
(11:49):
with the practical knowledge of this, so chime in if
anything needs to be amended, we'll do ready, Okay, good,
all right. So, uh, the world of Fallout is an
alternate universe science fiction story. UM. The games are set
in a future ruins of the United States, but the
(12:09):
history of their world diverges from hours starting after World
War Two. So in this world, post war nuclear technology
and paranoia run absolutely a muck um. And so the
culture and history and esthetics of the Fallout world really
reflects that. Um it's very very atomic age. And in
(12:32):
this world, the United States government and its contractors became
super powerful during the late nineteen hundreds and early two
thousand's UM transistor in microchip technology was never developed, but
lots of tech that we don't have, like robots and
energy weapons, biomedical weapons and mutation related stuff stuff like
(12:53):
that was developed UM fossil fuel conflicts kick off the
nuclear weapons exchanges in the late two thousands that change
the very face of the globe and make much of
the world a waste land. Some humans and pre war
technologies UM and preserved foods rations stuff like that do
survive relatively unscathed thanks to shelters called vaults, but radiation
(13:18):
and a further biomedical mucking about have made much of
the life on Earth outside of that mutated and monstrous UM,
including plant and animal sources of food and drinks. UM
that The whole first game hinges on the player character
venturing out of a vault when their water supply filtration
(13:39):
technology breaks. So it's very much built into the games
that this is a focus that as living people, you
have to figure out a way to live. UM. Also,
I guess aliens keep crashing into the planet. Yeah, I
I think that was an aspect of it that I
was like, oh, this is just an easter egg, Like
(14:01):
have you ever delve too deeply into it? But yeah,
I pass ufo like like saucers, like huh, I wonder
what that is? And then I'll continue on my merryway.
I love that. That's just a thing that you just
run across and you're kind of like, not the strangest
thing I've seen today, Okay, keep going. Definitely, Yeah, and
(14:23):
uh so these worlds are very gameplay does change from
game game, but they're very open world so you can
kind of just go wherever, and you do have a
usually an overarching mission, but there's so many submissions. And
one of the ways you learn about a lot of
these foods is there's a radio that you can turn
on when you're just wandering about um, and so you
(14:47):
can listen to end up the announcer will eventually start
talking about you if you cause enough trouble. Interesting, Oh no, yes,
so you get that, and then there's a lot of
um like load screens would have ads for these foods
on them. Yeah, they would be actual ads in game,
(15:08):
just plastered all over. So yeah, it was a pretty
big part of it. And you can tell, at least
to me, it felt like the creators had fun coming
up with these things. Yeah, and they were excited to
to share it. Also, my accidental genocide was, um, there's
like a group of people and they the radiation mutated
(15:29):
them so they're very traditionally ugly. It kind of looked
like mummies and they were just trying to find a
place to live. Uh. And I thought I was helping
out in that regard. But yes, uh, I mean there
was also like a faction that were murderers, so it
(15:50):
was complicateds like a lot of anger against them. Annie,
I forgive you for your accidental genocide. I feel like
I'm digging myself deeper and deeper into a whole year.
Probably are Perhaps we should move on, I do want
to say, but that's I think it was Fallout three.
(16:13):
They are. I could be remembering this completely incorrectly, but
I think they're based in d C or they have
some kind of connection with d C Washington, d C.
And they have like maps that you can the uncover
of Washington, d C. And they're accurate. And I actually
used their maps and the knowledge I had absorbed from
(16:34):
them when I wrote a short story about an apocalypse
time during at Washington d C. It's okays fall Out Well. Also,
now I know that if we ever take a field
trip there, um, you're gonna be like, oh man, I
can even tell you about like the metro, the subway, systems. Heck,
they'll be like, oh, yeah, that's where the mole rats are. Cool.
(16:55):
We don't want to go that way. So yes, let's
let's talk about some of these foods. Um. Much of
the food items scavenge in the fall universe are canned items,
UM like Blambco mac and cheese and potato crisp. Those
are two that came to my mind, um, things that
would theoretically survive in nuclear fallout situation. And yeah, like
(17:16):
Annie was saying, a lot of the packaging and advertising
for these brands has survived along with some of these foods. Um. Right,
blam Co, Dandy Boy, Fancy Lads, Saddle Up Cram, which
is like spam. Yeah, sugar bombs, Instamash, Young Young Brand.
Um the Ladder makes pure dried, whole deviled eggs. Question mark.
