(KayleeArafinwiel) It began with a blanket, a dog, and a war

[KayleeArafinwiel]

"Do they cook anything that doesn't contain onions??" she exclaimed.
Her friend smiled wryly. "Well, if you're going to follow in my footsteps, we'd best find you something."

What's going on?

[GalFisk]

Did it begin with a blanket, a dog, and a war?
She: HAF? They: HAM? Friend: HAF? Does "she" dislike onions? Follow in my footsteps: do the same job? Walk the same physical path? Experience the same things? Take over a task? Or business? Do they in fact cook anything without onions? Do they cook for someone who likes onions? Do they have an abundance of onions? Properties of onions other than taste and nutrition relevant? Such as tear gas? Medical properties? Cultivation? Cost? Animals not liking them very much?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

Did it begin with a blanket, a dog, and a war? well something does, at any rate - explore.
She: HAF? *looks at self* I think so
They: HAM? H/Mixed
Friend: HAF? Yes
Does "she" dislike onions? Yes, for good reasons
Follow in my footsteps: do the same job? Walk the same physical path? Experience the same things? thisTake over a task? Or business? Do they in fact cook anything without onions? I'm not sure yet. I hope so
Do they cook for someone who likes onions? They seem to like onions a lot
Do they have an abundance of onions? Maybe
Properties of onions other than taste and nutrition relevant? Only that I have a strong sensitivity to them,
Such as tear gas? Medical properties? Cultivation? I assume They cultivate them in some quantities, or import them, but I don't know Cost? Animals not liking them very much?rest n.r.

[WiZ]

Are 'they' the staff at a place that serves food? Are you at a place of business? Cafe? Restaurant? Cafeteria (such as at a school or office)? Camp? Soup kitchen? Food truck?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

Are 'they' the staff at a place that serves food? some of them might be. think less specifically
Are you at a place of business? Cafe? Restaurant? Cafeteria (such as at a school or office)? Camp? Soup kitchen? Food truck? I am at none of these, OTWT, but food is involved

[Doriana]

SCA relevant?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

SCA relevant? no - but maybe I could ask some people in the SCA for help! so they COULD be relevant! good idea

[Doriana]

Travelling relevant? If so, travelling abroad? Travelling to a country/region that is known for cooking with onions?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

Travelling relevant? not literally travelling, but not far from the right forestIf so, travelling abroad? yesish Travelling to a country/region that is known for cooking with onions? yesish

[Doriana]

Hmm... not literally travelling... travelling in an online game? in a role-playing game? in a story?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

Hmm... not literally travelling... travelling in an online game? for svv of 'game' in a role-playing game? in a story? no, but the person who I roleplay stories with most is important

[Earnest]

So first of all sorry for repeating...what is SCA?...do she and her friend need to eat sonething? Is the smell of onion cooked relevant? Is kissing relevant? They = a people living in a country? Is it a generic "they"? A specific one (meaning...they = a specific group of people composed let's say by less then 100 people?)?

She = you? Btw...does she want to eat something sweet? (Hope not) something in general? Did she want to eat? Relevant the reason why the friend smiled "wryly"? Did the friend mean "something to eat" when she said "we'd best find you something"? Were there McDonalds in the nearby? Other international chains of restaurants? Supermarkets (to buy chips...)?Were she and the friend on the outside? Inside a building? Relevant? Was quite everything done eith onions?
Had the friend in mind something illegal? Something crazy/wired? Out of the schemes? Eat something she had in her bag?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

Hi Earnest, thanks for all the great questions!

So first of all sorry for repeating...what is SCA?... It stands for 'Society for Creative Anachronism'. We're a medieval re-enactment group worldwide, To quote from www.sca.org "The Society for Creative Anachronism is an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts and skills of pre-17th-century Europe. Our “Known World” consists of 20 kingdoms, with over 30,000 members residing in countries around the world. Members, dressed in clothing of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, attend events which feature tournaments, royal courts, feasts, dancing, various classes & workshops, and more."

