A Culture Rich in Custom

"Interestingly enough, the word for meat is Sa-Tassna, which means Life-Mother. Incidentally, when one speaks of food in general, one always speaks of Sa-Tassna." — Tarnsman of Gor, pages 43-44.

There are many foods on Gor that are similar or the same to those found on Earth. Many of the foods originated from Earth. However, there are great differences as well, even amongst those products of Earth origin.

Contrary to belief, slaves did not taste food or drink before serving; it was often the case of a slave kissing the vessel before offering the drink, however, a slave's lips were never to touch where that of a free's lips touched, where a free drank or ate. In fact, to drink or eat before a master was to sign the slave's death warrant. Generally the slave was commanded to bring a second vessel of the drink to test the drink; in this way her lips did not touch the vessel of the master.

"Black wine," said she, "from the Mountains of Thentis."
       I had heard of black wine, but had never had any. It is drunk in Thentis, but I had never heard of it being much drunk in any of the other cities. "Bring two bowls." I said.
       "Two?" asked the girl.
       "The slave," I said, indicating Elizabeth, "will taste it first."
       "Of course, Master," said the girl. The girl nodded and, rising gracefully, backing away a step or two, head down, turned and went to the kitchen. — Assassin of Gor, page 106.

There were, of course, exceptions to this, but in these exceptions, the slave was specifically commanded to taste the drink to ensure there were no poisons or that the drink was suitable. In one such instance, the drink was poisoned; the slave sent by the Kurii to kill Tarl Cabot aka Bosk of Port Kar, who was, at that time, an agent of the Priest Kings.

"You will be placed in the house of Bosk, a merchant of Port Kar," he said. "You will be placed in the kitchen of that house, and you will be used to serve his table."
       "I can't," I wept. "I cannot kill!"
       "Then Rask of Treve dies," said the small man. Haakon of Skjern laughed. The small man held up a tiny packet. "This," he said, "is the poison, a powder prepared from the venom of the ost." I shuddered. Death by ost venom is among the most hideous of deaths. I wondered how it was that they could so hate this man, he called Bosk of Port Kar. "You will comply?" asked the small man. I nodded my head. — Captive of Gor, page 357.
       "Wine, El-in-or!" cried Publius, master of the kitchen of Bosk of Port Kar. "Take wine to the table!" Numbly, shaking, I took the vessel of wine. I went to the door of the kitchen, and went through the hallway, and stopped before the back entrance to the hall. It had not been as hard as I had feared to be entered into the house. … — Captive of Gor, pages 357-358.
       "Hurry with the wine!" cried Publius, from the kitchen, looking after me. Then he disappeared in the kitchen.
       I took the packet of poison from my rep-cloth kitchen tunic, and dissolved it in the wine. I had been told there was enough there to bring a hundred men to an excruciating death. I swirled the wine, and discarded the packet. It was ready.
       "Wine!' I heard from the hall. I hurried forward, running toward the table. I would serve none but Bosk, he first and he alone. I did not wish more blood on my head. I stopped halfway to the table. The feasters were watching me. Rask of Treve must live! I had recalled how Haakon of Skjern had laughed over his captive. I asked myself, would he, Haakon, such a mortal enemy, release Rask of Treve, even if I keep my bargain. I feared he would not, and yet what choice had I. I must trust them. I had no choice. I did not wish to poison anyone. I knew nothing of such work. I had not been a good person, but I was not a murderess. Yet I must kill. I remembered, briefly, irrelevantly, that my mother had once poisoned my small dog, which had ruined one of her slippers. I had loved that tiny animal, which had played with me, and had given me the affection, the love, which my parents had denied me, or had been too busy to bestow. It had died in the basement, in the darkness behind the furnace, where it had fled, howling and whimpering, biting at me when I, a hysterical, weeping child, had tried to touch it and hold it. Tears sprang to my eyes.
       "Elinor," said Bosk, at the head of the table. "I want wine. He was one of the few men, or women, on Gor who spoke my name as it had been spoken on Earth. I slowly approached him. "Wine!" called Thurnock. I did not go to the peasant. "Wine!" cried Tab, the captain. I did not go to him. I went to Bosk, of Port Kar. I would pour the wine. Then I would be seized, and, doubtless by nightfall, tortured and impaled. He held forth the goblet. The eyes of Telima were upon me. I could not look her in the eyes. I poured the wine.
       "I am of Treve," Rask of Treve had told me, in the warehouse, where he stood bound to the wall. "Do not stain my honor." I hated then men, and their wars, and their cruelties, and their frivolous honors. It was we, their women, who suffered in their madness. No, Rask of Treve would not purchase his life for the price I had agreed to pay, but the decision was not his, but mine, mine and I loved him, and could not let him die! "Do not stain my honor,' he had said.
       Bosk of Port Kar lifted the cup to his lips. I put forth my hand. "Do not drink it, Master," I said. "It is poisoned." I put my head down in my hands. There were shouts, of fury, of anger, at the table, goblets spilled and men and women leaped to their feet. — Captive of Gor, pages 359-361.

