The Cooking Trainer in the Craftsmen’s Terrace in Darnassus gives out daily quests. One of them is called “Back to Basics”. I used to do a segment for the All Things Azeroth podcast that was called “Back to Basics”, so, this quest caught my attention.
The screenshots that you see in this blog were taken on April 15, 2012.
Alegorn is a Cooking Trainer, and Back to Basics is one of the Daily Cooking Quests. Cooking Trainer Alegorn says “One of the city’s most important staples is rice flour.” He gave me the task of pounding rice into flour. Note, he said “rice flour”.
Alegorn: There are certain things that everyone needs, from the basic household cook to the master chef. One of the city’s most important staples is rice flour. Most families keep at least one basket of rice in their houses and the residents of the Craftsmen’s Terrace and Tradesmen’s Terrace are no different.
I often ask my students to help with the task of pounding rice into flour since it’s good practice and an endless task. Why don’t you give it a try?
Everywhere else in Azeroth, it is just called “flour”. Now, in “real life”, when someone says “flour” they mean flour that is made from wheat. Alegorn specifically said “rice flour”. Why would the biggest Night Elf city be using rice flour, and not regular flour, as their most important staple?
And then, it hit me. The Night Elves have a gluten intolerance!
In order to complete this quest, I had to beat up some of the rice baskets that were just sitting around on the floor in different buildings. Oh, look! There’s a sparkly rice basket sitting over here!
I have to pound five baskets into rice flour. Ya know, ’cause rice that has been processed in a basket that has been sitting on the floor in a room that is open to the outside air, and in a kitchen where wheat flour is used… is perfectly safe to make rice flour from! Especially for those with allergies. /sarcasm
There’s another basket. Time to pound that one into rice flour!
Baskets that have been pounded into rice flour disappear.
After I gathered up five… batches? piles?… of rice flour, it was time to go back and see Cooking Trainer Alegorn again.
Alegorn: It takes a lot of effort to ensure that there’s enough flour for everyone’s needs.
“Everyone’s needs” including all the Night Elves, who are, apparently, unable to safely digest gluten.
In “real life”, I just so happen to be allergic to wheat, rye, barley and gluten. I also just so happened to have done a segment for the All Things Azeroth podcast that was called “Back to Basics” (the title of this quest). Blizzard has found a really unique way to represent me in World of Warcraft! Thanks, Blizzard!