However, even though I am a member of the group, it's irrelevant to the current situation, though my friends in it could help me.

do she and her friend need to eat sonething? well, we all need to eat something eventually, don't we but svv of "need"

Is the smell of onion cooked relevant? Is kissing relevant? no

They = a people living in a country? YES! People living in a particular country relevant

Is it a generic "they"? other than the fact that it refers to people in a certain country, yes

A specific one (meaning...they = a specific group of people composed let's say by less then 100 people?)? not that specific

She = you? yes

Btw...does she want to eat something sweet? (Hope not) I often want to eat something sweet, but I want to eat a whole meal

something in general? a 3 course (or so) meal

Did she want to eat? I do, yes

Relevant the reason why the friend smiled "wryly"? not really, no, it's just what she said she did. It may help to know we aren't face to face having this conversation

Did the friend mean "something to eat" when she said "we'd best find you something"? yesish

Were there McDonalds in the nearby? irrelevant, but most likely

Other international chains of restaurants? irrelevant

Supermarkets (to buy chips...)? well I'll need to go to the supermarket to carry out my plan, but chips irrelevant

Were she and the friend on the outside? I'm unsure what you mean but I think not

Inside a building? Relevant? inside our own houses, mildly relevant

Was quite everything done eith onions? most of the recipes I've found seem to be

Had the friend in mind something illegal? I don't think this is illegal in the UK, or even in the US (and she works for the police, so I doubt she'd ever do something illegal)

Something crazy/wired? Depends on your definition of "crazy"...my mother isn't too thrilled with the idea

Out of the schemes? please rephrase, I don't understand the question

Eat something she had in her bag? she might, but I would be unable to eat what was in her bag

pretty good questions here! I think we covered a lot of ground. good job, Earnest!

[Balin]

Are onions common in that country's cooking? Do you intend to go to that country? Meet with people from that country?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

Are onions common in that country's cooking? they seem to beDo you intend to go to that country? Meet with people from that country? no to both

[Earnest]

Thanks kaylee!!!...so..were you cooking by yourselves? Were you cooking receipts provided by someone of the place? If so, had you got onions? Or have you ordered something? Smell of onion fried relevant?

Was your exlamation mainly due a) to the fact that you dislike onions? b) the fact that you wanted to cook something with onions but you did not find out?
Was it at dinner? At lunch? Relevant? Did you end up eating in your house? Outside? Was your main problem to eat something that did not contain onions?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

Thanks kaylee!!!...so..were you cooking by yourselves? she did cook by herself, I haven't cooked anything yet Were you cooking receipts provided by someone of the place? well the recipes come from websites, at least some of which are probably provided by people from the placeIf so, had you got onions? I haven'tOr have you ordered something? noSmell of onion fried relevant? the smell of onions hurts my nose, whether it's fried or not

Was your exlamation mainly due a) to the fact that you dislike onions? it's worse than a dislike b) the fact that you wanted to cook something with onions but you did not find out? no
Was it at dinner? At lunch? Relevant? It could be any 3 course meal, but probably dinnerDid you end up eating in your house? Outside? I haven't eaten anything from this country yetWas your main problem to eat something that did not contain onions? to cook and eat something without onions, yes

[Earnest]

Allergies relevant? To onions?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

Allergies relevant? yes To onions? yes, I'm allergic to onions. My friend is not.

[Earnest]

Ok ...follow my footsteps = literally follow her? Go somewhere? To the supermarket? Could you simply avoid to put onions on the food? Can we assune that onion was strictly necessary for the food to be properly cooked? (I mean there were no other ways to cook the food of the place properly if not with onion?) Did you end up eating something of the place? Relevant?

Are a blanket and a dog relevant? Did you try to reproduce a food without onions? Relevant the religion of the people living in the country? Muslims? Relevant the uses and costumes? The culture? Did your friend want to cook something in particular? Were you on holiday? Relevant? Was it forbidden to eat some type of food (or were them not present at all maybe)? Could you go to a restaurant? Fast food? Was also there all cooked with onions?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

Ok ...follow my footsteps = literally follow her? no Go somewhere? To the supermarket? none of these Could you simply avoid to put onions on the food? I don't think so Can we assune that onion was strictly necessary for the food to be properly cooked? (I mean there were no other ways to cook the food of the place properly if not with onion?) yes it seems soDid you end up eating something of the place? Relevant? not yet

