Monster Hunter Wilds has left a remarkable mark not only in the world of video games but also in real gastronomy, awakening culinary desires among its players. After the release of the video game, a Nepalese restaurant in Tokyo, Salam Namaste, nearly ran out of cheese due to a surge in demand for its famous cheese naan. The restaurant’s official account thanked Monster Hunter for the unexpected increase in customers, reflecting how Capcom’s title has significantly influenced fans’ appetites. A game that pays a lot of attention to detail Social media […]
Monster Hunter Wilds has made a notable mark not only in the world of video games but also in real gastronomy, awakening culinary cravings among its players. After the release of the video game, a Nepalese restaurant in Tokyo, Salam Namaste, nearly ran out of cheese due to a surge in demand for its famous cheese naan. The restaurant’s official account thanked Monster Hunter for the unexpected increase in customers, reflecting how Capcom’s title has significantly influenced fans’ appetites.
A game that pays a lot of attention to detail
Social media in Japan has witnessed a phenomenon where cravings for game food have gone viral, with numerous players sharing their desire to try the exquisite dishes that adorn the screens of Monster Hunter Wilds. During a pre-launch event, artistic and executive director Kaname Fujioka highlighted the technical effort required to present the food so deliciously, emphasizing the importance of graphic design in the player experience.
Despite the resounding success of Wilds, there have been repercussions in the video game industry in Japan. Some developers have reported a decrease in their sales on Steam, similar to what was experienced after previous releases like Dragon Quest. One development team even expressed that “they haven’t sold a single game” since Monster Hunter Wilds was released, an indication of the impact this franchise has on the sector.
Additionally, the gaming community has started to adopt modifications, such as a new mod that allows players to change the appearance of their characters for free, challenging the paid additional content offered by Capcom. This type of initiative not only demonstrates the creativity of the community but also reflects the players’ desire to customize their gaming experience without financial constraints.
A list of those anti-gourmet dishes that we have been living with for more than 40 years.
It all starts with Pac-man. Always, in general, every time you’re going to talk about the history of video games, there’s always a connection with the yellow ball eating pills and chased by ghosts. In this case, it’s the first game in history where gastronomy has some kind of importance. Okay, yes, eating yellow circles may not be the most foodie thing in the world, but at that time it was what there was. In fact, it’s not that different from the candies in Candy Crush, which is still played now.
But video games have also shown questionable quality food that, frankly, we do not recommend approaching. We are going to make a list of those anti-gourmet dishes that we have been living with for over 40 years. Get ready to lose your appetite.
We understand. You’re at war, your health is low, and anything can regenerate you, but no matter how hungry you are, dog food may not be the best solution. Or maybe it is! It all depends on whether David Muñoz and company decide it’s a great idea to cut costs with a high-end protein product…
4-Flour (‘Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia’)
There are plenty of options when it comes to eating, from fruit to chocolate, meat, stew, or curry rice. Well, some members of your team in this installment of ‘Fire Emblem’ have marked flour as their favorite food… Yes, not bread or pizza: raw flour. Have you ever tried it out of curiosity? Spoiler: it’s disgusting.
3-Trout-flavored yogurt (‘Earthbound’)
It’s a joke, yes, but that doesn’t stop us from feeling nauseous at the idea of someone wishing for Danone to start adding trout flavor to your trusted yogurt. It is also true that they also offer delicious pork-flavored gelatin throughout your game. Please, someone go give the developers a stomach wash.
2-Tomato Pie (‘Final Fantasy XV’)
One thing is the Catalan pa amb tomàquet that we all love, respect and enjoy (and that in the rest of Spain is known as “pan tumaca” to annoy those who visit from Barcelona)… And another this cake made of fresh tomato and served with two cherry tomatoes on the side. In fact, fans who have tried to make it in real life have said that it tastes absolutely disgusting. The empirical evidence was not necessary, honestly.
1-Marguerite Baker’s Food (‘Resident Evil 7’)
Logically, eating human remains had to be in the top 1. But, in addition, they are not prepared with any taste or seem remotely appetizing: Marguerite Baker’s food in ‘Resident Evil 7‘ is simply disgusting at all levels, one of those moments when you just want everything to end as soon as possible to go to bed, cry, and never eat again for twenty days.