It was not uncommon for a slave to kiss the drinking vessel before offering the drink to the Master, and often it is expected for this to be done, as it is symbolic of subservience. However, no similar method of serving food was mentioned. Most likely because when a slave offers wine, this is also suggestive that the slave is also "wine."

As on Earth, certain cultures and peoples of particular religions do not partake of certain foods. This is also true of Goreans.

Goreans and Meals

Goreans, depending on where they live, all agree on one thing — dinner. Dinner is the most important meal of the day, and it is at that meal that all social amenities are paid, and slaves strictly must adhere to behavior.

"Gorean amenities are more carefully observed, usually, at the evening meal, which is more of a gathering and an occasion than the other two or three meals of the day… To indicate the greater significance of the evening meal, as compared to the other Gorean meals, no slave girl may touch it without first having been given permission, assuming that a free man or woman, even a child, is present." — Slave Girl of Gor, page 74.

Goreans are lovers of beauty and enjoy all things to be presented colorfully, displayed exceptionally — even meals. Slaves often arrange platters in patterns, such as in this following quote, in which the foods were arranged to resemble a flower.

"I replaced the golden eating prong in its rack beside my place, shoved back the glittering dish in which lay several theoretically edible objects, carefully arranged by a slave to resemble a bouquet of wild flowers sprouting from a rock outcropping. — Nomads of Gor, page 86.

Cooking Methods

Depending on where a person lived, dictated methods and conventions of cooking and preparing a meal. Fine homes had enormous kitchens complete with a head chef and slaves to act as servers and dishwashers. For those that lived on the prairies, life was simpler, and so, of course, also were the meals and their preparations.

Tuchuk women, unveiled, in their long leather dresses, long hair bound in braids, tended cooking pots hung on tem-wood tripods over dung fires. — Nomads of Gor, page 27.

Banquets and Feasts

Banquets and feasts were held for many reasons — birthday celebrations, the taking of an enemy, the greeting of important guests, the announcing of the arrival of an important person, et al. Slaves were plentiful and readily available for the serving needs, all guided and kept under strict discipline by the maitre d' known on Gor as the Feast Steward.

Saphrar conveyed my wishes to the scandalized Feast Steward, and he, with a glare in my direction, sent two young slaves scampering off to scour the kitchens of Turia for a slice of bosk meat. — Nomads of Gor, page 86.

Then I heard the feast steward call out, his voice silencing all else, all conversation, even the musicians. The acrobats who were at the moment performing fled from between the tables. The feast steward's voice was heard, "The Lady Aphris of Turia." I and all others turned our eyes to a wide, swirling marble stairway in the back and to the left of the lofty banquet hall in the house of Saphrar the merchant. — Nomads of Gor, page 91.

"The musicians, at a signal from the feast steward, took up their instruments again and the acrobats rushed back among the tables, tumbling and leaping about." — Nomads of Gor, pages 92-93.

""Bring perfumes"" she called to the feast steward, and he sent forth the camisk-clad slave who carried the tiny tray of exotic Turian perfumes. — Nomads of Gor, page 95.

"The feast steward then clapped his hands twice, dismissing the girls, who rushed from the room; and then he clapped his hands twice more, paused a moment, then twice more. I heard the sound of slave bells attached to ankle rings, to locked wrist bracelets, to Turian collars. More girls approached rapidly, their feet taking small running steps in a turning line that sped forth from a small room in the back and to the right." — Nomads of Gor, page 97.

"The feast steward was handed a slave whip and stood towering over the leader of the girls." — Nomads of Gor, page 98.

