The Seafood Shack
The/th’/tha seafood shack
Three buildings west from Avakaron’s westernmost pier lies a tiny, nameless establishment where sailors and landie locals alike can grab a bite to eat and a strong drink after a long day’s — or several days’ — work. Sailors call it th’ or tha seafood shack, depending whether their dialect is Avakaronian or Paethsmouther, respectively, since it is a shack that serves seafood.
As the establishment has no actual name, references to it as the/th’/tha seafood shack must NEVER be capitalized, except if the character is thinking or speaking IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS anyway.
Description
Impossible to miss, the tiny shack’s architecture is characterized by weather-worn grayish wood, a canvas overhang bearing vertical faded navy blue and white stripes sheltering the front counter and its four wooden barstools from sun and rain, an open-air fenced-off eating area attached to the right (starboard) side of the shack (it is to one’s left when viewing the shack from the front) with tables ranging from small square two-tops to large round six-tops, and an awning of the same design and material as the bar’s awning that is extended out over the eating area during bad weather. In winter, the staff brings out a firepit into the center of the attached eating area so patrons can stay warm. The interior of the shack has a small area connected to the bar where the server takes orders and furnishes non-alcoholic drinks, and behind this area (aft), separated from the front of house by a wall and knobless door is the kitchen where the food is prepared and alcoholic drinks are stored and made. There are two entrances to the shack’s interior: one knobbed full door in the back (stern) that connects the outside to the kitchen, and one knobbed half-door on the right side (starboard) that connects the front of house with the veranda eating area — the latter is for convenience and for enacting procedures for safeword drink orders rather than order delivery, as the front counter employee rings a bell when an order is ready and one must retrieve one’s order oneself. This brass bell is suspended from the ceiling right behind the front counter on the right (starboard) side thereof, and the bell is rung by yanking a string attached to the bell’s clapper to and fro (fore and aft). Menus are kept on the front counter in a single-compartment vertical book storage unit (think real-life magazine racks), and menus must be taken and returned by the customer.
History
The seafood shack has been owned and operated by the Zatimov family since they first opened shop in the summer of 276 AC. The establishment was founded by husband-and-wife duo Daniyar and Saltanat and ownership was passed over to their eldest daughter Zarina in 318, who now runs the shop with her wife Altynai (formerly a Balshiyev, married into the family name) and her siblings Nariman (second brother), Nuradil “Dill” (third brother), and Zhyrgal (fourth sister). The family accepts applications for employment from non-family members also, and they tend to have a lot of Ministry of Casters students as their outside help.
Menu
Seafood Baskets
The shack’s meals are referred to as “baskets” (example: trout basket) and consist of a seafood entree, one vegetable side, and a side of deep-fried cornbread dumplings (“hushpuppies,” as they’re called in our world). Seafood items may only be from the common and uncommon rarities as listed in the price list, and vegetable sides may only be from the extremely common and common rarities. The pricing of the baskets is based on the price of the seafood item’s rarity, and is as follows:
| Rarity | Price | Original Unit Price |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 2 copper | 3 copper |
| Uncommon | 3 copper | 1 silver |
Seafood and vegetable options of rarer varieties may suddenly become available due to drops in meat prices, at which point the price of the basket follows the same formula of dividing the price of one unit based on rarity by two, and rounding up to the nearest whole number if the result is a decimal (no, you don’t get discounts just because the owners did).
Each basket contains a quarter of a pound of the meat of choice and one unit of the vegetable of choice, as listed in the price list.
Cooking Options
A few different methods of cooking are used by the staff of the shack, and customers may request their food to be prepared in any of the following ways:
| Meats | Vegetables | Hushpuppies |
|---|---|---|
| Deep-fried in vegetable oil | Steamed in a pot | Deep-fried in vegetable oil |
| Pan-fried in vegetable oil | Pan-fried in vegetable oil | – |
| Oven-baked | Oven-baked | – |
| Broiled on a gridiron over hot coals | Simmered in a pan | – |
Additional Options
Seasonings and sauces are included with the price and are provided to the customer on the food itself when preparing it or in saucers in certain quantities up to a certain limit. These additions are as follows:
| Seasoning | Measurement | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Spice (Common rarity only) | ¼ tsp. | ½ tsp. |
| Salt | ¼ tsp. | ½ tsp. |
| Pepper | ¼ tsp. | ½ tsp. |
| Tabasco | ¼ tsp. | ½ tsp. |
| Paprika | ¼ tsp. | ½ tsp. |
| Butter (melted/unmelted) | ½ tsp. | 1½ tsp. |
| Sour Cream | ½ tsp. | 1½ tsp. |
| Cumin | ¼ tsp. | ½ tsp. |
Drinks
The price of drinks is not included in the price of the baskets, and drinks must be purchased separately.
| Beverage | Size | Price | Refills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 1½ cup | Free | Yes |
| Fruit Juice Common Rarity | 1½ cup | 3 copper | No |
| Tea – Black, Green, Red, Chamomile, Mint, Peppermint | 1 cup | 3 copper | No |
Drink Additions
Honey, cream, or lemon may be added to any non-alcoholic beverage at no extra cost, up to a certain limit. After the limit is reached, the customer must pay for further additions to their beverage.
| Addition | Measurements | Limit | Price After Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honey, Cream | Teaspoonfuls | 2 teaspoonfuls | 1 copper per 3 teaspoonfuls (half-ounces) |
| Lemon | Squirts, quarter-slices, half-slices, wholes | 1 quarter-slice | 1 copper per half-slice |
Alcoholic Beverages
The seafood shack boasts a vibrant alcoholic beverage selection consisting of local brews, imports from the Great Plains, and house specialties. If a drink has multiple flavor options, then one may order one’s drink “perish-rigged” (sailor slang for “ill-prepared” or “rigged to die”), or without added flavor.