The result was that anyone could use those codes as many times as they wanted. Buy one pizza, get two hundred free
The two most beautiful words someone can tell you aren’t “I love you,” but “Free pizza.” No doubt about it, plenty of evidence. It’s not in vain the perfect food, one that appeals to absolutely everyone and only brings fights over pineapple or anchovies as toppings (which, by the way, defines you as a person). What would happen, then, if suddenly an entire country as big as the United States discovered all at once that they could have all the pizzas they want without paying a single dollar? I’ll tell you: chaos.
It all started at the beginning of October when Domino’s Pizza launched a typical promotion without much importance: “Emergency Pizza.” It was something very simple: everyone who ordered a certain pizza from a variety of options would receive a code that could be redeemed for another medium pizza later on. A classic 2-for-1 deal, but with a twist. Well, nothing out of this world, right?
But someone on the marketing, testing, or programming team messed up, and the result was that anyone could use those codes as many times as they wanted. Buy one pizza, get two hundred free. By Thursday, people sharing codes was already a trend on social media and, of course, on the streets: queues began to fill the streets, diners ordered pizzas by the dozens from home, and no one could keep up inside the stores. It was a collapse, indeed.
Meanwhile, in Domino’s offices, all alarms went off, and an investigation started to figure out who had first leaked the information (apparently, it was an employee on Reddit tired of the company). As the story goes, there were people who ordered 58 pizzas, stores that served 170 in an hour and a half… You can imagine the internal chaos without clear guidelines to follow. In just a few days, they could have faced absolute bankruptcy due to a marketing mistake as delicious as it was brutal.
The bosses began sending messages to employees, forbidding them from serving free pizzas (some complied, others didn’t) before a computer expert, putting in extra hours, managed to fix the problem. The collapse of modern civilization could have come about because of a bunch of free pizza. Honestly, I didn’t expect it any other way.
He should add a new test to his somewhat stomachic follies: surviving by eating at one of his fast food chains.
Surely at one time or another you’ve come across a video of Mr. Beast, the youtuber who cures blind people’s eyesight, gives money to the poor and gives away cars in exchange for doing very specific tests, in the style of ‘Dance, dance, damn you’. Stay a long time in a very small circle, survive the tests of ‘The Squid Game’… And, apparently, he should add a new test to his somewhat stomach-churning madness: survive by eating at one of his fast food chains.
It is common for successful content creators to launch their own restaurants. Luisito Comunica, for example, even has one in Spain (Fasfú) and Mr. Beast has a truly global fast food chain with more than 1,000 establishments, 600 of them in the United States. That is nothing. It sells well, its 137 million followers are a captive audience and the food is ric… Well. Not exactly
On December 19, 2020, MrBeast Burger opened its first location in North Carolina and hasn’t stopped expanding. To do so, the youtuber teamed up with the company Virtual Dining Concept to create a menu that was up to the task and, after all, his name. The problem is that for some time now the quality, which was already not very high, has dropped even further.
There are, for example, those who have received only a piece of raw meat between buns and on the Internet they qualify the burgers with adjectives such as “disgusting”, “disgusting” or “inedible”. Of course, the McDonald’s brothers could care less about what people say about them now (they passed away years ago), but Mr. Beast is literally suffering the consequences. That’s why he has decided to sue Virtual Dining Concept. Mr. Beast vs. Mr. Beast’s hamburgers: watch out, Ibai, here’s a fight for the Evening of the Year.
As the trial begins to unfold, Virtual Dining Concept has used the influencer’s example to trick other brands into offering their own low-end restaurant chains. So far Mariah Carey or NASCAR have bitten, and they look like the first of many. Hopefully the movie of this trial very, very soon.
We bring you those ten sweets that cannot be missing on a properly sugared afternoon.
No matter your age, more than once you’ve felt the irresistible need to head to the neighborhood Convenience Store and grab a bag of gummy candies, tongs in hand, as it should be. And faced with the immense variety, doubts always arise: Licorice or strawberry gummies? Hearts or spiders? So that the next time you decide to indulge in a delicious sweet treat, you won’t feel guilty for buying that disgusting black licorice, we bring you the ten candies that must not be missing on a properly sugary afternoon.