In the quotes following, are examples of what one might find at a typical banquet; this particular banquet held in Turia and typical of this city. The Turians, however, are rather gluttonous, and known to partake in a particular habit of stuffing themselves to full, vomiting into a (golden) bowl, then using a stick dipped in scented oils, cleaning their palate so that they may return to the feast and partake of yet more of the food. (Can we say "Yuck?") As with banquets on Earth, toasts make up an important and social part of a banquet. Gor is no exception and have one basic toast which praises the Priest-Kings. One will find at many banquets, small altars set up to honor the Priest-Kings.

"The Turian feast usually consumes the better part of a night and can have as many as a hundred and fifty courses. This would be impractical, naturally, save for the detestable device of the golden bowl and tufted banquet stick, dipped in scented oils, by means of which the diner may, when he wishes, refresh himself and return with eagerness to the feast. I had not made use of this particular tool, and had contented myself with merely taking a bite or two, to satisfy the requirements of etiquette, from each course. The Turians, doubtless, regarded this as a hopelessly barbarian inhibition on my part." — Nomads of Gor, page 87.

"I observed the banquet tables, laid out in an open-ended rectangle, permitting slaves to enter at the open end, facilitating the serving, and, of course, allowing entertainers to perform among the tables. To one side there was a small altar to Priest-Kings, where there burned a small fire. On this fire, at the beginning of the feast the feast steward had scattered some grains of meal, some colored salt, some drops of wine. "Ta-Sardar-Gor," he had said, and this phrase had been repeated by the others in the room. "To the Priest-Kings of Gor." It had been the general libation for the banquet. The only one in the room who did not participate in this ceremony was Kamchak, who thought that such a libation, in the eyes of the sky, would not have been fitting. I partook of the libation out of respect for Priest-Kings, for one in particular, whose name was Misk." — Nomads of Gor, page 89.

Dining Out

Goreans did not dine in restaurants, as common to those of Earth. However, there were establishments that did offer food — and a girl with extra charge — at such places as taverns and inns.

Eating at the Great Fairs

The fairs draw hundreds of thousands of people, and of course, they get hungry! Vendors and public kitchens (restaurants) are scattered about the fair. The meal is paid for before hand, and receives a disk which serves as a meal voucher. The meal is then served by a slave girl who wears a leather apron and iron belt. This is to keep customers from taking what they haven't paid for. At extra cost, the girl is available for his use.

"I would stay in one of the public tents tonight. For five copper tarsks one may rent furs and a place in the tent. It is expensive, but it is, after all, En'Kara and the time of the fair. In such tents it is not unusual for peasants to lie crowded, side by side, with captains and merchants. During En'Kara, at the Fair, many of the distinctions among men and castes are forgotten. Unfortunately meals are not served in the tents. For the price it seems one should banquet. This lack, however, is supplied by numerous public kitchens and tables. These are scattered throughout the district of the fair. Also there are vendors." — Beasts of Gor, pages 50-51.

"In the restaurant I had eaten there were some two hundred tables, under tenting." — Beasts of Gor, page 61.

"I left the tenting. One pays before the meal, and carries a disk, a voucher, to the table. The meal itself is brought to his place, marked on an identical disk, by a slave girl. One surrenders the disk to her and she places the meal before you. The girl wears a leather apron and an iron belt. If one wants her one must pay more." — Beasts of Gor, page 62.

Chilleries, Serveries, Ice Houses, Kitchens

The terms Chillery and Servery were never used in any of the books of Gor. I haven't figured out exactly what a "chillery" is; different people use it in different contexts. Some reference a "chillery" as if it's a refrigerator (walk-in or otherwise) or an ice box, while others reference it as a sort of walk in cold storage room. Ice is not easily obtained on Gor, however, there is some ice storage available, and only the wealthiest of Goreans can afford such luxury. The Ice House is such a cold storage. However, such ice houses would not be found in places like the desert lands, the camps of wagon peoples, the jungle villages of the Schendi, etc. References to a "servery" in many chat sites is used in context to denote a serving area. Though "servery" is never used in the books, terms that are used in the books are: Kitchen, Commissary Wagon, Public Eating Tents and Tables, Public Wagons, and, Restaurants. Please refer to my page entitled "Online-isms" for further information on this mis-information, as well as others that plague the online world of Gor.