Are a blanket and a dog relevant? yes, in the same way that the war is relevantDid you try to reproduce a food without onions? not yet Relevant the religion of the people living in the country? for figuring out what country, but not for any other reason Muslims? predominantly Muslim, I believeRelevant the uses and costumes? The culture? Did your friend want to cook something in particular? yesWere you on holiday? Relevant? Was it forbidden to eat some type of food (or were them not present at all maybe)? Could you go to a restaurant? Fast food? Was also there all cooked with onions? no to all the rest

RECAP:

I'm looking for recipes from a particular country that don't contain onions - a difficult task - because I want to do the same thing as my friend, "follow in her footsteps", but unlike her, I can't normally eat onions. The title is relevant to figuring out the (predominantly Muslim) country, but nothing about the country's customs, culture (except food) or religion are relevant to doing what I'm trying to do.

My friend and I are not in the same place when we have our conversation (not even in the same country, actually). Going on holiday, or to restaurants, whether fast food or not, is irrelevant.

To find out:

What sort of cooking project is my friend doing that I'm trying to replicate, and what country did she start with that I'm struggling on?

[Earnest]

Ok..so you were on a skype call? And you were both cooking right?

What do you mean by this: "what country did she start with"? So were you replicating dishes from different countries? Were you or your friend in the Muslim country?...sorry I'm getting a little bit lost

Is it a fish based food? A vegetable based food? A bread based food (pizza...)? Was it a dish coming from the muslim place? Have you found a receipt with onions that could be made also without them? If so are the modifications possibke just by following the footsteps of your friend? Just with the right ingredients? If so have you got them? Were there onions in the original receipt of the dish? If so are them substituted with another vegetable? With something else? Relevant? Is the dish a cold dish? Did you need to cook it with a cooker? An oven? Sonething else relevant? Were you cooking simoultaneously?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

Ok..so you were on a skype call? well, skype text chat And you were both cooking right? no - she's been cooking, I plan to cook

What do you mean by this: "what country did she start with"? So were you replicating dishes from different countries? she has been, I plan to Were you or your friend in the Muslim country? no...sorry I'm getting a little bit lost hopefully this helps

Is it a fish based food? noA vegetable based food? one of them yesish, others no A bread based food (pizza...)? noWas it a dish coming from the muslim place? dishes from the muslim place, yes Have you found a receipt with onions that could be made also without them? not so far, unfortunately If so are the modifications possible just by following the footsteps of your friend? noJust with the right ingredients? I haven't yet figured out what to substitute with If so have you got them? noWere there onions in the original receipt of the dish? in two of the three dishes yes, in the third no If so are them substituted with another vegetable? With something else? Relevant? if I could figure out substitutions I would be able to cook them Is the dish a cold dish? none of them are Did you need to cook it with a cooker? the first and second dishes require the stovetop An oven? the third dish (the dessert) requires an ovenSonething else relevant? Were you cooking simoultaneously? no

[Balin]

Are the potential substitutions not native to the Muslim country?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

Are the potential substitutions not native to the Muslim country?
I do not know what potential substitutions there could be

[Earnest]

Ok so it is clear that you haven't yet nor cooked nor eaten something fron that place right? Therefore the "follow in my footsteps" sentence does not mean "you do what I do" or "you cook as I suggest you to cook" right?

If instead you have cooked, maybe have you cooked with onions and someone else ate it for you? Or better (if you have an allergy I suppose you are unable even to handle onions right?) did someone else cook under your instructions? Did you pursue a tradition of the muslim place (e.g. you put a blanket on as a burqua or those clothes of muslim women, maybe not to breath onion?)? Did you find out a way to cook with onions?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

Ok so it is clear that you haven't yet nor cooked nor eaten something fron that place right? not yetTherefore the "follow in my footsteps" sentence does not mean "you do what I do" or "you cook as I suggest you to cook" right? no, it does - I just haven't done it yet, but I plan to, once I figure out how

If instead you have cooked, maybe have you cooked with onions and someone else ate it for you? noOr better (if you have an allergy I suppose you are unable even to handle onions right?) rightdid someone else cook under your instructions? noDid you pursue a tradition of the muslim place (e.g. you put a blanket on as a burqua or those clothes of muslim women, maybe not to breath onion?)? irrelevantDid you find out a way to cook with onions? not yet

[Earnest]

So did you follow your friend's footsteps? Had your friend a blog? A kitchen blog? Did she post dishes from other countries on a regular basis on the internet? Is she used to do dishes from other countries?
"Follow in my footsteps" = follow my footsteps immediately? In an undefined amount of time (days/months?)? Did you plan to reproduce what she was doing? Did you text her in order to ask her wheather actually she could find out something not containing onions from that country? Is your friend a blogger? Youtuber?