You always forget about them until you suddenly pop one into your mouth, and it surprises you again: the refreshing flavor of melon mixes with the fizzy sensation inside, and the end result, turning into a delicious chewing gum, is incredible. In the summer, it might not rival a real melon, but for ten cents, you can’t be too picky.
9-Teeth
“A Truly Unique Treat in Texture and Flavor: The Denture Delight that Always Sells Out! Firm, Super-Sweet, and Dissolves in Your Mouth with Every Bite. There are also Soft ‘Dracula Teeth’, but do yourself a favor: Don’t Fall for Cheap Imitations.”
8-Cherries
Another essential classic that cannot be missed. Soft, delicious, and very tasty. Do they fall into the realm of typical? Yes. Is that a bad thing? Not at all; sometimes, it’s worth embracing tradition for the sake of having a gummy smile drawn on your face.
7-Clouds
Call it what you want: cloud, little sponge, little ham… the classic American marshmallow, here transformed into a soft pink cylinder with a white filling and a taste of pure heaven. Yes, if you’re not used to it, the first bite may feel like chewing on a sugar cube, but soon you’ll be able to savor its many flavors. In the United States, they toast them over the fire, but I’m not sure if that will enhance their taste with the Hispanic recipe.
6-Hamburgers
It’s the great novelty of recent years, a bit pricier than usual, but with such a plethora of details, flavors, and miniatures that it’s worth treating yourself to one every once in a while just to taste something closest to ‘The Simpson’s’ Venus de Milo on our palate. An authentic marathon runner that often goes unnoticed but deserves, at the very least, our delicious respect.
5-Spanner Sweets
Alright, I know this is a very personal opinion and only for lovers of sour treats. In the end, “Spanner Sweets” are simple hard candies drenched in sourness to the extreme: a festival of acidic flavor in your mouth, exclusively for those who enjoy intense sensations, which I acknowledge is not for everyone.
4-Tongue Tinglers
“More Sour Sensations, but in the Form of Soft and Delicious Strips, much gentler than ‘Spanner Sweets.’ ‘Tongue Tinglers’ are the typical candy you can’t eat just one of, and with time, they become a must-have in any birthday treat bag. Like coffee, an inherited addiction.”
3- Bears
I can already hear voices claiming that I’ve gone too classic and that Haribo gummy bears belong to the gummy candy’s past. But if they were part of the past, why do you always seize the opportunity to munch on a few when you see them at a party? They are the gummy candy of gummy candies, the epitome of purity, the mold from which all others were made. 101 years of deliciousness can’t be wrong.
2-Popping Pica-Pica Logs
“One last venture into the realm of sour candy for a treat that comes in many – too many – versions: coated in red licorice, with white paste, or reaching perfection with sour crystals on top of the licorice. The sweet yet smooth filling completes it, creating a unique texture and flavor that could easily claim the number one spot if it weren’t for the candy that surpasses all other treats.”
1-Plump Strawberries
Attention! I’m not talking about the flattened strawberries, which, although delicious, don’t reach the majesty of their strawberry-filled sisters that explode when you bite into them. They are the epitome of candy: fruity flavor, lots of sugar, varied textures, pure delight. If your candy bag lacks a plump strawberry, don’t bother inviting anyone. You’re doing it terribly wrong.
A simple dish (although it requires its technique, eh, don’t believe it) that we have all taken for granted that it comes from the same country. But oh, surprise. There is trick.
In case you hadn’t noticed when you could fry a fried egg on the sidewalk, summer has arrived suddenly and without warning. And with it, traditions as beautiful as sleeping without sheets, making marathons of series while trying to survive the extreme temperatures and, of course, abandon the stew and welcome the star dish of any self-respecting summer: the fruit salad. A simple dish (although it requires its technique, eh, don’t believe it) that we have all taken for granted that it comes from the same country. But, oh, surprise. There’s a trick.
The mixture of fruits that in other countries is called “tutti frutti”, “tizana” or a very dull “fruit salad” comes from the fourth century BC, when Alexander the Great consolidated a Macedonian empire full of small countries, cultures and languages that somehow functioned as a hodgepodge. Something like a gathering of neighbors condemned to understand each other.