"Black wine," said she, "from the Mountains of Thentis."
       I had heard of black wine, but had never had any. It is drunk in Thentis, but I had never heard of it being much drunk in any of the other cities. "Bring two bowls." I said.
       "Two?" asked the girl.
       "The slave," I said, indicating Elizabeth, "will taste it first."
       "Of course, Master," said the girl. The girl nodded and, rising gracefully, backing away a step or two, head down, turned and went to the kitchen. — Assassin of Gor, page 106.

"More than an hour ago I had left the commander's wagon, being roused by one of the guards outside. As I had left Elizabeth Cardwell had awakened. We had said nothing, but I had gathered her into my arms and kissed her, then left the wagon. On the way to the compound I had met Harold and together we had eaten some dried bosk meat and drank water, from one of the commissary wagons attached to one of Hundreds in the city. As commanders we could eat where we chose." — Nomads of Gor, page 307.

"I would stay in one of the public tents tonight. For five copper tarsks one may rent furs and a place in the tent. It is expensive, but it is, after all, En'Kara and the time of the fair. In such tents it is not unusual for peasants to lie crowded, side by side, with captains and merchants. During En'Kara, at the Fair, many of the distinctions among men and castes are forgotten. Unfortunately meals are not served in the tents. For the price it seems one should banquet. This lack, however, is supplied by numerous public kitchens and tables. These are scattered throughout the district of the fair. Also there are vendors." — Beasts of Gor, pages 50-51.

"I brought up from the kitchen, where I had been keeping it hot, a vessel of black wine, with sugars, and cups and spoons. Too, I had brought up a small bowl of powdered bosk milk. We had finished the creams last night and, in any event, it was unlikely they would have lasted the night. If I had wanted creams I would have had to have gone to the market. My house, incidentally, like most Gorean houses, had no ice chest. There is little cold storage on Gor. Generally food is preserved by being dried or salted. Some cold storage, of course, does exist. Ice is cut from ponds in the winter, and then stored in ice houses for it, or have it delivered in ice wagons. Most Goreans, of course, cannot afford the luxury of ice in the summer." — Guardsman of Gor, page 295.

Cultural Anomalies

As on Earth, certain cultures and peoples of particular religions do not partake of certain foods. This is also true of Goreans.

The Wagon Peoples grow no food, nor do they have manufacturing as we know it. They are herders and it is said, killers. They eat nothing that has touched the dirt. They live on the meat and milk of the bosk. They are among the proudest of the peoples of Gor, regarding the dwellers of the cities of Gor as vermin in holes, cowards who must fly behind walls, wretches who fear to live beneath the broad sky, who dare not dispute with them the open, windswept plains of their world. — Nomads of Gor, page 4.

Interestingly, however, the Tuchuks found no problem of eating such foods and drinks at the public wagons during the Love Wars and while in attendance in Turia.

"… among the wagons by the masters of the public slave wagons, who buy, sell and rent girls, providing warriors and slavers with a sort of clearing house and market for their feminine merchandise. The public slave wagons, incidentally, also provide Paga. They are a kind of combination Paga tavern and slave market. I know of nothing else precisely like them on Gor." — Nomads of Gor, page 118.

Eating and the Slave

Slaves do not simply get up and fetch a bowl of food and chow down. The slave's meal is under complete control of her owner. Never does she get her own food, but rather, is fed sometimes like a four-legged beast might, or sometimes at the hand of her master. Taking even a bowl from the hand of her master is symbolic of her slavery.

