“An army marches on its stomach,” Napoléon Bonaparte once said – an astute observation from a man who died of stomach cancer. Fuel and ammo might sustain a band of adventurers through chases and firefights, but even action heroes need to eat.

A multitude of traditional food-preservation methods are still in use at TL5-8. As with all food-storage techniques, the goal is to prevent the growth of bacteria that cause spoilage.

Smoking meat or storing it in brine kills the bacteria. Drying meat removes the water that bacteria need to survive; it also reduces the meat to 25% of its previous weight (e.g., 20 lbs. of fresh meat makes 5 lbs. of jerky). Meat thus preserved may last for weeks or months.

Milk can be turned into longer-lasting products. At TL5, a dairy cow provides one or two gallons of milk a day; a goat, half a gallon. At TL8, a cow bred for milk production and pumped full of hormones produces seven gallons a day; a goat may produce a gallon or more. A gallon of milk weighs 8 lbs.; 10 lbs. of milk yield 1 lb. of cheese or 0.5 lb. of butter. Cheese dipped in wax (the rind) can keep for years, while butter can be stored unrefrigerated for several days before going rancid.

At TL5, grains are harvested, threshed, winnowed, and stored dry and whole; flour is produced in batches. Fruits and vegetables dried in the sun will keep all winter if stored in the root cellar, buried in the garden, or kept in sawdust-filled barrels. Melons, peaches, and other “wet” fruits are kept in a springhouse or a well.

At TL6+, refrigeration (p. 32) and vacuum packaging help preserve all food much longer.

In 1795, Napoléon Bonaparte’s Society for the Encouragement of Industry offered a prize of 12,000 francs for a better way of preserving food. French candy-maker Nicholas Appert stepped forward to claim the prize in 1809. His process of boiling food inside a sealed glass jar proved to keep food safe to eat for months. Within a few years, canned food was being sold around the world.

In 1858, John L. Mason combined a threaded glass jar with a tin lid and rubber seal. Prior to this, attempts at home canning involved hot wax or melted lead, and were slow, tedious, and dangerous. Mason’s resealable jars allowed rural families to “put up for the winter” with confidence.

Home canning requires some special equipment, but it’s as effective as factory canning. A home canner working at a leisurely pace can preserve 100 lbs. of food a day. Canners concerned about the fact that glass jars don’t tolerate rough handling can use food-grade tin cans and a can sealer at home. Few actually bother, though – the necessary machinery is more expensive than that required for jars.

Canned food loses taste and nutritional content, texture, and coloration over time. Most sources suggest two years as a reasonable shelf life. Because tin cans are sealed and sterile, though, the food inside is microbiologically safe for much longer. In 1865, the steamboat Bertrand sank on the Missouri River. When it was discovered more than 100 years later, chemists from the National Food Processors Association analyzed the canned food onboard. They found no microbial growth, and rated the food safe for consumption!

Early canned food wasn’t always so safe. In 1845, Captain Sir John Franklin set out from England to find the Northwest Passage through the Arctic waters north of Canada. He took 129 hand-picked men and had two ships – the Terror and Erebus – specially equipped with iron prows, heated cabins, and steam-powered screw propellers. The expedition vanished somewhere in the Arctic wastes, with only a handful of skeletons and a lifeboat to indicate its fate. Recent forensic examination of the remains revealed that the Franklin party suffered from acute lead poisoning (see Lead Poisoning, below). It seems that their canned food was poorly prepared, contaminated by the tin-lead solder used to seal the cans. Experts surmise that the poisoning caused the explorers to make a series of bad decision, including leaving the ships, and they eventually succumbed to a slow, agonizing death in the Arctic.

Can Opener (TL5). The first can opener is a large, handcranked device often found bolted to a table. Canned food manufacturers recommend using a hammer and chisel! At TL6, a can opener costs $0.50 and fits on a key ring, or is built into pocketknife (p. 31) or a multi-tool (p. 26). $5, 0.5 lb. LC4.

