What do people eat in Pokemon?

[Arcis]

Well? Seriously, I'm trying to write a believable story and it just hit me... I have no idea. I remember seeing steaks and sushi and all sorts of normal things in the anime, but if so... where does it come from? Are those Tauros steaks and Crawdaunt scampi?

I apologize if that offends, frankly, it turns me off too, but let's be realistic here - who's seen a cow or caught a shrimp in Pokemon? Is this one of those things that invisibly exists, like hospitals and firestations and just wasn't put in the game?

I'd really like some input on this from you guys. And if you read this and don't know, talk to your friends and see if they have good ideas. If they do, have them post! I'm interested!

 

[Feign]

Yeah, I'd think it best to just use parts of pokemon for food. The only thing off the top of my head that I can remember being mentioned in terms of pokemon and food, is a magikarp, but even then appareantly they don't have a lot of meat.

Otherwise, you could just westernize it (as what WB did) XD

Mmmmm jelly donut...

Mmmmm bouncing sandwhich...

 

[Negative-Zero]

i bet they use mangled pokemon for food
LOL

but seriusley where do they get the food is there like a magical meat producer?

 

[Weirdguy]

Maybe they eat the pokémon; in D/P/Pt, you can read in the library the next text:
Pick clean the bones of Pokémon caught in the sea or stream. Thank them for the meals they provide, and pick their bones clean. When the bones are as clean as can be, set them free in the water from which they came. The Pokémon will return, fully fleshed, and it begins anew. I can imagine myself eating a big, Tauros burger, or grilled Remoraid sticks...

 

[Haruka of Hoenn]

It would make sense for them to eat Pokemon, just like humans eat other animals. Since they don't have cows or horses or anything in the Pokemon world, the meat has to come from Pokemon. The reason they don't show it in the anime is probably because since they've put so much emphasis on Pokemon being partners and friends, it would seem weird for the younger viewers to hear 'This fresh steak was made from the best Tauros meat there is!'. That's my theory anyway. When I write in characters eating meat, I would casually put something like 'Miltank beef' etc.

 

[Feign]

It would make sense for them to eat Pokemon, just like humans eat other animals. Since they don't have cows or horses or anything in the Pokemon world, the meat has to come from Pokemon. The reason they don't show it in the anime is probably because since they've put so much emphasis on Pokemon being partners and friends, it would seem weird for the younger viewers to hear 'This fresh steak was made from the best Tauros meat there is!'. That's my theory anyway.

Lol makes sense, seeing as the show is meant for kids... Not only that but even kids here and now, often don't make the connection that the beef they are eating is in fact a cow.

Kind of like the whole "Ignorance is bliss" stuff. *looks at Santa*

 

[D. Lawride]

They eat Pokémon imaginary animals. :D

Though real fish have been shown in the anime, so who knows... maybe they do have "normal" animals but they just don't show them.

It would make sense for them to eat Pokemon, just like humans eat other animals. Since they don't have cows or horses or anything in the Pokemon world, the meat has to come from Pokemon. The reason they don't show it in the anime is probably because since they've put so much emphasis on Pokemon being partners and friends, it would seem weird for the younger viewers to hear 'This fresh steak was made from the best Tauros meat there is!'. That's my theory anyway. When I write in characters eating meat, I would casually put something like 'Miltank beef' etc.

Although I've seen a couple of lines in the anime (or was it the Pokédex?), that they did mention that some fish Pokémon, Magikarp I think, are too hard to eat. So, maybe there are some fish Pokémon that can be eaten. The Pokédex might often leaves some clues on whether a Pokémon is "eatable" or not... but it's what Feign said, they probably wouldn't make the connection either. Besides, what difference would it make if they did show meat? It's not like they'd mention where the meat's from unless it was part of the plot (like always)...

 

[Pandah]

Maybe they eat the pokémon; in D/P/Pt, you can read in the library the next text:
Pick clean the bones of Pokémon caught in the sea or stream. Thank them for the meals they provide, and pick their bones clean. When the bones are as clean as can be, set them free in the water from which they came. The Pokémon will return, fully fleshed, and it begins anew. I can imagine myself eating a big, Tauros burger, or grilled Remoraid sticks...

Ahh so they believe in reincarnation... I knew there was a reason I liked this game so much. lol


I think you can play off the fact that a good chef would be very respectful towards whatever he used in his dish, even to the point where he is made fun of by colleagues/customers. Being told he was 'old fashioned'. Food could also be mostly fruits and vegetables as well, with meat being a special treat.


I cant help but think about the episode where Ash is upset and thinks that Prof. Oak is eating his crabby, when really it is just 'tofu'.