"Eta now came forward. She held two copper bowls of gruel. Next to me, she knelt before my captor; she put one bowl down before me; then, holding the other bowl, she handed it to my captor; one of the men pulled my head up by the hair, so I could see clearly what was being done; my captor took the bowl of gruel from Eta, and then, saying nothing, handed it back to her. Now he, and his men, and Eta, looked at me. I then understood what I must do. I picked up the bowl of gruel, with both hands, and, kneeling, handed it to my captor. He took the bowl. Then he handed it back to me. I might now eat. I knelt, shaken, the bowl of gruel in my hands. The symbolism of the act was not lost upon me. It was from him, he, symbolically, that I received my food. It was he who fed me. It was he upon whom I depended, that I would eat. Did he not choose to feed me, I understood, I would not eat. My head down, following Eta's example, I ate the gruel. We were given no spoons. With our fingers and, like cats, with our tongues, we finished the gruel. It was plain. It was not sugared or salted. It was slave gruel. Some days it was all that would be given to me. A girl does not always, of course, take food in this fashion. Usually she prepares the food and then serves it, after which, if permitted, she eats. Many men permit a girl, for most practical purposes, to eat simultaneously with him, provided he begins first and it does not interfere with her service to him. Thus he gets his girl, fed, more swiftly to the furs. Much depends on the man; the will of the girl counts for nothing. In some dwellings a girl must, before the evening meal, hand her plate to the man; he will then, normally, return it to her; if she has not been completely pleasing to him, on the other hand, she may not be fed that night. Control of a girl's food not only permits the intelligent regulation of her caloric intake but provides an excellent instrument for keeping her in line; control the food, control the girl. Food control, for the man, also has unexpected rewards. Few things so impress a man's dominance on her, or her dependence upon him, than the control of her food… The ceremonial taking of food from the hand of the man, as, it had been done this evening in the camp, would prove to be somewhat unusual, though it would be reasonably common to be handfed, when it amused him, or thrown scraps of food. Among many men, it might be mentioned, however, the monthly anniversary of a girl's acquisition as a slave would be marked by this, and similar ceremonies. A slave girl is a delight to a man; she is extremely prized and precious; that the day of her acquisition should be celebrated each month with special ceremonies and rites is not surprising. These numerous anniversaries are deliciously celebrated, as they may be with a girl who is only a slave, and seldom forgotten; should such an anniversary be forgotten, should it be such that it is commonly celebrated, the girl redoubles her efforts to please, fearing she is to be soon sold." — Slave Girl of Gor, pages 65-66.

Additionally, a slave does not get up and cook or prepare her own meal. The slave is allowed to eat only of what her owner personally feeds her, either from his hand, or from scraps left upon his plates. Here we see the slave, even after being told by her assigned master to prepare herself a meal, that she cannot. (Oh! A slave says "no" and not punished for it.)

I had almost finished the meal. "You have done well," I congratulated her. "The meal is excellent."
       "Please," she said, "I am hungry."
       I looked at her dumbfounded. She had not prepared herself a portion and so I had assumed that she had eaten, or was not hungry, or would prepare her own meal later. "Make yourself something," I said.
       "I cannot," she said simply. "I can eat only what you give me."
       I cursed myself for a fool. Had I now become so much the Gorean warrior that I could disregard the feelings of a fellow creature, in particular those of a girl, who must be protected and cared for? Could it be that I had, as the Codes of my Caste recommended, not even considered her, but merely regarded her as a rightless animal, no more than a subject beast, an abject instrument to my interests and pleasures, a slave? — Priest-Kingsl of Gor, pages 47-48.

Dinnerware and Utensils

Dishes, utensils and other eatingware was commonplace in the cities. Dishes were made of ceramics and metals; eating utensils varied by region. And then there are those cultures who found no need of such amenities.

"He was eating a piece of bosk meat in the Tuchuk fashion, holding He meat in his left hand and between his teeth, and cutting pieces from it with a quiva scarcely a quarter inch from his lips, then chewing the severed bite and then again holding the meat in his hand and teeth and cutting again," — Nomads of Gor, page 186.

Additional information is located in the Vessels page, along with pictures to help better understand.

 

 

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Special Note

Because of the differences in publishing the books, depending upon whether published in the U.S. or Europe, depending upon whether a first publishing or a Masquerade Books release, page numbers will often vary. All of my quotes are from original, first-printing U.S. publications (see The Books page for a listing of publishers and dates) with the exception of the following books:

  • Tarnsman of Gor (2nd Printing, Balantine)
  • Outlaw of Gor (11th Printing, Balantine)
  • Priest-Kings of Gor (2nd Printing, Balantine)
  • Assassin of Gor (10th Printing, Balantine)
  • Raiders of Gor (15th Printing, Balantine)
  • Captive of Gor (3rd Printing, Balantine)

Disclaimer

These pages are not written for any specific home, but rather as informational pages for those not able to get ahold of the books and read them yourself. Opinions and commentaries are strictly my own personal views, therefore, if you don't like what you are reading — then don't. The information in these pages is realistic to what is found within the books. Many sites have added information, assuming the existences of certain products and practices, such as willowbark and agrimony for healing, and travel to earth and back for the collection of goods. I've explored the books, the flora, the fauna, and the beasts, and have compiled from those mentioned, the probabilities of certain practices, and what vegetation mentioned in the books is suitable for healing purposes, as well as given practicalities to other sorts of roleplaying assumptions.