(17:42):
I believe so. I that's what it's set on a package,
and I am only given to believe it. More questions
than answers. UM. Plants and animals can be eaten as
well in this world, several of which do exist in
our own exists as our own real world, like fruits, vegetables,
and spices. Some are even eaten on purpose in our
(18:05):
real world like opinion nuts, which is a type of
American pine nut. Others are more clearly survival foods, like
iguana on a stick. This food item has been around
since the original Fallout. It's it's either whole, roasted or
in chunks, sometimes with vegetables. Gets rave reviews. Yes, I
(18:25):
love the kind of Godzilla they're uh and yeah. Others
still are strange mutated versions of things. Uh. A mute
fruit is a whole category of mutated fruit. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah yeah. And um. One of the examples of that
(18:46):
that is kind of a fancier and more memorable meat
in the game. Um is Brahmin meat or meat from
two headed cows. Like most things in these games when
we're talking about food and drink, it restores health when eaten,
but it also bumps up here radiation. Yes, by cooking it,
the radiation damage caused by eating it is lessened though. Yeah.
(19:10):
Apparently the steaks can be used to help make a
super healthy desert salad. That's super healthy dessert salad. Okay,
I love it. Um. Of course, like real world animals,
it's not just Brahmin steaks. Um. There's also apparently a
delicacy in some locals called Brahmin fries, which are Brahmin
testicles that have been battered and deep fried, served with
(19:31):
extra fried batter bits. Um. I'm pretty sure this is
a reference to the movie Funny Farm. Um, this wasn't
Fallout to Fallout two is widely agreed on the internet
to be like the Weird goofy one, So that's interested
coming from that that franchise that says something. Another protein
(19:56):
from the series is uh. Myer lurk eat. Myer Lerks
are aquatic animals that have mutated from existing real world
animals at crabs, lobsters, and snapping turtles. Apparently they can
be a dangerous nuisance, but some types are domesticated and
demand for their meat is high. Um. Also uh, death
(20:19):
claw meat and eggs. Death claws are genetically engineered humanoid
reptiles developed by the US military. I like the question question.
They look a little bit like creature from the Black Lagoon,
(20:40):
but like on dry land, I guess, but in horns
more horns. I don't know anyway. Uh. Death claw eggs,
um and and omelets made thereof are apparently a delicacy. Um. Uh.
You can at some point make or obtain a death
claw Wellington, which is you know, death claw meat with
pastry baked in a baked in a tin. Nice and yeah,
(21:03):
and I think both of those those are very common,
if my memory serves me correctly. But they also have
like Myra a lark queen or you know, fancier, more
dangerous versions okay into it. Yes. Uh. There are also
rad roaches, which are pretty much what they sound like.
They're these huge mutated roaches. Uh. While the meat isn't
(21:27):
good and we'll raise your levels of radiation exposure, they're
easy to hunt down if you're desperate. I think that's
probably one of the first things you kill in every game.
Um Rat roach eggs are considered by some a delicacy
and yeah, I related. You can also eat ant meat
and cave cricket meat and blow fly, which are giant
(21:48):
mutated flies. And this was the first thing that reading
about really eked me out. M m M. I don't
know why, but giant fly meat just didn't sound like
I'm usually I'm usually not. I'm usually like I'm in.
Is it food, I'll eat it? Right? But the giant
bloat five Yeah, I don't know. The pictures were very unappetizing. Again.
(22:14):
I love how they try to mess with you with this,
like are you gonna eat this? Are you gonna eat this?
It's called bloat fly. Uh. The official cookbook contains recipes
for a few things that I'm not positive are actually
eaten in the game, like ummule rat, wonder meat dip.
(22:36):
If it is, I never encountered it, I don't. Yeah,
mlerats being these large rodents that were uh genetically engineered
again by the American government during the war. But I
get the feeling that they weren't really used for food
in the games. But it's a great recipe name. Indeed,
(22:58):
I agree on that one. All right, So let's talk
about mystery meat. It is human okay, Yes, often eating
skewered and roasted okay. Um. Cannibalism has been present since
the very first FILET game. Players could encounter roaming groups
(23:20):
of feral cannibals, so it was more like something you
didn't want to become their food. You were eating human flesh.
I wasn't until File three that the player could get
a benefit from eating human meat. Yeah. However, if someone
sees you eating human meat, your karma score would go down.
(23:43):
And yes, unless the person seeing you is also a cannibal,
doesn't bother them. Okay, yes, yes, UM, but here's one
of my favorite discoveries of the episode. In Fall seventy six,
players can eat other players in the game. Like, not
(24:04):
just because it's a multi it's an online gaming system,
so you can eat. Like if Lauren and I were playing,
you might have to watch out, man. Okay, I couldn't
do it. I'm such a Yeah, you probably have to
watch out for me. That would be hilarious. I would
(24:26):
be kome increasingly paranoid. You wouldn't even have to do anything.
