Food. Umbagollians are not great meat-eaters. The early settlers were inexperienced hunters who found that cultivating plants and plucking berries suited them better than sprinting across the countryside after rapidly-running game. Some, however, are excellent fisherfolk, able to spear, trap and net fish with great facility, and Bird-farming is well established in Gum Gooloo Gum Jublet. Food Sources. Umbagollah's most important vegetable crop is Hair, a type of grass that grows six feet high and is cultivated across vast tracts of the North-West Flatlands. Hair stalks are circular and hollow. When put in a mortar and mashed they give off a sweet, nourishing juice which is alleged to cure impotence and cancer. Split them along one side, roll them out flat and dry them, and you have a long-lasting snack. Stewed and placed in pies they are delicious, not to mention so nutritious that a person could live for months eating nothing else (this has actually been proven). Fish, mollusks and other seafoods are the most popular source of meat around the waterways. They are eaten, cooked and raw and in a multitude of recipes, throughout the country. In areas away from large stretches of water, the role of fish and seafood is filled by small animals and insects. Root vegetables are grown throughout the country, primarily in the Provinces of Gum Gooloo Gum Jublet and Ex. They are valued in the Falling Hills where few other crops can be cultivated without sustaining severe wind damage. Varieties of water weed are harvested from all of Umbagollah's rivers, and from the sea. They range in texture from the soft, plump leaves of the freshwater Dog, to the harsh tangy bite of Brick stalks. One of Cumber Poidy's most prized exports is the rare Table weed which grows in deep sea-trenches on the northern side of the island. Table is harvested exclusively by the Glass family who train their children in the art of holding one's breath for long peroids of time and swimming like mad. The Glasses are one of Poidy's richest families, but they also tend to lose more offspring then most. Meals. A typical Umbagollian meal will consist of one or two large, plain pieces of food, such as fish or fruit, surrounded by dozens of small bowls of sauce, paste, herbs and other extras. Different parts of the country practice variations on the basic theme. For example: In Gum Gooloo Gum Jublet, a typical meal consists of two plates of absorbent pods and leaves (and sometimes small roasted birds) accompanied by shallow dishes of fruit paste, herbs, beetles, honey and vegetable syrup. The food is always fresh, the plants will be newly picked, ripe and crisp. Goolooians have wonderful instincts when it comes to selecting food from trees and vines. In Jail, scraps of fish, offal, insects, seaweed and plant matter are boiled up into a large pot of stew and chunks of savoury Hair cake are used for dipping. Stew is also popular in the rest of the North-West, but the farmers' meals tend to be fresher and tastier, without the distinctive salty, fishy taste of Jail stew. Food in the Falling Hills is sparse. Root vegetables will form the centrepiece of a meal, attended by herbs, grasshoppers, mashed scraps of meat and whatever plants grow in the area. Strong herbs are the recurrant ingrediant across the Hills, because they are relatively easy to grow, and they take away the blandness of the root vegetables. Exians nibble at fragile, spicy morsels. The centrepiece food at an Exian table is usually overwhelmed by the profusion of tiny bowls surrounding it, and there will be a great emphasis on the texture and smell of the food as well as the taste. Harsh, sharp-tasting leaves will be set against sweet, soft fruit mash, crunchy, salty toasted beetles and plump, bland scallops. The land around their city is not terribly fertile, so a lot of their food is brought in from other areas of the country, leading to accusations of plundering. Snacks. Umbagollians like to graze. The city streets are alive with vendors, baskets of treats swaying from the ends of the poles they carry across their necks or held strapped to their stomachs. Even the smaller towns have their traders. Some popular snacks are: Insects, alive and preserved. Pickled fruit and vegetables. Dried seaweed rolled around various fillings. Honey-ice: honey and water frozen together, and fruit-ice: water and fruit frozen together. Around the upper reaches of the North and South Thrip Rivers, fish-ice is also popular. Birds, frogs and fish served freshly skewered and roasted from small roadside ovens.