Verse:Chlouvānem Inquisition: Difference between revisions
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==Culture== | ==Culture and Lifestyle== | ||
===Clothing=== | |||
===Clothing | |||
Clothing styles across the Inquisition are naturally varied because of the vastly different climates found in the country, as every biome apart from polar tundra and polar ice caps is found; most of the Inquisition has a hot climate, often very wet for all or at least half of the year, but on the other end of the scale there are places such as Yænyadagura, one of the coldest large cities of the planet, where temperatures far below freezing reign for most of the year.<br/>All clothes come in a variety of colors, with lilac and purple being particularly considered luxurious (those dyes were historically rare, and lilac is furthermore the national colour of the Inquisition). Dark clothes are rare, due to the hot climate in most of the nation, and a special mention needs to be done for golden yellow (saffron- or turmeric-like) clothes, which are extremely formal ones and worn for religious festivals only: it is a bad faux pas to wear such a dress outside of these occasions. Golden yellow dresses are however how the Great Inquisitor appears while on duty, and most Inquisitors, when on normal duty, wear an outfit which is predominantly black but with golden yellow details. | Clothing styles across the Inquisition are naturally varied because of the vastly different climates found in the country, as every biome apart from polar tundra and polar ice caps is found; most of the Inquisition has a hot climate, often very wet for all or at least half of the year, but on the other end of the scale there are places such as Yænyadagura, one of the coldest large cities of the planet, where temperatures far below freezing reign for most of the year.<br/>All clothes come in a variety of colors, with lilac and purple being particularly considered luxurious (those dyes were historically rare, and lilac is furthermore the national colour of the Inquisition). Dark clothes are rare, due to the hot climate in most of the nation, and a special mention needs to be done for golden yellow (saffron- or turmeric-like) clothes, which are extremely formal ones and worn for religious festivals only: it is a bad faux pas to wear such a dress outside of these occasions. Golden yellow dresses are however how the Great Inquisitor appears while on duty, and most Inquisitors, when on normal duty, wear an outfit which is predominantly black but with golden yellow details. | ||
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Beards are typically not grown among Chlouvānem men, but it should be kept in mind that body hair among Calemerian humans, outside the pubic area, eyelashes and eyebrows, and the top and back of the head, is much less than among humans of Earth. Northwestern Chlouvānem people are a bit of an exception, as they usually carry a (short) beard. | Beards are typically not grown among Chlouvānem men, but it should be kept in mind that body hair among Calemerian humans, outside the pubic area, eyelashes and eyebrows, and the top and back of the head, is much less than among humans of Earth. Northwestern Chlouvānem people are a bit of an exception, as they usually carry a (short) beard. | ||
===Cuisine=== | |||
Chlouvānem cuisine is extremely varied and every region has its own signature dishes. What can be generalized is the influence of Yunyalīlti philosophy on Chlouvānem food and eating culture. Emphasizing restraining from unnecessary violence, most Chlouvānem food is vegan, and meat is only eaten by a minority on some islands or in desert, high mountain, or taiga areas where agricultural output alone isn't enough, and dairy food is also extremely rare apart from colder areas (it should also be noted that the most prominent domestic animal in past and present Chlouvānem society, the ''lalāruṇa'', is a reptile). | |||
'''Note''' that even the English translations of Chlouvānem terms for foods and especially plants are not perfect matches; they are similar-looking, similarly-used, or similar-tasting plants/foods, that may have even very noticeable differences compared to those of Earth. All terms are given in the singular, except when noted. | |||
The staple foods of Chlouvānem cuisine common to all areas are rice (''lūdya''<ref>Uncooked rice is called ''maʔika''.</ref>), sticky rice (''ñañām''), soy (''miltai''), purple yam (''hunai''), lentils (''mahīra''), chickpeas (''gubham''), and, among greens, various kinds of cabbages (''hauša'', ''šųlah'', and ''prāšan'' being three of the most common ones). Spices are extensively used, as are many fruits, both fresh and pickled. With only a few exceptions (most notably tea, cocoa, and cane sugar), Chlouvānem cuisine is also often local well into modern society; buying products and ingredients from elsewhere in the country is not a common practice. | |||
An usual Chlouvānem meal is eaten communally, with food being served in large bowls and plates placed in the center of a table and then taken by the diners; foods are eaten either by hand or with chopsticks, and soups with spoons; forks and knives are however commonly used in the Northwest due to Western Calemerian influences. Dishes served in a single meal are meant to be eaten together, and are often contrasting - sweet and salty, spicy and mild, hot and cold. The two most typical types of dishes are stews (''chlemyoe'') and curries (''mėlita''); they are similar in appearance, but ''chlemyenī'' are generally less thick than curries and served in bowls, while ''mėlitai'' are thicker and served on plates; also, the omnipresent accompanying rice is typically cooked along with stews, but separately from curries and served on different plates. In countless variations, these dishes are found all across the country. | |||
===Housing=== | |||
The vast majority of houses in the Inquisition are owned by the state, by corporations, or by collective/state farms. Privately owned houses are extremely rare, especially in cities, and for the most part they are century-old family inheritances. | |||
Homes are usually assigned by local branches of the Inquisition, usually at the parish level; obtaining homes from the state is the most common way. Another common method is to get a home assigned by one's own trade corporation or (in rural areas) state or collective farms; many large factories also have dormitories inside or just outside the factory area. | |||
Most homes in the Inquisition have been built in the last 80 years, in order to solve the century-long housing shortage, which due to the better living conditions had become a large problem. This has seen a large growth of cities, mostly with similar developments throughout all of the country: large panel buildings, usually from 3 to 13 stories high (some even reach 20 stories), often more than 100 metres long, placed inside park-like square areas ultimately connected to large, wide roads leading to the city centers. A problem some people have is that flats are easily overcrowded, especially as more often than not Chlouvānem households tend to be of a couple, two to four children, and sometimes the parents of one of the couple members (it is therefore not surprising that bunk beds have become extremely popular, recently overtaking in popularity in many urban areas the traditional hammocks that had been the prototypical Chlouvānem bed for millennia). | |||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||