So out of this came a gaming collective of cannibals
in game Cannibals Eat are the establishment of Appellation Taste testers,
the group's founder said of it. In the early days
of the game, many with the taste for human flesh
(24:48):
were concerned about judgment from outsiders stuck with pre war notions.
UM members have admitted it's hard to dress other cannibals. Yes,
I can see that when do grabbing a situation where
after teaming up with another player who got hurt UM
but thought there was a chance for survival. The founder
said he was relieved that it had come to his aid,
(25:09):
only to have that relief snatched from him as I,
instead of reviving him, decided to eat his cheeks instead.
He didn't come back after that snap. Can you imagine
you're like, oh, another player to help me, I am rescued.
Oh no, oh, they're eating me. Okay. The act of
(25:30):
cannibalism in fall Out seventy six is so outrageous. This
is a continued quote from the founder. Your character leaps
to the ground and starts pulling chucks of flesh from
the corpse, stuffing it in their mouth, occasionally releasing a
large burp at the end. That it seems to function
much more as a bonding experience. The group took inspiration
(25:51):
for this from a high class of society in the
game that was introduced in fall Out Vegas, the White
Glove Society, who, of course, they all turned out to
be cannibals. Uma has over six hundred members. They have
a comedy club uh and, and an event called the
Most Dangerous Game. The founder has said, some outsiders have
(26:15):
taken offense to eat and what it stands for. These
people have made it their purpose to try and destroy
the great community that we have built. We have names
for those kinds of people meet. Dang. Wow, you know,
I love I love it when gaming brings people together
that uh yeah, and you know, to be fair to
(26:38):
eat uh not everyone in it is cannibals are cannibals.
Some people just join in for the money. Yeah okay, yeah, sure, sure,
now that's great. I mean, you know, and like the
the online game that I've played the most of is
like in like the Halo series, and in those, I
(26:59):
mean you're just you're just running around shooting people. In this,
at least you're at least you're using the whole person.
H m hmm. What many lessons can be learned from
eat goodness? Um? Well, all that being said, I guess
don't forget the dessert h m hm, such as perfectly
(27:21):
preserved pie, which is a sealed slice of pie under
glass or I imagine plastic um that can occasionally be
obtained from a pre war claw style vending machines called
Porta Diners that you can find located in cafeterias, businesses,
and other locations. Also a Dandy Boy brand candied apples
(27:45):
and Fancy Lads snack cakes. Um. Another pre war entry
gum drop candies and apparently the flavor that has most
frequently survived is a sour flavor that we're marketed is radioactive.
So that's the thing. I wonder if that's a warhead's reference. Yeah,
(28:07):
oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah hoof Oh goodness, that was
too much for me. Yeah, spicy candy share oh sour No, uh,
don't worry though. People do still produce homemade baked goods
in the game Apocalypse or No, like sweet rolls and
Mississippi Quantum pie I gotta love the name, Mrs Quantum
(28:30):
pie Um. And now let's talk about drinks. Just like
the food items, most of what we have in our
real world does exist in game, both alcoholic and non alcoholic.
Like beer, so many types of beer, um Bobov's Best Moonshine,
so many types of wine, Vim's Captain's Blend, Vim's being
(28:52):
a competitor to what we're um Deezer's lemonade. And of course, yes,
all the varieties of the Coca Cola send up Nuka Cola.
So definitely this is the most iconic item on this list. Yeah,
when people write in about this, most of the time
(29:14):
they're like, can you just do an episode on Nuka
Coola and I was like, well almost almost yes. Um.
It is one of the most iconic video game foods
of all time. I've seen it on several lists. Um.
In the world of Fallout, this drink was hugely popular,
so much so that a decent supply of Nuka Coola
survived two hundred years after a nuclear disaster. Um. There's
(29:39):
a Nuka Cola theme park in game. There are missions
dedicated to your locating more limited Nukakola quantums like limited
edition drinking regular Nuka Cola will boost HP, A, P
and radiation. Oh no, all three? Okay, all three. One
serving contains one of your daily girl allowance. The original
(30:07):
recipe has seventeen fruit essences alongside some additives like coloring,
ascertain and caffeine. You can find all of this online
if you're so desire. It warms my heart. Oh yeah. Yes.
It was marketed as a health tonic, but too much
consumption of the product could lead to addiction and headaches. Um.
