Culture of Urcea: Difference between revisions

Lebhan is still considered to be the cultural language of Urcea despite its widespread use in some areas of the historical [[Holy Levantine Empire]], so much so that some foreign scholars occasionally incorrectly refer to it as "Urcean". It has since been primarily replaced by Julian Ænglish. Many historians and scholars once believed the language came to Urcea during the High Middle Ages and especially during the Saint's War through the influence of mercenaries, merchants, and the neighboring realms of Angla - this model was called the "Replacement Theory". Modern scholarship, however, has indicated that some form of proto-Ænglish or Ænglish hybrids were in use in rural parts of Urcea well before the Saint's War. The majority of modern historians have replaced the "Replacement Theory" with the "Organic Theory" - namely, that Ænglish and Lebhan "grew up together", so to speak, in different parts of the country, and that increasing social and economic integration lead to the formation of Julian Ænglish, which is unique because of the distinct influence Latin and Lebhan had on the language relative to other versions of Ænglish. Whichever theory may be the case, in time, the Ænglish language became the default language of commerce for traders to use, particularly in regards to trade with the other states of the Holy Levantine Empire. The further reign of the House of Julio-Angloise and the influx of Ænglish refugees following the Nordmontaine War accelerated the acceptance of Ænglish as the government language of the Kingdom. It is the primary language spoken today, though some pockets of Lebhan still remain, especially in the Ionian Plateau.

In the southeast is the region of Gassavelia, a semi-autonomous part of the Apostolic Kingdom, wherein a type of Romance Audonian, the Gassavelian language, is spoken, which is the third most spoken language in the Kingdom.

In terms of ingredient contents, mainstream Urcean cuisine is similar to that in other Levantine countries. Wheat is the primary cereal grain with about three-quarters of grain products made of wheat flour and many dishes use indigenous ingredients, such as turkey, venison, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, and maple syrup which were consumed by [[Gaelic people|Gaels]] as well as early [[Latinic people|Latin]] settlers, and these types of food feature prominently within [[Latin Heroic Age]] legends. In addition to wheat, rice and pecans are the minor staple crops of Urcea, with pecans serving as both a delicacy and as a major cooking ingredient. Chicken and beef are the primary types of protein in [[Urcea]], although varieties of pork sausage - ranging from breakfast sausage to hot dogs - are also commonly consumed. Corned beef is among the most popular specific types of beef served, consumed in sandwiches or as breakfast {{wp|Hash (food)|hash}}. Since the 2020s and the beginning of [[The Deluge]], ingredients and meal types from Urcean territories and protectorates in [[Crona]] have entered into popular consumption within Urcea. These cuisine styles are referred to as "colonial cuisine", and colonial cuisine is increasingly creating many variations and derivatives of Urcean cuisine staples established over the course of the 20th century.

Plaza clusters, so named for a cluster of tables and often referred to as "PCs", is a regional type of restaurant found primarily in older urban parts of [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] in narrow streets and open plazas, though the format has become increasingly emulated nationwide. The PC typically offers a full menu for lunch and dinner of regional foods and is entirely outdoors, with tables and chairs spaced unevenly radiating outward from the storefront where the restaurant's kitchen resides. PCs emphasize the convenience of "fast food" while offering sit-down full meal service by eschewing many of the traditional social mores of dining - such as conversational wait staff - with the expectation that customers will finish their meal within an hour and fifteen minutes or less. These types of restaurants work by having low costs for upkeep of dining rooms and other dining-adjacent facilities while dealing in volume, typically allowing for higher quality ingredients and the hiring of more experienced chefs and line cooks. The PC format is the sole type of restaurant where a {{wp|gratuity}} for wait staff is not anticipated.

Mass production and distribution of the Selectro 1000PC in 1972 brought about the advent of the home computer era, and with it, video games became a new form of entertainment. These early video games were often crude given the technological level of mid 1970s computing, but by 1980 a degree of sophistication saw the rise of early role playing games in addition to space-themed top down games. Unlike many other countries, Urcea did not experience an arcade craze, as the availability of home computers by 1977 for most families made the arcade model a non-starter in Urcea. However, the early 1980s also saw the first widely-manufactured video game consoles. Consoles rapidly gained market share as the technical sophistication of games outpaced the average family's ability to upgrade their computers, such that by 1987, 16-bit consoles assumed the dominant public image of video games. Consoles remained the primary developer of video games until the late 2000s, from which time PC-based gaming has held the majority of the market share in Urcea.