Culture Now!For all the developments from foods to the arts in the Empire!Coffee in Luthori? The effects of Luthori’s global trading connectionsJuly 5455Written by George JohnsonFort William, Luthori -No one would think ever that our people would buy the black beverage made from burned fruits which they mistakenly call ‘’beans’’. But it is happening far more often now than before, to the dismay of our upper class friends in the nobility! We must face reality, Luthori is not the same nation it was in the days of grandfathers, and even then it was changing. In this article we take you through the great many changes our country has seen over the last periods in which we once more sailed the ocean blue to bring goods from all over the world to Artania and ship it to our neighbours and from our shores and our produce to Lourenne, Beiteynu and Seleyan continent.
Our Luthorian cuisine is defined by our master of great flavours unmatched in the world. Our Luthorian breakfast for instance with baked beans, bangers (for the non-Luthorians amongst us, those are sausages), eggs, black pudding, toast and some great Luthori black tea, for me preferably Luthorian Breakfast or Empress Elizabeth melange. Though for my sweetheart it is Mordusian melage. Or our fish and chips and mushy peas. Unmatched cruisine none in the world can match. The world is already being introduced to our beacon, our meat and game pies, afternoon tea with scones, sandwiches, our various fish dishes and we cant forget to mention of course marmite.
Now our cuisine isn’t new on the world’s stage. In various former Luthorian colonies or nations with large Luthorian populations or culturally linked nations we see that our cuisine had already established itself and formed in their own way. These ways we see in Hutori, Mordusia, Baltusia and our neighbouring countries. The trade through the Commonwealth has brought many of these dishes back to our nation and enriched us with their local varieties and culinary arts. Also the trading connections with our former partners, for instance Vascania, has not only brought oil to our shores. It brought back a love for curries and the Vascanian cuisine, adapted to our local tastes. Enriching our food even more. Speaking of this economic development, we have seen in the coastal cities a rise in foreign food shops, mixed tea and coffee shops trying to compete with McClair’s Tea Houses and new restaurants. One must only look at the rise of the Vascanian restaurants with their tikki massala and madras curries etc.
Now how does this show a truly global reach? Simple! We are seeing increasing spices being imported from Aldegar, the closest nation to gain them. These spices are then used in a variety of dishes from Vascanian origin or from Yeudi origin. Yes, if you thought our Yeudi friends from Beiteynu didn’t influence us you would be wrong. More and more their coffee culture is somewhat catching on in the coastal regions. As well as their Meze and their Lourennese-Yeudi inspired pastries, for which various spices are being used. Only their dirty hummus is not consumed much, thank our good Lord. We can all agree that its not human to consume that stuff! Back to coffee. We Luthorians love our tea, but we also love Vascania to a fault. With the influences from Baltusia, a Commonwealth country and a massive coffee drinking nation as well as our Yeudi friends influencing our pallets we are now drinking those dirty chai latte’s more often, or the cappuccino’s and even some other mixes of tea and coffee hybrid drinks have been spotted. And where do we get our coffee from? Increasingly we see the coffee being imported from Baltusia and Gaduridos. Bring together foods, spices, resources and ways of preparing food from all over the world and finding new life and adjustments in our own kitchens and streets.
Our nation is more interconnected than it has ever been before. Though surprisingly its still not entirely going off its rockers for those conservative friends out there. What always surprised me is the lack of breakthrough the Lourennian and Yingdalan tea culture in our country. Now my wife likes the green teas from Yingdala so now and then, but it’s not that popular here. We Luthorians seem to love the Lourennian, more accurately Canrielle foods like their pastries, bread and croissants etc. But not their tea. Well not everything catches on and it doesn’t need to be. We are pairing these great cultural culinary influences into our pallets as said and pair them to our own tastes. The McClair Tea Houses have been selling Luthorian and Commonwealth tea’s for decades now and they as well as other smaller tea houses cannot be a more integral part of the Luthorian tea culture. But even they feel the competition more and more, which is quite unique in our informal protective economic circles.
But its not only food ofcourse that is changing our nation. The more well-off middle class and especially the upper classes have been guilty of this internationalism as well. Let them not fool you with their staunch protection of Luthorian traditions as they comply with the most basic Luthorian principle: Trading makes us rich. Their clothing is more and more consisting of Renard Fashion from the Renard Luthori branch of the Renard International. In those upper circles they are fiercly competing with the Luthorian local fashion but are beating them at all fronts. Its funny to see a sector where even our local industries fail to compete with them. Their only fierce competition is from the Lourenne clothing lines of Adiore, which was quite popular with the Hutorian royal family and through them ended up here. These two clothing lines are the hottest thing in town amongst those who can afford it. And here comes the Yeudi friends around the corner because the Yeudi-Luthorian business Yeudivosky is a staple in the jewelry industry and paired with both these clothing lines, more than ever before.
What we can see is that Luthori is richer than ever and though it has been slow its getting more connected as surely and slowly the foreign products are also entering our markets. By our companies being bought up as an easy way into our markets or by penetrating our difficult markets. And its working! Luthori is changing, for the better in my eyes. More goods and services are offered than ever before and new jobs and new foods being introduced on a yearly basis. What will Luthori look like in 10 years? Lets find out!