Grocery
A grocery is a food market.
Description[edit]
Meals purchased at markets or in restaurants are often delicious and comfortably filling, but will not sustain travellers long on the road. Most markets offer travellers packs of rations in quantity. Prices vary greatly from town to town. Farmers will usually be glad to sell the passing traveller eggs, fruits, vegetables or whatever else they produce. At the Farmer's Market in Britain, the fruits, vegetables, eggs and meats produced on the farms of Britannia may be found for sale.
For a quick meal one could do no better than to sample the wares of the local food vendor. To find the local food vendor, one need only listen for his friendly bark and call.
History[edit]
Age of Darkness[edit]
Groceries were very common in the cities of old Sosaria in the Age of Darkness in Ultima I and Ultima III, offering food to modest prices. Such shops also existed during the time-warp on Earth in Ultima II, only that their workings at time might have looked strange to people from Sosaria.
Age of Enlightenment[edit]
Traditional groceries persisted well into the Age of Enlightenment and were still a common sight in cities during the time of Ultima IV, where they as usual offered their wares. At the time of Ultima V however, they had vanished from the cities when the taverns started to offer food besides their usual drinks, and only few other outlets survived.
Only during Ultima VI did the monopoly of the taverns on food sales weaken, and purchase directly from the producers such as bakeries and slaughterhouses became possible.
Age of Armageddon[edit]
In the Age of Armageddon during Ultima VII the situation had relaxed further and besides the previous outlets, it had become possible to buy from farms directly and the traditional grocery had made a comeback in form of the Farmer's Market in Britain. However, further into this age the Great Cataclysm ravaged the land and ordered food production broke down, leaving only few outlets for food available.
Lore[edit]
| “ | None can live without sustenance. The food shoppes of Sosaria provide the local populace with fresh produce and meats, while the adventurer can find provisions therein that will last for weeks in the wilderness with no special care. – from The First Age of Darkness (Ultima I)
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| “ | While the typical fare here wouldst never be considered gourmet, the food does not spoil on long adventures. – from The Book of Play (Ultima III)
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| “ | Little is worse than being far from a town and finding thyself and one's companions starving to death because the person in charge of the expedition (thou) hast forgotten to buy enough food. Be sure to lay in a plentiful supply at each opportunity. Thy fellow travelers will most certainly be appreciative of thy foresight. – from The History of Britannia (Ultima IV)
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| “ | Meals purchased at markets or in restaurants are often delicious and comfortably filling, but will not sustain travellers long on the road. Most markets offer travellers packs of rations in quantity. Prices vary greatly from towne to towne. – from The Book of Lore (Ultima V)
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| “ | Since the times before our great societal expansion, farming and animal husbandry have been the cornerstones of the Britannian economy. It is the farmer who grows fine grains for the baker and the baker who makes our bread. It is the rancher who tends the cattle for meat and dairy products, keeping our stores and pubs filled with the necessities of life. In life like manner, the shepherd supplies wool to the makers of cloth who, in turn, enable the clothiers to ply their trade. In these and many other ways, Britannia owes its livelihood to the persistent laborers of the soil.
Most of the major towns in Britannia have at least one shop dedicated to caring for the traveller's need for food and supplies. The wise traveller will learn to examine the varied inventories carried by different merchants, making note of the shopkeepers who stock rare and unusual items — one never knows when such knowledge may be of use. – from Compendium (Ultima VI)
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| “ | While in recent years a series of droughts has hurt agricultural production in certain areas of Britannia, most farmers are enjoying a resurgence of bountiful harvests. Farmers will usually be glad to sell the passing traveller eggs, fruits, vegetables or whatever else they produce.
At the Farmer's Market in Britain, the fruits, vegetables, eggs and meats produced on the farms of Britannia may be found for sale. For a quick meal one could do no better than to sample the wares of the local food vendor. To find the local food vendor, one need only listen for ones friendly bark and call. – from The Book of Fellowship (Ultima VII)
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| “ | Farmers — This term applies to any who tend either livestock or vegetation for a living. The temperate climate in the central area so unlike the frozen north, permits farmers to continue in much the same way their forebears did when they first arrived. Pass a farmer and one is likely to be offered an egg, chicken, fruit or whatever else they grow |
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Gallery[edit]
Agricultural fields
| Shops | |
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| Shops | Apothecary ☥ Armoury ☥ Bakery ☥ Clothier ☥ Fletchers and bowyers ☥ Grocery Healer ☥ Inn ☥ Jeweler ☥ Provisioner ☥ Shipwright ☥ Stables ☥ Tavern ☥ Trainer |
| Shops of Old | Armour shop ☥ Magic shop ☥ Oracle ☥ Weapon shop |