[GalFisk]

Are you planning to: cook food from different cultures? Eat the food you cook? Document (such as film or write about) the cooking process? The eating? Publicize the documentation (such as in a magazine or on the web)? Serve food to people of different cultures? Earn money doing the thing you plan to do?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

So did you follow your friend's footsteps? not yetHad your friend a blog? we can call it a blog, yesA kitchen blog? not just thisDid she post dishes from other countries on a regular basis on the internet? she's trying toIs she used to do dishes from other countries? she is doing recipes from different countries, in a certain order
"Follow in my footsteps" = follow my footsteps immediately? noIn an undefined amount of time yes (days/months?)?more like months, but exact amount n.r. Did you plan to reproduce what she was doing? yesDid you text her in order to ask her whether actually she could find out something not containing onions from that country? noIs your friend a blogger? of a sortYoutuber?no

[KayleeArafinwiel]

Are you planning to: cook food from different cultures? yes!Eat the food you cook? yes!Document (such as film or write about) the cooking process? write about/take pictures, yesThe eating? yesPublicize the documentation (such as in a magazine or on the web)? on the web, yesServe food to people of different cultures? scratch that, reverse it Earn money doing the thing you plan to do?probably not

[Doriana]

I can haz recat, err, recap plz?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

o yez, can haz recat...er, recap. here iz

RECAP:

I'm looking for recipes from a particular (predominantly Muslim) country that don't contain onions, because I want to work on the same cooking project as my friend, (which is what is meant by the phrase "follow in her footsteps"), but unlike her, I can't normally eat onions.

There is a blog-like community site she belongs to - it's a sort of "bucket list" of things the 'blogger' wants to do that they check off as they work on/complete them. One of these things involves cooking three course meals from different countries, but there's more to find out about it than that.

The title is relevant to figuring out the name of the country, but nothing about the country's customs, culture (except food) or religion are relevant to doing what I'm trying to do.

My friend and I were not in the same place when we had our conversation (not even in the same country, actually). Going on holiday, or to restaurants, whether fast food or not, is irrelevant.

To find out:

What country did she start with that I'm struggling on, and why did she start with that one in particular (so that I have to, also?)

[Doriana]

Is the country Afghanistan? (Afghans are a type of blanket and also a dog breed, and of course there is the war in Afghanistan)

Does she follow an alphabetical list of countries?

[KayleeArafinwiel]

Is the country Afghanistan? (Afghans are a type of blanket and also a dog breed, and of course there is the war in Afghanistan)

Does she follow an alphabetical list of countries?

A resounding YES to both!!! And ***SPOILER***

My British friend Emma, who has starred in a few of my previous puzzles (mostly on the old group, I think), belongs to the website dayzeroproject.com, as do I. The idea is to make lists of things you want to accomplish in certain amounts of time (or with no deadline at all), in the vein of a "bucket list". One of Emma's projects is "Cook a meal from every country in the world alphabetically", and I've decided I want to follow her in that. Working with the Wikipedia list of widely recognised countries, the first alphabetically is Afghanistan. Afghan cooking uses a surplus of onions; of the three dishes Emma made for her Afghan three course dinner, only the almond cookies don't contain onions! (Well, I would HOPE they didn't!) The first and second courses both do, and I thought about trying to make other Afghan foods that don't contain onions instead...but I haven't found any yet! Afghanis must really love onions!!

Thanks to Earnest for playing so diligently, to Doriana kitteh for the solve, and to everyone else who contributed!

[Earnest]

Thanks kaylee very nice puzzle! And congrats Doriana

[Doriana]

Thanks, Earnest, for your groundwork! And nice puzzle indeed, Kaylee - let us know if you ever find an Afghan recipe with no onions.

[Balin]

Very nice, and good luck with the cooking!