Monday, July 27, 2009

Home and Garden Articles Summary

TS1 Articles
Space Planning for the Kitchen, the perfect layout for an efficent kitchen

Kitchen Makeover Results:The results of the kitchen makeover for the Food Expo.

Dining Room Makeover Results: The results of the dining room makeover for the Food Expo.

Dining Room Makeover Results #2: The results of the dining room makeover for the Food Expo.

Party for Children, a guide to having a party for your child.

Building Your Home, a guide to building your dream home.

Holiday Party, a guide to having the best holiday party this season.

Purchasing Your Home, a guide to buying your dream home.

Martha Sim Stewart tells you the Seven Layers of Decorating your home!

Well Designed Home, a guide to designing your dream home.

Summer Decorating, You heard the calls, now act on them!

Fall Decorating, You heard the calls, now act on them!

Building a Nursery, expecting a bundle of joy? You can make the perfect bedroom now!

Winter Decorating, You heard the calls, now act on them!

Landscaping with Trees add delicious trees to your property

Landscaping with Water add fresh water to your property

TS2 Articles
Party Time, a guide to having the best holiday party in the hood

Like food? Doesn't matter if your ideal of a meal comes from a microwaveable box or accompanied with a vintage bottle of wine, you'll find something of interest as Apple Valley co-hosted Sim City’s Food Expo 2005.

Like food? Doesn't matter if your ideal of a meal comes from a microwaveable box or accompanied with a vintage bottle of wine, you'll find something of interest as Apple Valley co-hosted Sim City’s Food Expo 2006.

Love and Relating Articles Summary

Jack Daniels details the relationship bewteen food and dating in Dinner and a Movie: The Concept of Food & Dating.

Jack Daniels gives advice on breaking up in Breaking Up is Hard to Do.

Jack Daniels has prepared Will You Marry Me? a complete guide to asking your love to be yours for life.

Married with Children, a guide to meshing stepfamilies.

We Have to be Back By StoryTime, a guide to single parent dating.

After I Do, the aftermath of marriage

Climbing up the Career Ladder, Sliding Down the Family Slide, exploring the trend of starting a family later.

Making Time for Family, a guide to making the most of your family time.

Raising Baby, a guide to starting a family

Jack Daniels has prepared a guide to creative dates in Creative Dates .

Making and Maintaining Friends-nuff said

Romantic Dinners at Home, a guide to romance on a budget.

When Friendships End-Many sims expect that their friends will always be there. Not the case.

Relating to Children, a guide to bridging the generation gap.

Choosing a Pet is an important process for any family and we can help.

Family Traditions, a guide about the importance of traditions and help in creating a family tradition

Serial Dating, a guide to playing the field.

Keeping the Marriage Hot, helps married couples to keep thier marriage hot!

Summer Love, a guide to finding love this summer

Family Vacations, a guide by Bryant Pierce to planning the perfect family vacation.

Bad Children, a guide by Jessica Pierce to disciplining children who are not little angels.

Should you Change for a Lover? Find out now!

Climbing Up the Career Ladder, Sliding Down the Family Slide

Gina Deere

There is a trend in Greymount that is growing to epidemic proportions. As families pursue their careers and have the goal of reaching the top and having a wonderful house, they are missing out on the joy of children. I agree, if you want to focus on your career-it is best not to have children, for children need lots of care and attention and it is not fair to the child to be in the parents’ second thoughts, after their careers.

Another reason for this trend is that families are trying to reach the top of their career before having children, this is not recommended, often making a decent wage and having favorable hours is enough for families.

Perhaps in the near future, Greymount will be home to more children and more relaxed families.

Family Traditions

Andy Lake

If you are struggling for some sense of family togetherness, don't despair. You can enhance your feeling of collectiveness with the use of family traditions.

Traditions allow families to form identities and celebrate life changes. Traditions include daily activities, such as eating at the table for at least one meal and watching a television program. Regardless of their format, traditions are an important aspect of our social lives, and parents can utilize this hidden resource in developing more intimate families.

Often the most powerful traditions are the ones that come up naturally in a family. The Burb family makes a conscious effort of participating in Family Day with one family member choosing where to go for the day and birthdays are always celebrated with large parties. The Grey family makes an effort to play charades as a family at least once or twice a week and the Sweeny family, despite their large family size and late working hours, always eats dinner together.