(30:30):
It is the main product of the Nuka Cola Corporation,
first launched in the US after two years of experimentation,
it went on to become the most popular in top
selling soda in the US, and only a few years
later almost all competitors were bought out by the corporation,
(30:51):
and yes, products from at least one competitor appear in
game Vim the exclamation point Vim vim pop incorporated. Yes
in Nukakola Quantum featured an isotope of strontium ninety. By then,
there was a vending machine offering Nukakola on pretty much
(31:11):
every street in America. After the Great War, the bottle
caps were used as currency and the drink was called
quote the number one choice of refreshment among armageddons survivors.
I love that they're still doing advertising, you know, yeah, yeah,
you know. You gotta you gotta move with the times,
you gotta adapt. Uh. The blue of the curved bottle
(31:37):
was well received by consumers too. So I love this
that basically there's so much information about the changing of
design of this product. Yes. So there was the survey
and game that came out a few decades after Nukakola
was first introduced that found that eighty six out of
one hundred people surveyed named blue as their favorite color,
(31:59):
with Nukakole suggesting they had something to do with that. Oh. Yes, However,
thanks to patent litigation about copyright infringement, and yes they're
still talking about video game. They had to replace the
bottle design, opting to go with a rocket ship look,
and luckily for them, fans liked it. Um again, fans
(32:22):
in this game. But this is all fictional. Everything we're
talking about is completely fictional. But they have fleshed out
no pun intended from our eat conversation before this entire
history of this fictional soda pop company yep uh and
their marketing overall was very effective, particularly towards kids, but
(32:46):
some good old fashioned Americana and military imagery got swept
up in there too. And yes, um, in the beginning
there was the red backdrop and white font. It is
very Coca Cola evocative, very clear. Um. When the bottle
design changed, space elements were introduced, including the scantily cloud
Nuca girl with her thirst Zapper blaster. The slogan was
(33:10):
updated to Zap your thirst. And now for a saver list.
Because Nuka Cola comes in a wide variety of flavors,
this is by no means an exhaustive list, but here
are some Nuca Berry, Nuka bomb drop, Nuka Buzz, Nuca cherry,
(33:31):
Nuka Side, Nuka Cola Dark, Nuka Cola Quantum, Nuka Cola Quartz,
Nucaola Victory, Nuka Cola Wild, Nuca Fancy, Nuca Free, Nuca Fruity,
Nuca Great, Nuke Love, Nucleixer, Nuka Hardy, Nuka Power, Nuca Punch,
Nuka Ray, Nuca Rush, Nuka Sunrise, Nuka Twin, Nuca Void,
Nuca Extreme. Well that's just a taste, yeah, gosh gosh indeed, well,
(34:00):
speaking of gosh um a few years ago, but THEES
defiled a patent for Nuka Dark Rum. Yes, so this
is a real world um. After several delays, fans could
finally get their hands on some of this limited edition
product for about eighty bucks. And here's the official description.
This drink temporarily increases one's strength and endurance by one,
(34:24):
but decreases perception by one as well. Chilling a bottle
of Nuka Dark with Buddy Yields ice called Nuka Dark,
but there is no added benefit in doing so. The
bottling company behind it described it as quote a classic
tropical rum distilled with exacting standards. Soft on the palate,
this dark rum exhibits flavors of molasses and vanilla with
(34:45):
a distinct note of coconut on the nose. However, a
lot of fans were not happy to learn the product
came in a plastic bottle instead of glass. And of course,
you know in video game world and fanned worlds, people
get really angry about of course. Sure yes, uh welp welco. Indeed,
(35:12):
I would love to hear from listeners if anybody got
their hands on on this. I know that this is
not the first time that Bethesda has done or fall
Out the video game series has had tie ins with
other products. Yeah, yeah, there's there's been at least one
or two other examples of Nuka branded products on real
world shelves. But yeah, let us know, let us know.
(35:38):
Um and there is a recipe for homebrewing your own
Nuca Kola and the aforementioned cookbook. Mm hmm. I have
a friend who uh he was from England and he
came to our huge nerd convention in Atlanta, Dragon Con
for the first time. He was so excited and he
(36:00):
dressed as Fallout and as like a Vault dweller, the
classic blue and yellow um. And we went to a
Fallout party and it was really cool. It was really
catchy and funny. And there was nukicla there. I don't remember.
I don't think I tried it, but the bottles were
really cool. I appreciate the design. Oh yeah, I love
(36:27):
I love this, I love this. I it's a it's
a genre of video games that I don't often get
into because I am I yeah, like like you, I
kind of feel like it's homework. I'm like, I'm like,
I haven't even collected enough food and water to survive
in the real world today, so I'm gonna I'm gonna
wait on starting that game. Mm hmm. Yeah, it's a lot.
