The Good Meal, Defined

Generally speaking, anything filling and tasty can qualify as a good meal. It doesn't matter how long it takes to get to the table, and the price might not be an object.  Thanksgiving takes ages to prepare and certainly isn't cheap, but I think we can all agree that it makes for a good meal.

The definition of a good meal changes around the table, however. It is not just lots of delicious food placed on a plate.  It is any meal that will facilitates longer, more enjoyable sessions. This means having meals that are both tasty and filling (from now on referred to as "good"), involve a short amount of perceived time from kitchen to person ("fast"), and not break the bank ("cheap").

That's right, one looks for all the points of the golden triangle around the table: Good, Fast, and Cheap. Usually one can only ever have two points of the triangle at once: You can have something good and fast, but it'll cost you. You can get something fast and cheap, but it won't be good. You can get something good and cheap, but it's going to take a while before it's ready.

Food, however, seems to be able to cheat this rule.  By doing as much prep work as possible before hand, one can keep the cooking time down while keeping the price low. If done properly, the end result will be good. This way, the party gets to experience the whole triangle while only one or two people has to pay for the extra time. A good example would be the sandwiches from Arkhosian Tombs and Grilled Cheese sandwiches.

If you sauté the onions, green peppers, and mushrooms before hand, then putting it all together becomes loads quicker. If you toast the sandwiches instead of grilling them, the cook time is reduced even further, because many sandwiches can be cooked at once.

This idea of keeping the time down on cooking can be vitally important to keeping the game going. If too much time is spent on preparing and eating dinner, the momentum of the game gets used up and it can become very difficult to get everyone back around the table. I've seen many sessions end because everybody wandered off while dinner was being prepared.

Some people will try to solve this problem by only doing sandwiches or other quick meals that can be prepared in seconds and eaten around the table. While this may work to solve the problem of people wandering away while dinner is being prepared, I would not recommend it as a solution for two reasons. Firstly, while sandwiches can be very tasty and very quick, anything that can be made in seconds using just meat and cheese isn't going to be very filling. Secondly, dinner also gives the players (and the DM) the opportunity to get up and stretch their legs, use the rest room, or get some fresh air without interrupting the session. This helps people fight off the fatigue and mental tiredness that comes from a long session, allowing them to come back to the table refreshed and ready to have more fun, which is really the whole point.

So remember, sometimes a group may be lagging or not enjoying themselves. Usually a break is all it takes to get everyone back to full capacity, and dinner is a great way to allow for that break. Keeping it quick and simple is very important because the forward motion of the game can dissipate if a short break turns into an extended rest.  While it seems hard to capture all the points of the triangle, it only takes planning and preparation to pull off a good meal.

Bon Appetit and Happy gaming!