Describe the Food in Your RPG with Gusto!

I’m not going to lie — food is one of my favorite things and one of the best ways to immerse players in a tabletop roleplaying game and set a mood is to describe food with as much passion as a food critic. Describing food with less appetizing language can invoke disgust or even danger.

The culinary side of adventuring life

I love food. So much. I’m a firm believer describing food is an amazing way to build atmosphere and plot. I’ve touched on this idea in a previous post about using descriptions to level up your game. We love food around here so much we even did a campaign dedicated to cosmic food on Nerdarchy Live. Nerditor Doug Guided this one with Quest RPG and let me tell you we had a grand ol’ time! He did a phenomenal job describing even alien ingredients and food.

By describing surroundings that are dirty or in disrepair you can set the mood of a dive bar with contrasting descriptions of decadent or especially well made food. If characters find themselves in an elegant manor then describing all of the food with an appetizing appearance as tasting rotten or even ashen can clue the players into the illusion surrounding them.

Nerdarchists Dave and Ted and Nerditor Doug share their own thoughts in a post about food you can find here. But for now let’s explore some ideas for describing food.

It’s not delicious, it’s decadent

When describing food one of the best pieces of advice I ever heard came from Bobby Flay on Food Network. He said you don’t want to describe food with words like delicious or disgusting. Use words to evoke a relatable feeling.

A cold sauce with fiery, building heat and elements of sweet aftertaste is more evocative than if I were to say the cold, yummy salsa. While both phrases are technically correct, one inspires the players with relatable sensations to help cement them into the scene.

Food descriptions can help build alien dishes, especially ones incorporating monster parts or fantastical plants. Even magical ingredients can offer a unique spin on classic cuisine.

Food description tables

Many Game Masters I encounter thrive off random roll tables. I’m fully aware of the pun here and I’ve made some tables for describing food.

Texture

For me texture is every bit as important as taste. A food with a great flavor can really sour in my mouth if the texture is unappealing. Likewise, a mediocre dish can be elevated by a pleasant array of textures. Below are some textures to use in your descriptions. I’d advise only rolling once or twice on this table for each element of a dish. Obviously, more complex dishes like a taco or stir fry might have multiple textures going on, but most food, in my opinion, has an overarching texture that mostly defines it.

d20 — Texture

1. Chunky
2. Silky
3. Crunchy
4. Soggy
5. Dry
6. Sandy
7. Sticky
8. Slimy
9. Crispy
10. Tender
11. Juicy
12. Pulpy
13. Pasty
14. Ashen
15. Gloppy
16. Foamy
17. Thick
18. Thin
19. Moist
20. Effervescent

Flavor

Flavor is probably one of the first elements we think of when we think about describing food. If you want a quick way to describe something unique try using the Flavor table. If you roll up to three times this indicates a complex flavor or possibly layers of depth in flavor.

d6 — Flavor

1. Sweet
2. Spicy
3. Sour
4. Bitter
5. Salty
6. Umami (Meaty)

Intensity

Another aspect of flavor is intensity of flavor. Intensity of flavor can be very subjective so bear in mind a character’s individual taste experience.

d6 — Intensity

1. Bland
2. Overwhelming
3. Subtle (Mild)
4. Intense
5. Balanced
6. Near Perfect

Temperature

Temperature is crucial when it comes to food preparation not only for safety but also for enjoyment. If a steak is cold that’s unpleasant but if it’s frigid that’s inedible.

One of the elements on this table is Injurious and requires you to roll again. This means the temperature causes the character injury from its temperature. Something injuriously tepid is likely not served according to proper food handling and is libel to make someone sick while injuriously hot might offer a mild burn and injuriously boiling might cause fire damage.

d6 — Temperature

1. Tepid
2. Hot
3. Cold
4. Boiling
5. Frigid
6. Injurious (roll again)

Preparation

The means by which food is prepared and presented is sometimes more important than its flavor and temperature. After all we eat with our eyes first.

d8 — Preparation

1. Undercooked
2. Overcooked
3. Burnt
4. Raw
5. Sloppy
6. Mediocre
7. Skillful
8. Beautiful

Portion

Portion is how much of a food is served to a single person. This can vary wildly based on creature size, the impression of the consumer to the server and so forth. Usually I imagine you would have an idea about portions and rations but if you just want a random table for portioning here you go!

d6 — Portion

1. Meager
2. Enormous
3. Tiny
4. Generous
5. Hearty
6. Perfect

Value

The value of food determines consumer satisfaction. This includes both how full the character feels and how satisfied they are with the nutrition and sustenance. This determines the overall impression after the meal is consumed.

d6 — Value

1. Disgusting
2. Underwhelming
3. Adequate
4. Filling
5. Decadent
6. Opulent

What do you think?

Whether characters feed at a posh party or a seedy tavern in the city’s underbelly hopefully these tables offer some inspiration and utility. If you found these tables useful, consider dropping us a like and sharing this with your friends. You can also connect with us on YouTube and Facebook! Until next time keep your games delicious!