Food Canner (TL5). A pressure cooker and/or mechanical canner, plus all of the tools and supplies needed for canning in glass jars; double price for equipment to seal tin cans. $150, 25 lbs. LC4.

From 1756, a dehydrated “portable soup” was issued to sailors in the British Navy: a broth of vegetables and meat reduced to a rubbery consistency and then pressed into a cake. It was despised by British seamen, but American explorers Lewis and Clark carried 200 lbs. of it on their journey to map the newly acquired Louisiana Territory. During the American Civil War, “desiccated” vegetables and potatoes, oven-dried and compressed into blocks, were issued to Union soldiers – and received with complaint and loathing. Recipes for dehydrated food improved gradually, until at TL8 there was enough interest in the technique to market electric dehydrators (possible but not desirable at TL6) to homemakers.

Despite the savings in weight and the excellent storage properties of dehydrated foods, they’re less convenient to use than other preserved foods. They require large amounts of water to reconstitute, and some foods must be soaked for hours before they’re completely rehydrated.

Dehydrator (TL8). Dehydrates 25 lbs. of food in 24 hours. $250, 22 lbs., external power. LC4.

Nutrients and minerals are sometimes added to prepackaged and canned foods. This can improve a society’s overall health. Examples include iodine added to salt, niacin added to bread, and vitamin D added to milk.

Preservatives are also common. At TL6-8, they increase shelf life by 50% or more – perhaps much more. There are many types; for instance, antimicrobials prevent the growth of bacteria while antioxidants slow the oxidation of fats. Sulfur dioxide does both, and predates TL5 as a preservative for wine. Other examples include borax at TL6 and antibiotics at TL7.

And in an action-movie game, repressive regimes, archvillains, etc., might add psychoactive or addictive drugs to food…

Refrigerated food generally keeps for days or weeks, while frozen food – stored in a home deep freeze or the walk-in freezer at a butcher shop – lasts for months to years. For further details, see Refrigeration.

Freeze-drying, or lyophilization, is essentially a fancy dehydration technique. It involves freezing the prepared food in a vacuum and then heating it slightly to remove the water by sublimation. The end result is food that has lost about 98% of its water content.

This is a costly process, but it preserves the taste and texture of the food much better than simple dehydration. Freeze-dried foods are often processed as ready-to-eat meals, while dehydrated foods are usually packaged as bulk foods. Freeze-dried food can last for 30 years or more.

Retort packaging is the greatest advance in food preservation since canning. The food is cooked, sterilized, and then packaged in a plastic pouch or tray. It may be loaded with preservatives, or exposed to radiation or UV light to kill microbes; many retort foods are completely natural, and thus have a better taste and quality than conventional canned goods. Retort packaging allows sandwiches, bread, and even pastries to sit on the shelf for years and still be fresh and nutritious. While the results are more fragile than cans, shelf life is 5-10 years if kept cool. Modern U.S. military rations (MRE, or “Meal, Ready to Eat”) are retort-packaged.

Below are some foods of special interest to TL5-8 adventurers. An asterisk (*) indicates a TL0-1 item manufactured at and priced for TL5-8.

Canned Food (TL5). One meal of canned provisions: $1, 1 lb. A case of 24 cans (8 man-days) in a wooden crate: $24, 30 lbs.

Dehydrated Food (TL5). One meal of dehydrated soup or vegetables. Requires a pint of hot water. $5, 0.75 lb.

Desiccated Vegetables (TL5). A block of chopped, dehydrated, and compressed mixed vegetables. Makes 3 meals. $3, 2 lbs.

Fresh Food* (TL5). A meal of ready-to-prepare food: vegetables, seafood, meat, fruits, etc. Shelf life is limited without refrigeration. $3, 2 lbs.

Hardtack* (TL5). A dried cracker, 3”x3” by U.S. Army regulations, made from flour, salt, and water. Keeps indefinitely. Per meal (10 crackers): $0.50, 1 lb. Per crate (16 man-days): $25, 50 lbs.

