Are you aware of the particular historical event that gave us the breakfast, lunch and dinner meals? We Sims didn't want to adobt other cultures' meals, but then there was a war...

Simmish kitchen tradition is an important part of our history and past and current culture. In this, my first article for my new food section her at the Simmerville web, I want to give you some basic facts on our food. Later on I will share with you my best recepies and good advices for your kitchen.

Corn and beans at any time of day
We can't discuss food traditions without taking a look at our history. And there's one man in particular who wanted to improve our food tradition, Mr Admiral vonSimlingen (1742-1791). Before his time Sims were eating corn and beans for each and every meal, because of the easy preparing and small pieces, they didn't even bother to have main meals, but ate all thrue the day and night - if they were awake and if they were hungry. Well, that hasn't changed much, has it?:) We Sims still eat at all occations and any time of day, whether we are hungry or not, but at least we now have the 3 main meals; breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Back in Admiral vonSimlingen's days, most parts of the world already had 3 or 4 main meals, but Sims refused to adopt this - at the time seen as silly - habit. They wanted food when ever there was food available and they had time to eat it. And why should they eat anything else than corn and beans like their parents and grandparents did? Admiral vonSimlingen, who had travelled world wide and was responsible for the Sim Navy's food supply 1783-1791, was a smart man - he used one of the most remarkable events from a Sim war in order to change the Sims' attitude towards a greater varity in foods.

Storytellers and main meals
1788-1790 SimCity was occupied by foreigners. Like you probably know, the Sim Army and Navy managed to fight back, and got full control over the situation one Wednesday of 1790. They started the break through just after midnight, and just before 10AM they broke into the enemy's main area, arresting their leaders. Then the leaders were brought by the masses to the harbour, where they were lynched between 10AM and 3PM, and after the lynching and through all night untill midnight, the Sims celebrated by canon salutes and great din.

Based on this liberty event, Mr Admiral vonSimlingen, started the meal tradition like we know it today. He arranged for story tellers to entertain Sims at the old food houses downtown of SimCity. They told stories about the break-through in the morning, from the lynching at noon, and about the din all evening, while Sims was having a meal. This turned out to be very popular, and the tradition of common meals with storytelling soon spread SimCity-wide. The meals even started to contain of different ingrediences, allthough the base still is corn and beans.

Poor Mr. Admiral vonSimlingen never knew what great successful his idea was. In 1792 this was all very new and revolutionary, and one night some farmers from a neighbourhood caught vonSimlingen and threw him to the wild Llamas who ate him. What a horrible fate to a man with such great ideas.

As times went by, Sims normally were in a hurry mornings, and they had to eat their "break-through"-meal in a hurry (fast). Therefore, today we know the "break-through" meal as breakfast, the "lynch" meal is lunch, and "din" is our dinner. The exact hours are breakfast untill 10AM, lunch between 10AM and 3PM, and dinner between 3PM and midnight.

Well, isn't that special? Now you do have something to discuss the next time your family or friends are joined for a meal:)