Regional Dietary Regimens

Bertrem's Note

While Nancy Varian Berberick concentrated her researches regarding food on the differences between the diets of city and countryfolk, Stan! spent more time on the specific regional dietary differences during the Fifth Age. His essay points up a weakness of my own that I must confess to the reader: Though I have lived on Krynn for more years than I care to acknowledge, I have traveled little and have little direct knowledge of places in our land other than the great city of Palanthas. Laboring for years under the close supervision of Astinus—a supervision as understated as it was precise—I had little time for travel, and thus my days were largely circumscribed by my duties to the library, brief and simple meals taken in the company of my brother Aesthetics, and sleep, though often far too little of that.

In the years following Astinus's disappearance I contemplated more than once leaving the city in which I have dwelt for so many years and seeing more of the land I know only through hooks. However, something always held me hack. Dare I now confess that it was fear? Yes, fear of the unknown, fear that I could not exist outside the rarefied atmosphere of the library.

Thus I am doubly grateful to my researchers that they have done what I could not do and have traveled the length of the land. This is perhaps more striking in light of the terrible ravages exacted by the dragon overlords and by the wandering bands of Knights of Neraka. In a world with so much lawlessness, I count myself fortunate that those I sent forth have returned at all, let alone with such valuable information.