(36:54):
It's a lot, for sure, but fun but fun and
and these aspects of it are some of my favorite
parts of it. Of this kind of uh digs, I
guess I don't know, something to make you chuckle while
you're in this hellscape and yeah, and kind of like
kind of pointed social commentary to always always love some
(37:17):
of that. Yes, this has certainly been a fun one.
Uh So, as always, listeners, keep those fictional food suggestions coming.
We adore them. And speaking of, we do have listener
mail for you, we do. But first we've got one
more quick break for a word from our sponsor and
(37:42):
we're back. Thank you sponsor. Yes, thank you, and we're
back with snow. There's some top notch hand motions on
that one. Listener, I wish we'd been doing some video
(38:03):
over that. In in general, I really feel like we
should figure out the video technology to record that bit.
I think so only that, only that. The rest of
it is just me clearing my throat and and Annie
patiently nodding. Uh. Yeah, you know, I'm not sure that
(38:26):
I think the audience for that would be much smaller.
But the listener mail video. Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah,
Katie wrote, I just listened to your fond episode and
was reminded of a trip from high school. Every year
my close friends families would go into the mountains here
in Colorado. We would all rent a monster of a
cabin to house all four of our families, with us
(38:47):
teens and whoever we were dating at the time. It
was a big ordeal and a lot of fun for everyone. Well,
one evening on one of these trips, we decided to
have fond. This was all well and good until we
found the bread. We didn't think about the heated floors
drying it out till we attempted to cut into it,
but seeing as we were on top of a mountain
in October, we just went with it. This night ended
(39:09):
up being an evening of absolute gluttony. We started with cheese, fondue, bread,
broccoli and apples, then the oil and broth with all
the meat, potatoes and seafood you could boil and fry up.
By the time we got to the chocolate, we were
all too full to even think about eating more, with
the exception of the boy I was dating at the time.
He proceeded to eat two pounds of strawberries, a whole
(39:31):
bag of marshmallows, and he polished off all the fourth
of the two sour cream pound cakes we made. What
it was like washing a car crash. You couldn't look away,
but it was all horrific to washing as all of
us but him, we're trying not to slip into food
combas ourselves. I have rarely seen that much food eaten
by a rather skinny man. So my cousin's boyfriend came
(39:53):
to stay with us for a week. I hope you're
all having a great time with your in person D
and D. We just had our first game in person
last night. Oh yeah, and I hope uh huh, congratulations,
Yeah for all of that. Yes, and that does sound
like quite the fondue memory. Yeah, that is epic. Heck,
(40:16):
those appetites when you're younger, My little brother was a
site to behold sometimes. Oh yeah, oh yeah, I was.
I was too, Like I know, there were a number
of years where I was eating a lot more than
my dad and I was like, what, my bones are growing.
I'm a hungry growing child. Yep uh. Lacy and Ashley wrote,
(40:44):
this is my first and definitely very important correspondence with you.
I turned my good friend slash coworker onto your podcast. Also,
we work front of house at a popular local brewery.
For our annual work pot luck outdoor at Memorial Day party,
we were in fired by your long ago episode about
Aspects as an opportunity to torture our coworkers. I can't
(41:06):
explain how much fun we had, from developing our concept,
to chopping ingredients, to building our layers, to most impressively,
unmolding the beast, which definitely made a section sound as
it released. We went with what I'll call a breakfast
hash situation with hard boiled eggs, VEG potatoes, and ham
with a veg broth gelatin. Needless to say, our coworkers
(41:31):
were confused and horrified at our creation. I've never laughed
so much at my food in the kitchen. Everything is
said and done. Some people tried it and we're polite.
I tried it and it was not good. The pure
joy of making it was absolutely worth it. By the way,
I did make a real dish to share. I'm not
(41:52):
a total jerk. I would suggest to anyone who likes
to have fun in the kitchen, make an aspect and
make something else to eat. Aspect rational it was. It
was a beautiful, terrifying monstrosity. Lacey and Ashley sent pictures.
(42:12):
I mean that can hunt your dreams something you know,
you know, I love it though, I love it, And yeah,
I love the spreading of education through a horrifying dish.
Um and the joy, the joy all yes, yes, the
joy and the horror. I think that's what this episode
(42:35):
has been all about. I think so it feels very
appropriate place to end on UM. Well, thanks to both
of those listeners for writing in. If you would like
to write to us, you can. Our email is Hello
at saber pod dot com. We're also on social media.
You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at
Saber pod and we do hope to hear from you.
Savor is production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts
(42:56):
my Heart Radio, you can visit the I Heart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Thanks as always to our super producers Dylan Fagan and
Andrew Howard. Thanks to you for listening, and we hope
that lots more good things are coming your way
Savor News
Hosts And Creators
Anney Reese
Lauren Vogelbaum
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