Local Brews
| Beverage | Description | ABV | Perish-Rigged | Other Flavors | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avakaron’s Own | A cider brewed right here in Avakaron from the fruit of the trees of the White Wood Forest. | 5% | No | No | 6 oz. glass: 3 copper | 12 oz. bottle: 5 copper | |
| Two-Horns | A lager brewed at the Two-Horns Brewery right outside Avakaron. The Sailor’s Junction tavern in Paethsmouth sells this beer under the name of Chak-Jack’s Lager, called such for how Avakaronian sailors pronounce the Rigarian curse word “chak” along with “Jack” being a slang term for sailor in the Common language, Jack being a common human name. | 5% | No | No | 6 oz. glass: 3 copper | 12 oz. bottle: 5 copper | |
| Steppes Specialty | A wine brewed in the Eastern Steppes from local grapes. | 13.5% | Yes (grape flavor) | cherry, blackberry, strawberry | Half-glass: 3 copper | Full glass: 5 copper | |
| Tugger’s Rum | A rum brewed in the Eastern Steppes. Its added flavors are famously listed in advertisements as kiwi notes, strawberry notes, blueberry notes, and blackberry notes, and are often sung or chanted by fans of the brand. | 40% | Yes (unflavored) | kiwi, strawberry, blueberry, blackberry | One shot: 2 copper | Double shot: 3 copper | Glass: 5 copper |
Imports
| Beverage | Description | ABV | Perish-Rigged | Other Flavors | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny’s Whiskey | A whiskey imported from Lysium. Named after the fact that Hellbend sailors call human sailors Johnnies, regardless of gender, due to the fact that John, Johnny, and their spelling variants are common human names. Paethsmouth-based sailors may find comfort in this taste of home. The actual name of the whiskey is Rotterham’s, and is sold under its real name at the Sailor’s Junction in Paethsmouth. | 40% | No | No | One shot: 3 copper | Double shot: 4 copper | Glass: 6 copper |
Specialties
| Cocktail | Description | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Sky at Morning | Every sailor knows that when there are red skies at morning, a storm is on the horizon! But one need not worry about rough seas when ordering the Red Sky at Morning. This merry cocktail consists of Rotterham’s, peach juice, apple juice, and cinnamon, and is sure to warm a sailor’s tummy on those cold winter mornings! | Glass: 5 copper | |
| The Sword | Tugger’s Rum perish-rigged, the zing of blackberry juice, and the soothing warmth of honey, like an employee at The Swords and Sandals. | Glass: 5 copper | |
| Double Trouble | Tugger’s Rum (any flavor) and Johnny’s Whiskey mixed. A sailor favorite. | Double shot: 4 copper | Glass: 6 copper |
Safeword Drink
In Avakaron, bartenders recognize a special safeword drink known as the “Sailor’s Special.” The staff at the seafood shack is no different. Ordering this nonexistent drink is a covert way of letting the staff know that one’s date has gone south and that one needs an out; the staff of the seafood shack will immediately spring into action and guide the customer into the shack through the half-door, through the kitchen, and out the back door under the guise of needing the customer’s direct guidance on how they want their drink made. Knowledge of this safeword drink is passed around via word of mouth, so implementation of this practice is imperfect in scope, but thanks to the general good-naturedness of the people of Avakaron, there are very few instances of customers needing to use this emergency service.
How to properly reference this location in writing
As stated in the introduction, the first letter of each word of “the/th’/tha seafood shack” must never be capitalized due to it not being a proper noun and the shack having no name. Here is an example of how reference to this location is correctly rendered in writing, featuring usage of both Gordon Strait sailor dialects:
~~~
“Hey Ishenbai, wanna go t’ th’ seafood shack f’r lunch?”
“TERCER RIGHT I WANNA GO TA THA SEAFOOD SHACK FER LUNCH!!”
“Cheon almighty, at least wait ‘ntil we get a gun deck b’fore y’ shoot m’ eardrums out of a cannon like that…”
“Sorry, sir.”
And so captain and first mate went and grabbed a bite or twenty at that little ol’ shack by the beach. Sadly, they weren’t selling any spare eardrums today.
~~~
Order Organization
The staff organizes their orders on paper as follows:
[number] [seafood cooking method] [seafood item], [vegetable cooking method] [vegetable side item]
–[quantity] [seafood seasoning/sauce] [specify if on the side]
–[quantity] [vegetable seasoning/sauce] [specify if on the side]
[number] [non-alcoholic drink]
–[quantity] [addition] [specify if on the side]
[number] [alcoholic drink] [size]
–[perish-rigged/flavor]
An example of how this would be spoken would be:
“One broiled catfish with a side of baked potato — one butter on the side, one green tea with a squeeze of lemon — one spoonful of honey on the side, one glass of water with a slice of lemon and a spoonful of cream both on the side, one glass of Steppes Specialty — perish-rigged, one double shot of Double Trouble.”
Article Credit to DemonAnastasi
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