Jerky or Pemmican* (TL5). A meal of well-seasoned and salted meat, reduced to only 4 oz. by drying. Pemmican mixes animal fat and dried fruit with the meat, adding important nutrients. It was a favorite of trappers and Indians throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and the staple of Arctic explorers up to the 1930s. $2, 0.25 lb.

Portable Soup (TL5). A dehydrated and concentrated soup made by boiling beef broth until only a gelatin-like substance remains. One meal: $1.50, 1 lb.

Trail Food* (TL5). A minimalist meal for travelers: jerky, pemmican, hardtack, parched corn, dried fruit, etc. Today, backpackers carry GORP: “good old raisins and peanuts.” $2, 0.5 lb.

Freeze-Dried Food (TL7). A generous meal of freeze-dried potatoes, lasagna, bacon and eggs, etc. Requires a pint of hot water. $4, 0.25 lb.

Snack (TL7). A high-carbohydrate snack such as an “energy bar” counts as a “decent meal” when resting, restoring +1 FP; see Recovering from Fatigue (p. B427). The GM may let those who don’t rest regain 1 FP but dock them 2 FP two hours later. $2, 0.25 lb.

Sports Drink (TL7). A 32-ounce drink formulated to increase hydration and energy levels. It functions like a snack (above) and counts as a quart of water for hydration purposes (see Dehydration, p. B426). $2, 2 lbs.

Survivalist Food Cache (TL7). A full year’s supply of freeze-dried food for one person. $2,500, 600 lbs.

Compressed Rations (TL8). A single, highly compressed, retort-packaged meal. No water needed. $6, 0.75 lb.

Military Rations (TL8). A retort-packaged MRE or similar, with entree, side-dish, condiment pack, dessert, and meal heater (p. 57). Per meal: $5, 1.5 lbs. Twelve meals in a cardboard box: $60, 22 lbs.

Survival Tablets (TL8). These chewable tablets provide the minimum nutrients to survive for a short period. One quart-sized bottle (which can be used as canteen when empty) provides sufficient calories and nutrients for 6 meals. Shelf life is 10 years. $25, 1.5 lbs.

Man has always enjoyed a few little extras, without which morale suffers. Modest amounts of such things are included in cost of living when at home; the prices below are for basic luxuries bought on their own. People with the Connoisseur skill (p. B185) can bribe and impress with finer fare – treat this as Styling (p. 10). For alcohol and other drugs, LC varies with local laws.

Alcohol: A bottle of wine (5 drinks) or liquor (16 drinks of rotgut, schnapps, vodka, etc.), or a couple of bottles of beer, ale, etc. (2 drinks). See Drinking and Intoxication (p. B439). $5, 2.5 lbs.

Candy: A bag of “hard candy” or half a dozen candy bars is $3, 0.5 lb.

Recreational Drugs: A “hit” of the preferred cheap local recreational drug. A single use is typically $1-$25.

Tea or Coffee: A daily serving for a month is $5, 1 lb.

Tobacco: A month’s supply of tobacco, in various forms (cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, or pipe tobacco) is about $20, 1 lb.

Two high-tech items are vital for adventurers on lengthy stakeouts:

Lunch Box (TL6). A metal box with space for a large lunch and a thermos bottle. DR 1. $10, 1 lb. LC4.

Thermos Bottle (TL6). A glass-lined flask fitted with a cork stopper. A plastic drinking cup attaches to the top. A dropped thermos usually means a shattered liner – but at TL7, the all-steel thermos solves this problem. Keeps one pint hot (24 hrs.) or cold (72 hrs.). $10, 2 lbs. LC4.

Taken in sufficiently large doses (0.25 oz. or more for a typical human), lead is a digestive agent with a three-month delay and a HT-4 roll to resist. It inflicts 1d toxic damage, repeating at six-week intervals for three cycles. Once the victim loses 1/2 of his basic HP, he begins to suffer more severe symptoms. At the GM’s option, he may gain Bad Temper (15) or Laziness, or suffer spells of the agony, daze, or retching afflictions. Loss of appetite is also common. Multiple failed resistance rolls lead to intensifying symptoms, eventually resulting in seizures and coma.