 

[Dragonfree]

In The Quest for the Legends, Pokémon are very decidedly sentient and sapient, and I don't think an enlightened human society that condemns cannibalism could possibly miss the hypocrisy in being fine with breeding non-human creatures that are every bit as aware of what is going on as they are and can express it to them (humans have unlocked the secrets of the language of Pokémon and teach it in schools) just to kill them and eat them later. However, in accordance with the Pokémon world backstory in that fic, animals from our world have been exported to the Pokémon world to be bred for food instead. They could never survive in the wild in competition with Pokémon, but are kept at special farms.

Alternatively, the idea of commonly available synthetic meat isn't all that far-fetched in the Pokémon world, which has demonstrably superior technology compared to our world. Although Morphic hasn't actually brought up where meat comes from, this might be the case there. I just don't like the idea of demonstrably sapient creatures being slaughtered for food.

 

[Swolligator]

okay, there is one word here: Vegetarianism. Everybody (including pokemon) are vegetarians, solves the who aruement.

 

[Astinus]

okay, there is one word here: Vegetarianism. Everybody (including pokemon) are vegetarians, solves the who aruement.

Except for the hilarious thing called "canon", which shows that Pidgeot eats Magikarp, and Ash's Pidgeotto chased after Ash's Caterpie to eat it. With more from the anime (the only canon I have any familiarity with), Ash wanted a "hamburger", and then there was the whole scene in an episode where famous Magikarp recipes were discussed.

And Weirdguy's post shows an example from the most recent main games that show that people do, or did, eat Pokemon.

 

[Vyro]

What they eat is simple.

Cowterpies.

 

[Venn364]

I know Magikarp makes for bad eatings but I sure would go for some Delibird stew XD

 

[mickmon95]

I think they eat japanes food. Yeah thats what they eat.

 

[Astinus]

Depending on the Japanese food, there's still some sort of animal involved. Like, for a simple simple example: fish for sushi. What fish do they cook? Seaking? EFF YEAH! Finneon? Or those random fish from the Cerulean Gym?

Besides, there was some random episode where the trio ate some "meat-on-a-stick". I think it was Tauros meat? Maybe? idk.

 

[Alter Ego]

Well, Japanese food is generally less meat-heavy than western, but yeah, I've always imagined the situation as being much like with domesticated animals in this world. Yes, they get killed and eaten but it's something neither the producers or the buyers really want to think too hard about so it's kind of just brushed beneath the carpet. Humans haven't been too shy about wiping out other intelligent creatures for their own benefit before, so something like this could well be a socially accepted norm, even if there would be groups (like with real-life vegans) to object to it.

Basically, the kind of uncomfortable fact that people like to pretend isn't there, enough so that it can be justifiably ignored if it's not important to the story itself. Not like most real world-based fiction makes a point of mentioning the poor cows that died for every piece of leather and beef in the story, or the sheep, or the chickens, or the pigs, or the...you get the idea.

Of course, if this is too dark for your writing needs, one can also go the route Dragonfree mentioned with domesticated regular animals, or even take the hardcore route and make meat eating a social taboo. Depends on the setting, how much of what canon you can incorporate, and whether the source of what they're eating is really essential to the story. Canon is very loose and dodgy on the subject, after all.

 

[Mira]

In the story I've picked up again, the humans do eat the Pokemon... But this is because they don't realize that they're intelligent (because the smarter Pokemon wisely decide to avoid them) and they attempt to domesticate them for use (ride Ponyta, etc.), but they do hunt and kill them for food.

 

[Uzumaki_King]

TO start you off (and nop no one already said...) pidgey chicken wings, tauros t-bone steaks, and polytoad frog legs n_n

 

[Wolfwhispers]

In the first season, they showed and talked about real animals in the pokemon universe, so its safe to say that they probably eat those, as well as pokemon such as Tauros for steak, Kingler for crab leg, ect. They even proved that they drink Miltank milk. In the first season they had Pidgeoto eat a worm... so like I already said, there must be other animals.

When the SS Anne sunk, little normal fish swam by, and since its been proven that Magicarp can't be eaten since they're nothing but scales and Carvanha have tough skin but we've seen the characters eat fish, they must eat the normal fish that seem to have disappeared.

 

[iLaxbe!]

They drink MooMoo Milk, that's proven. Unlike other RPGs, Pokémon are token as characters, what would make anything else a little cannibalistic(?).

The only place where I saw "real fish" in the Pokémon games is Pokémon TCG, Amy's Water Club. Since it's a simulator of real life, doesn't count. But many fish have been shown in the animé, like in Cerulean gym and all. But that cartoon doesn't make sense at all, so doesn't count either.

But this thread is in Fan Fiction, right? So go on, eat that Tauros steak!