GreenTengu
Adventurer
This is something I wrote for another forum, it might be useful here. I wanted to create more fully rounded and fleshed out versions of the races, so I planned to write about various aspects of their cultures. I got through cuisines and music and intended to do performance art and visual art, but stopped early on due to lack of interest. I did the standard four demihumans (Dwarfs, Elves, Gnomes and Halflings) too, but they aren't really relevant to this topic. But I think this conveys the contrast I see in them.
Cuisine
Goblins
Goblins are hardly ever in a position to be picky eaters about anything, so it would be easy enough to say "Goblins will eat whatever the other races discard or leave unguarded and like it" and that would be true enough. But surely there are still things that get them more excited than others. Given their short lifespan and hyperactivity, I am going to guess that they go absolutely crazy for sweets-- sugar in any of its varieties is probably quite the addictive drug to them. Goblins might even be the experts in the D&D world at making "foods" that are just purely made of sugar-- rock candy, caramel, cotton candy-- as long as it doesn't take much more than heat, water and some experimentation until you get it right, it isn't going to be hard to imagine the Goblins coming up with it. Of course, that is those of the Goblin race who get an opportunity to develop such things.
More commonly, Goblins probably love their hotpots. They might have a dozen names for it, but as long as the basic idea is "scrounge up whatever you can find and we'll just boil it all together in water", that's almost certainly the Goblins' daily cuisine. I can't imagine that Goblins have any special drinks that they produce, often they will be just happy to find clean water.
Hobgoblins
The Hobgoblins seem to primarily make their homes in either mountains or in marshlands or islands. Furthermore, they probably want to make any fields they are going to divert to farming into being effectively defensive structures. So, I think the Hobgoblins are probably going to specialize in rice. Rice is generally grown in a flooded plain, and those flooded plains serve well as moats which prevent enemies from easily coming up on them. Of course, no self-respecting Hobgoblin wants to work any such field themselves and so they usually gather up a bunch of goblin workers or anyone else they can force to work for them into doing that work. Those that live in the mountain probably rely on various kinds of birds, chickens, turkeys, or whatever is available-- while those who live near the sea probably love various kinds of fish and other seafood. Fishing requires a fair bit of skill and so maybe the Hobgoblins wouldn't see that as below their station. I have this idea that Hobgoblins like to heavily salt and/or spice their food for the preservative and anti-bacterial benefits, which probably makes the most extreme of Hobgoblin food almost entirely inedible to other races. It would also be easy to imagine Hobgoblins competing over who could eat the spiciest food without showing any ill effects and so they have gotten used to it. So while Elves also produce spices, the Elves spices are meant to be sweet while the Hobgoblin-produced spices are designed to be as strong as possible. This could also indicate a weakness that Hobgoblins have over their smaller cousins-- while the "lesser" Goblins can just about eat anything without ill effects, the Hobgoblins spice their food because, despite being physically tough, they are far more prone to illness from eating spoiled or bacteria-ridden food.
Those Hobgoblins who live in marshlands or on islands may also grow sugar cane. The sugar can be used to keep the Goblin slaves in line through a carrot-and-stick approach. I also would like to think that perhaps the Hobgoblins produce the rum, particularly spiced rum, in the D&D world. Generally both too sweet and too spicy for more races, the Hobgoblins might love it so much that it is just one more thing to make them never want to leave their society.
Orcs
The Orcs are often depicted as thriving in frozen, tundra environments, taking shelter in caves generally avoiding the sunlight. And, while I think that Orcs probably do have iron guts that can digest just about anything, I have a few ideas based on this. First, I think perhaps that a good reason why Orcs don't produce permanent settlements and fortresses and instead rely on caves and tents is not because they are so intellectually deficient that they are unable to learn how to do so-- they may not be as technologically progressive as Gnomes, but they can certainly do that much-- but rather because Orcs are nomadic. They probably follow around herds of some sort of prey animal such as reindeer. When they kill one, they probably skin it and then eat virtually everything but the antlers and teeth-- meat, innards, brain, even biting open the bones to get at the marrow-- no part of the animal goes to waste because every part contains essential nutrients that Orcs need to survive their sunless, frigid existence. Perhaps Orcs also keep some sort of frost-resistant boars that can help them hunt down edible fungi and moss. Perhaps they are even experts at finding truffles. These boars are probably consumed in their near entirety once they become too old to be useful. I also imagine that Orcs also likely consume their own dead (as well as that of any races they slay) as they absolutely cannot allow anything potentially edible to go to waste-- and while that may be a good way to spread disease, the Orcs are probably far more resistant to disease than humans are.
