Soy Sauce Mocktails and 'Tunic'
Two things I won't stop thinking about (for different reasons)
Welcome to the Double Feature! Each week I write one thing about entertainment and one thing about food. They’re not related, unless for some reason you think they are, in which case it was definitely on purpose.
I drank: a “Change of Address” mocktail
Lately I’ve cut back on my drinking. Because while making a cocktail that would cost me $14 at any bar in Los Angeles makes me feel like Prometheus stealing fire from the gods, I used my powers too often during the pandemic, to the point where I also experienced Prometheus’s punishment for stealing the flame: having his liver pecked out daily by an eagle.
My new rules are no more weeknights unless it’s a celebration of some kind, and only one or two drinks on weekends. And I feel better! But sometimes I wanna mix myself up something fancy on a weeknight, and the other day I found this booze-free drink recipe from Eric Nelson, a Portland-based bartender who has run or consulted for the bar programs at restaurants like Eem, Shipwreck, and Pok Pok. It also appears in Julia Bainbridge’s book of alcohol-less beverages, Good Drinks.
On its face, the Change of Address is a very interesting drink with a temptingly simple ingredients list. Coca-Cola, lemon juice, maple syrup and soy sauce? With mostly ingredients I already have in my fridge and the promise of a flavor combination I’d definitely never tasted before, I had to try it.
Folks, there is definitely soy sauce in this drink. The flavor profile (as I mixed it, maybe Eric has a lighter touch on the soy than I do) is easily 80% soy sauce despite there only being a teaspoon of it in there. I remade it, cutting the soy to a half teaspoon and it tasted better, but… still a soy sauce drink!
To be honest, I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t the banger that I hoped it would be. I finished the drink (though I did cheat and top it off with a bit more Coke, further diluting the soy sauce ratio), but I probably won’t make it again! I don’t know, try it if you have the stuff around the house. You only live once, have a soy sauce Coke.
I played: Tunic
This game rips.
The culmination of years of mostly solitary work from developer Andrew Shouldice, Tunic drops the player into a beautifully rendered and completely inscrutable world where they must explore and survive as a little fox. With inspiration nakedly coming from old school Zelda games (the fox’s costume and the name “Tunic” both come from Zelda lead character Link’s signature garb), the player must find pages of an in-game manual in order to progress through the world. But the manual, like almost all text in the game, is written in a strange runic language.
It’s confusing by design, creating an air of mystery for the player. And the mystery is deeply compelling rather than frustrating, thanks to Shouldice’s brilliant design decisions. Sections of the game’s sprawling map are cleverly blocked off, funneling the player toward solutions to their problems without ever feeling too hand-holdy. Rewards for solving puzzles feel significant even if their use isn’t clear at first, propelling the player further into the game’s mysterious world in search of more treasures. Combat is similarly challenging but not too punishing. Dying only costs a bit of coins (if that’s what they actually are, even that’s mysterious), which can be recovered by visiting the spot where you died.
The aesthetics also ease the pain of any particularly challenging moments. Everything in the game is incredibly charming, the main fox character and most enemies are very cute, and the soothing ethereal music makes the world feel even more distant and mysterious. Even though it’s unreadable, the manual provides a few helpful hints alongside some great illustrations and layout design. When stuck at a puzzle or a tough enemy, hitting the button for the manual pauses the game and gives the player something to leisurely flip through and soak in the imagery, and a chance to notice a hint or hidden detail that you didn’t see before.
Every element of the game keeps the player at a perfect distance. The runic text or challenging combat might push you away, but other elements will bring you right back in, eager to figure out the next move in the game’s opaque but welcoming world.
Tunic is available on Xbox, Mac, and PC.
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You are so good! Your command of the language is fabulous. Another winner, Reid! P.D. I will not try the drink…