It is not that at that time the king entertained himself mixing fruits: the invention of the dish comes from the 18th century, when in France they began to call “Macedonia” to absolutely any mixture, culinary or not. To understand each other: a children’s class would be a fruit salad and a stew too. In the end, what went down in history was this fruit mixture. Now, please: no sugar or butter. I know, I know you’re thinking, “Who puts butter in fruit salad? Well, who is it going to be: France.
It is not the only food that has nothing to do with its country of origin: it is difficult to find artisan Neapolitan pastries, probably the best breakfast in the history of pastries, in Naples. There you can have all the pizza you want, but not too much pain au chocolat. So, what’s with the name? Well, surprisingly enough, it was a way of making fun of the queen in the 16th century.
In 1504, Isabella I of Castile received the title of Queen of Naples, so she began to be known as such in popular terms: the shape and fatness of the dessert did the rest. To this we must add that in a couplet of the obscene poem ‘Carajicomedia’ there is talk of a “Neapolitan” in a tone, let’s say, relaxed: “The Neapolitan was a courtesan harlot, very named person and very gruessa”. You know: to eat a Neapolitan is to side with the Republic. Up, fat people of the earth.
For another day, the “milanesa” they know nothing about in Milan, the “arroz a la cubana” that nobody eats in Havana and the “ensaladilla rusa” that Putin has never tasted in his life. There is no doubt that when it comes to food: we have been deceived.
Un plato sencillo (aunque requiere su técnica, eh, no os creáis) que todos hemos dado por hecho que viene del mismo país. Pero, oh, sorpresa. Hay truco.
Por si no te habías dado cuenta al poder freír un huevo frito en la acera, ha llegado el verano de golpe y sin avisar. Y con él, tradiciones tan bellas como las de dormir sin sábanas, hacer maratones de series mientras tratamos de sobrevivir a las temperaturas extremas y, claro, abandonar el potaje y dar la bienvenida al plato estrella de todo verano que se precie: la macedonia. Un plato sencillo (aunque requiere su técnica, eh, no os creáis) que todos hemos dado por hecho que viene del mismo país. Pero, oh, sorpresa. Hay truco.
Ojo al tema, porque tiene guasa: la mezcla de frutas que en otros países se llama “tutti frutti”, “tizana” o un sosísimo “ensalada de frutas” viene del siglo IV antes de Cristo, cuando Alejandro Magno consolidó un imperio Macedónico plagado de pequeños países, culturas e idiomas que de alguna manera funcionaron como mezcolanza. Algo así como una reunión de vecinos condenados a entenderse.
No es que por aquel entonces el rey se entretuviera mezclando frutas: la invención del plato viene del siglo XVIII, cuando en Francia empezaron a llamar “Macedonia” a absolutamente cualquier mezcla, culinaria o no. Por entendernos: una clase de niños sería una macedonia y un potaje también. Al final, lo que pasó a la historia fue esta mezcla de frutas. Ahora bien, por favor: sin azúcar ni mantequilla. Ya, ya sé que estáis pensando “¿Quién le echa mantequilla a la macedonia?”. Pues quién va a ser: Francia.
No es el único alimento que no tiene nada que ver con su país de origen: es difícil que te encuentres napolitanas artesanas, probablemente el mejor desayuno de la historia de la bollería, en Nápoles. Allí pizza la que quieras, pero pain au chocolat no demasiado. Entonces, ¿qué? ¿A qué se debe el nombrecito de marras? Pues, aunque quizá sorprenda, era una manera de reírse de la reina en el siglo XVI.
En el año 1504, Isabel I de Castilla recibió el título de Reina de Nápoles, por lo que empezó a conocérsela así en términos populares: la forma y la gordura del postre hizo el resto. A ello hay que sumarle que en una copla del poema obsceno ‘Carajicomedia’ se habla de una tal “napolitana” en un tono, digamos, distendido: “La Napolitana fue ramera cortesana, muy nombrada persona y muy gruessa”. Ya sabéis: comerse una napolitana es ponerse del lado de la República. Arriba gordos de la tierra.
Para otro día, la “milanesa” de la que en Milán no saben nada, el “arroz a la cubana” que nadie come en La Habana y la “ensaladilla rusa” que Putin no ha probado en su vida. Si es que en tema de comida no cabe duda: hemos vivido engañados.