In addition, I have an idea that perhaps the Orcs milk the reindeer too. They probably drink milk for additional fat and protein, after all their bodies indicate they get plenty of both. They may be the biggest producers of non-cattle cheese and yogurt. Their favorite beverage might even be a milk/yogurt drink, perhaps one even fermented enough to have some alcoholic content like those produced in Mongolia.
Music
Goblins
Goblins prefer simple percussion instruments that do not take too much effort to create nor skill to get a sound out of. Bells and castanets are popular instruments as are make-shift ones which utilize objects designed for other purposes. Everyone plays their instruments together in what may sound like a horrid, chaotic cacophony to anyone else, but to them expresses the vibe of their community. Ideally, rather than any particular individual standing out, everyone should feel brought together and connected by the music. Chanting and hollaring are often done during these tribal musical festivals.
Hobgoblins
Hobgoblins prefer to use large drums and variety of stringed instruments, often those that cannot be carried. Their stringed performances are often solo with perhaps a drummer in accompaniment. They are often high speed and quite difficult to replicate. The Hobgoblin musician takes great pride in being able to perform a often needlessly fast, complicated and intense piece of music designed to get people's blood rushing that no one else can replicate. After all-- they need to prove their mastery of the instrument. Even their slower, moodier songs are not without dramatic flare. The drummers, however, are paradoxically quite the opposite. Often a large number of drummers will get together and play identically, perfectly in synch. Traditionally they would spread the drummers out across legions of troops and they would help everyone keep a marching beat. Although over time they have moved from simplistic beats to more complicated rhythms. Singing is strictly kept out of Hobgoblin music, however they may use music in accompaniment with an epic poem or a stage performance.
Orcs
Orcs create drums and other percussion instruments from the skin and bones of the creatures they kill. Although Orcs can absolutely create horns from the well-- horns of the animals, the large tusks protruding from most Orc's mouths means they tend to shy away from instruments that they would need to use their lips to play. No Orc instrument is identical as they do not have a tradition dictating precise construction of their instruments. Instead, each Orc musician usually creates their own instrument that they use until it breaks or they tire of it and then create a new one utilizing the lessons they learned from the last. Orc music is also quite simplistic-- no concept of tone or melody, only of beat. The Orc musician opens their spirit up to the natural spirits around them, those of the sky, the trees, the mountain and the people and then lets it flow through them to create their song. Chanting and clapping are often done as a major part of the Orcs tribal musical performances, with all but the gruffest and most stalwart members of the tribe joining in.
Cuisine
Goblins
Goblins are hardly ever in a position to be picky eaters about anything, so it would be easy enough to say "Goblins will eat whatever the other races discard or leave unguarded and like it" and that would be true enough. But surely there are still things that get them more excited than others. Given their short lifespan and hyperactivity, I am going to guess that they go absolutely crazy for sweets-- sugar in any of its varieties is probably quite the addictive drug to them. Goblins might even be the experts in the D&D world at making "foods" that are just purely made of sugar-- rock candy, caramel, cotton candy-- as long as it doesn't take much more than heat, water and some experimentation until you get it right, it isn't going to be hard to imagine the Goblins coming up with it. Of course, that is those of the Goblin race who get an opportunity to develop such things.
More commonly, Goblins probably love their hotpots. They might have a dozen names for it, but as long as the basic idea is "scrounge up whatever you can find and we'll just boil it all together in water", that's almost certainly the Goblins' daily cuisine. I can't imagine that Goblins have any special drinks that they produce, often they will be just happy to find clean water.
Hobgoblins
The Hobgoblins seem to primarily make their homes in either mountains or in marshlands or islands. Furthermore, they probably want to make any fields they are going to divert to farming into being effectively defensive structures. So, I think the Hobgoblins are probably going to specialize in rice. Rice is generally grown in a flooded plain, and those flooded plains serve well as moats which prevent enemies from easily coming up on them. Of course, no self-respecting Hobgoblin wants to work any such field themselves and so they usually gather up a bunch of goblin workers or anyone else they can force to work for them into doing that work. Those that live in the mountain probably rely on various kinds of birds, chickens, turkeys, or whatever is available-- while those who live near the sea probably love various kinds of fish and other seafood. Fishing requires a fair bit of skill and so maybe the Hobgoblins wouldn't see that as below their station. I have this idea that Hobgoblins like to heavily salt and/or spice their food for the preservative and anti-bacterial benefits, which probably makes the most extreme of Hobgoblin food almost entirely inedible to other races. It would also be easy to imagine Hobgoblins competing over who could eat the spiciest food without showing any ill effects and so they have gotten used to it. So while Elves also produce spices, the Elves spices are meant to be sweet while the Hobgoblin-produced spices are designed to be as strong as possible. This could also indicate a weakness that Hobgoblins have over their smaller cousins-- while the "lesser" Goblins can just about eat anything without ill effects, the Hobgoblins spice their food because, despite being physically tough, they are far more prone to illness from eating spoiled or bacteria-ridden food.
