Last week I was asked to give a talk about how virtual worlds are expanding our understanding and experience of community. My examples ran the gamut from online forums for sock knitters to World of Warcraft.
Not more than a few days following that talk, I sat in on a lecture by Wanda Gregory, the director of the University of Washington's Center for Serious Play. Wanda's got heaps of game and virtual world cred: she's worked at Wizards of the Coast and Xbox 360.
During her presentation, Wanda shared the story about the new HBO series "Game of Thrones," based on the novel by George R. R. Martin.
The clever folks at HBO behind "Thrones" decided to use food to build buzz before the April 17 premiere. They knew the vivid role food played in the novel (which is part of a longer series) and that there were "Thrones" enthusiasts who likely read the novel with their stomach's grumbling, given the menus described on the page.
So, to link the virtual and place-based experience of the series, special "Thrones" food trucks rolled out in New York and Los Angeles two weeks before the series launch with dishes artfully created by Chef Tom Colicchio, down to the lemon cakes which appear to play a starring role in both the book and the series.
While "Thrones" is fantasy, it's a medieval fantasy, with gastro-fare of hearty stews, pickled vegetables, and I'm sure copious amounts of meed or ale (I'm guessing here on the booze, as I've not seen the show).
What could be more community building than food?
In this example, food bridges the printed page, to the streets, to the screen.
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Oh my gosh, I wish I'd known about these Thrones food trucks - my sig other (K.O.) is addicted to the books and the HBO series....maybe we'll scout around to see if the trucks are still driving around LA - thanks for the tip! (A.B. from LA)
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