There was a pioneer to all these anonymous people who ended up being the visible face of a product: the proto-influencer, the first person who decided to be a kind of “mascot” of a product, was Nancy Green.
We live in a world of influencers: the word entered our lives a few years ago and has stuck with us ever since. Fashion influencers, film influencers, micro-influencers… Right now, ads featuring people who seem real are effective, and marketing agencies are well aware of this. But this is not new, nor is it a recent phenomenon: Do you not remember celebrities putting their face to advertise all sorts of products? Well, it started even before television.
There was a pioneer among all these anonymous people who ended up embodying a product: the proto-influencer, the first person who decided to be a kind of “mascot” for a product, was Nancy Green, who would ultimately become the first face that would simultaneously be a brand. Now it seems like everyday life, but in 1893 it was not so common. And beware, because the story is full of racism, plot twists, and sadness: hard to believe.
Nancy Hayes was born in 1834 as a slave on a farm in Kentucky, at a time when things were starting to change but it would still be another forty years before everything exploded (literally). During her childhood, she cultivated tobacco and took care of the Walker family’s livestock, who later used her as a servant, cook, and housekeeper. She got married, had four children, which was normal for the time. And then the Civil War came.
Nancy lost her husband and children during the war. As sad as it sounds, she ended up working as a nanny and housekeeper (no longer a slave) for the Walkers in Chicago in the early 1870s after living in a sad and lonely cabin. One of the family’s sons became a judge and, almost out of the blue, brought a twist to her life when a pancake and breakfast product brand that was born in 1889 asked him if he knew someone for the role of a character named Aunt Jemima.
Aunt Jimema
Aunt Jemima was founded purely by chance: Chris L. Rutt and his friend Charles G. Underwood purchased a flour mill in Missouri and, facing an oversaturated market at that time, they sold the excess in small bags for making pancakes. They were the pioneers and succeeded like no one else. “Aunt Jemima” was actually a name they came across outside a vaudeville show and decided to appropriate. But, of course, they needed a face. Who could it be?
Nancy Green was 59 years old and had dressed again as a slave for the purpose of marketing. In 1893, at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, our protagonist sang songs, told made-up stories about racial equality and the joy of everyone during slavery in the South, and served breakfast using Aunt Jemima’s prepared mix. The exhibition’s advertising featured the phrase “I’se in town, honey!”, which was a racist way of imitating the speech of slaves.
Immediately after the fair, the owners of Aunt Jemima offered her a lifetime contract to portray the character. However, it is more likely that what they wanted was the rights to caricature her rather than her as a person. She traveled throughout the United States for years until, at the age of 66 in 1900, she refused to cross the Atlantic to attend the Paris Exposition and was replaced by another African American woman, indicating that they cared more about the character itself than about her.
Slavery stories
To give you an idea of what it was like, Aunt Jemima was presented as a loyal cook on a Mississippi colonel’s plantation, and stories were invented about her flavor (“The recipe is from the South, from before the Civil War”), with nostalgia for the days of slavery. Another story claimed that she had revived a group of shipwreck survivors with her food. Merchandising with her face was widespread, including cut-out dolls from the product box and clothing for those dolls.
Aunt Jemima soon had a family: Uncle Rastus (later renamed “Uncle Mose”) and four children, in whose design Green had no say. The influencer, who helped put the brand on the map, continued working with the Walkers as if her face wasn’t in every supermarket until she passed away at the age of 89 in a house in Chicago with her nieces and nephews. By that time, Aunt Jemima was launching rag dolls of her character with oversized mouths, missing teeth, and torn pants.
The story of the “happy slave” was very common among brands created by white men after the Civil War, although it added even more pain to the racism in the United States. The last actress to portray Aunt Jemima did so in 1964 at Disneyland. She was even friends with Walt Disney! In 2020, the brand removed the racist caricature from its packaging, and in 2021 it was announced that its new name would be Pearl Milling Company, the original company that was founded in that flour mill. It took them nearly 150 years to realize that a narrative based on slavery only reopened wounds. How things change.
Paula Gonu, the 30-year-old influencer who has confessed that, as part of Mediterranean gastronomy, she once ate her meniscus. With a bolognese, yes. What are we? Monsters?