Those Hobgoblins who live in marshlands or on islands may also grow sugar cane. The sugar can be used to keep the Goblin slaves in line through a carrot-and-stick approach. I also would like to think that perhaps the Hobgoblins produce the rum, particularly spiced rum, in the D&D world. Generally both too sweet and too spicy for more races, the Hobgoblins might love it so much that it is just one more thing to make them never want to leave their society.
Orcs
The Orcs are often depicted as thriving in frozen, tundra environments, taking shelter in caves generally avoiding the sunlight. And, while I think that Orcs probably do have iron guts that can digest just about anything, I have a few ideas based on this. First, I think perhaps that a good reason why Orcs don't produce permanent settlements and fortresses and instead rely on caves and tents is not because they are so intellectually deficient that they are unable to learn how to do so-- they may not be as technologically progressive as Gnomes, but they can certainly do that much-- but rather because Orcs are nomadic. They probably follow around herds of some sort of prey animal such as reindeer. When they kill one, they probably skin it and then eat virtually everything but the antlers and teeth-- meat, innards, brain, even biting open the bones to get at the marrow-- no part of the animal goes to waste because every part contains essential nutrients that Orcs need to survive their sunless, frigid existence. Perhaps Orcs also keep some sort of frost-resistant boars that can help them hunt down edible fungi and moss. Perhaps they are even experts at finding truffles. These boars are probably consumed in their near entirety once they become too old to be useful. I also imagine that Orcs also likely consume their own dead (as well as that of any races they slay) as they absolutely cannot allow anything potentially edible to go to waste-- and while that may be a good way to spread disease, the Orcs are probably far more resistant to disease than humans are.
In addition, I have an idea that perhaps the Orcs milk the reindeer too. They probably drink milk for additional fat and protein, after all their bodies indicate they get plenty of both. They may be the biggest producers of non-cattle cheese and yogurt. Their favorite beverage might even be a milk/yogurt drink, perhaps one even fermented enough to have some alcoholic content like those produced in Mongolia.
Music
Goblins
Goblins prefer simple percussion instruments that do not take too much effort to create nor skill to get a sound out of. Bells and castanets are popular instruments as are make-shift ones which utilize objects designed for other purposes. Everyone plays their instruments together in what may sound like a horrid, chaotic cacophony to anyone else, but to them expresses the vibe of their community. Ideally, rather than any particular individual standing out, everyone should feel brought together and connected by the music. Chanting and hollaring are often done during these tribal musical festivals.
Hobgoblins
Hobgoblins prefer to use large drums and variety of stringed instruments, often those that cannot be carried. Their stringed performances are often solo with perhaps a drummer in accompaniment. They are often high speed and quite difficult to replicate. The Hobgoblin musician takes great pride in being able to perform a often needlessly fast, complicated and intense piece of music designed to get people's blood rushing that no one else can replicate. After all-- they need to prove their mastery of the instrument. Even their slower, moodier songs are not without dramatic flare. The drummers, however, are paradoxically quite the opposite. Often a large number of drummers will get together and play identically, perfectly in synch. Traditionally they would spread the drummers out across legions of troops and they would help everyone keep a marching beat. Although over time they have moved from simplistic beats to more complicated rhythms. Singing is strictly kept out of Hobgoblin music, however they may use music in accompaniment with an epic poem or a stage performance.
Orcs
Orcs create drums and other percussion instruments from the skin and bones of the creatures they kill. Although Orcs can absolutely create horns from the well-- horns of the animals, the large tusks protruding from most Orc's mouths means they tend to shy away from instruments that they would need to use their lips to play. No Orc instrument is identical as they do not have a tradition dictating precise construction of their instruments. Instead, each Orc musician usually creates their own instrument that they use until it breaks or they tire of it and then create a new one utilizing the lessons they learned from the last. Orc music is also quite simplistic-- no concept of tone or melody, only of beat. The Orc musician opens their spirit up to the natural spirits around them, those of the sky, the trees, the mountain and the people and then lets it flow through them to create their song. Chanting and clapping are often done as a major part of the Orcs tribal musical performances, with all but the gruffest and most stalwart members of the tribe joining in.
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