Every day miracle diets appear on social networks, those that promise that you will lose twenty kilos in a week and a half eating bread, rice and pastries. It sounds impossible (because it is) but they will always be healthier than the diet that, it seems, has chosen Paula Gonu, the 30-year-old influencer who has confessed that, as part of Mediterranean cuisine, she once ate her meniscus. With a bolognese, of course. What are we, monsters?
It all started when he had to go to the doctor for an operation because his meniscus was too big. As it was a more or less normal operation, he was chatting with the doctor and in the end he encouraged him to take it home in a small jar with formaldehyde. “It’s yours,” he told her. It’s not a lie, of course: some have Chinese vases, others Rubik’s cubes, Paula Gonu has menisci in formaldehyde. About tastes…
A week later, Gonu was with her partner of the moment and confessed to him that she wanted to eat him. “Just kidding” she says, excusing herself that it was hers. Con la coña normally you order a pizza with pineapple or eat more spice than you should, but Gonu eats a knee sandwich. Not the Knee, no, you read that right.
We hope the bolognese sauce came out great, because you don’t always want to eat your own body parts. “It’s mine and it was clean, it was a piece. I’m sure you’ve eaten worse,” he said on the Club 113 podcast, with all of his callers aware of having eaten at Taco Bell at one time or another. So, just like the protagonists of ‘¡Viven!’ but in its Madrid bourgeoisie version, the influencer can now say that she has innovated like Daviz Muñoz. He has eaten semen, she has eaten meniscus. What doesn’t occur to one occurs to the other.
None of the strange experiments at the world's most popular burger joint can match the biggest flop in its history. So much so that few have heard of it: the Hula Burger.
Despite being the queen of fast food, McDonald’s has not always been right in the new menus it has proposed to customers. Sure, a piece of breaded chicken is not the same as a lobster sandwich (the horrible McLobster) or eating hot dogs in a place where they don’t look like anything (McHotDog). But none of the bizarre experiments of the world’s most popular burger joint can match the biggest failure in its history. So much so that few have heard of it: the Hula Burger.
Let’s go back to 1961. If you have seen the movie ‘The Founder’ you will know that Ray Kroc, a door-to-door salesman, bought the McDonald’s franchise from its true creators, brothers Richard and Maurice, after seven years of helping them grow the franchise. Thus, this man became the leader of the company and announced that all decisions would have to go through him. In fact, although his techniques were completely unethical, he is the one to whom the restaurant owes its fame.
But not all of his ideas were good, of course: two years after buying McDonald’s, a store in Ohio began to show a noticeable drop in sales. The reason? The Lenten season in a very religious population that, for forty days, could eat virtually none of the menus offered by the franchise. The store’s owner, Lou Groen, was not willing to go bankrupt without a fight, and created his own hamburger, one that still survives to this day.
He took a piece of fish, breaded it and put it between bread and bread: the Filet-o-fish (although still without its iconic name in English) was born. Business picked up and Groen thought it was such a good idea that he tried to take it to the upper echelons. However, when it came time for Kroc to approve it, what he did instead was laugh at him saying “You always come up with a bunch of shit! I don’t want my shops to stink with the smell of fish!”
We are a pineapple
Of course! Who would want to buy a fish fillet between two hamburger buns? That didn’t make any sense! And to prove it, he would duel it out with the new snack he had created: the Hula Burger. The winner would continue on the menu and the other would be eliminated forever. Spoiler: if you don’t see the Hula Burger around, there’s a reason.
Putting pineapple on pizza or not is a fairly common debate on the Internet that usually has no clear solution (the Hawaiian exists for a reason), but this one seems clearer: a cheeseburger in which the meat is replaced by a piece of grilled pineapple. It’s tasty, isn’t it? Of course it doesn’t. Not now, not in 1963. At the store where the test was conducted, 350 people chose the fish fillet, and far, far fewer went for the other aberration.
After the test, Roy Kovac gave up and put the fish fillet on the regular menu, where, to the surprise of many, it remains. In fact, the advertisement in 1965 named it “The fish that catches you people”. It is true that in Spain it is not popular, in the world 300 million are bought throughout the year, so there must be something in the water -or, rather, in the fish burger- when they bless it.