If you still are unable to come up with a family tradition, have a family meeting about what members of the family would like to do on a regular basis. You might be surprised what ideas come up. If reasonable, try these suggestions until you find one that fits your family.



A family spends quality time together each weekend around the campfire.


The Burb family spends every Christmas out by the lake

Keeping a Marriage Hot

Jack Daniels

Welcome to the world of marriage! You will now experience a lack of attention to your needs, no more dates or kind and romantic gestures. You are now good for your paycheck, skills, friends and the occasional child that is produced. Does this sound like your marriage-well with a few simple steps, you can breathe new life into your marriage.

First, whatever you did to get your spouse, you should do to keep your spouse. It pains me to see couples neglected by their spouse and that they turn to other neighbors for that love. Try going out for a date occasionally, the Lakes make it a habit to go out at least twice a month for a downtown date, while the Grays make sure that during family vacations they spend some quality time alone.

Surprise your spouse with gifts of flowers and candy. Give kisses and hugs freely and frequently. Just these little actions can restore and revitalize a failing or stagnant marriage. The Wallaces never leave for work without giving each other a kiss and swear that it has kept their marriage full of fire.

Never underestimate the power of simple conversation. By communicating while watching TV or eating. The Burbs say that with their busy lives, they only talk while eating dinner and they believe that this has kept them together through many of their weakest moments.

Use these simple tips to rejuvenate your marriage.

Bad Children?

Jessica Pierce

Does your child torment the other neighborhood children? Do you constantly find your child teasing your dinner guests? Then you have a bad child. Ok, now what? Well, your child’s behavior cannot be changed, but you can limit the types of social interactions they participate in.

Guests: Only allow them to greet and talk once or twice with guests, then send them on an errand. Studying, getting ready for bed or playing in their room with their toys should keep them occupied until you and your guest are ready to call it an evening.

Family: When the child begins teasing or taunting family members, a simple punishment or distraction will do, depending on the frequency and intensity of the action. If the frequency of teasing is light then simply redirecting the child to another activity such as reading a book. If the teasing is frequent, then a punishment is in order, taking out the trash or washing dishes for a week should be enough.

Just let your child know that they’re loved and cherished. Usually when children feel neglected they act out for attention. Spend time with your child, talking or playing a game. Take a day off and spend it with your child around a campfire or playing chess. Remember, there is no such thing as a bad child, only bad behavior.

After I Do

Gina Deere

After the wedding vows are exchanged and the honeymoon is over, the real test of marriage comes. Life as a married Sim is daunting, now you have to maintain your relationships with friends as well as your spouse.

In Greymount, most Sims maintain a friendly relationship with their spouse and some marriages are full of spark and romance. For example, the Grey family still regularly goes out for dates, while the Wallace family surprises each other with tokens of affection and spontaneous vacations.

In addition, married Sims must now work at their career and family and decide if having children is an option for them. The most important thing to remember is that whatever you did while dating, this must be maintained during marriage to keep the love alive and your name out of the X-Report.

Married With Children

Jack Daniels

Marriage is a blissful union of two souls and their children. Their children? With the increasing number of non-traditional families there are more single parents in Greymount and SimCity. Getting married with children takes some special effort, for now two families are blending instead of two Sims.

First, make sure your future partner and your children have a good relationship-friendship is not necessary, but all family members should know your partner. Even though marriage creates unknown bonds between family members, it is better if the bonds are worked at before the marriage.

Make sure to discuss the possibility of more children and that it is expected that all the children be treated equally. There is nothing else that causes a child to hate a Sim then when that Sim plays favorites. Also make sure your future spouse is ready and prepared for the instant family, some unions come with one or two children, and others come with sisters and parents that the Sim is caring for.

When planning the wedding, involve the children. Children can be flower girls, ring bearers or even (jr) bridesmaids and (jr) groomsmen let them in on the decision process and remember to reward their efforts with treats and toys-ok bribe them if you must.

Now you’re ready to be married with children.

Making Time for Family

Tiffany Burb

Families are now houses of busy people, with the parents working full time and children in school all day-most families are too tired to eat in the evening, especially after studying and preparing for promotions. Well, there are two simple methods-one for families with no time to take off work, whether from struggling with bills or frantically studying for a promotion and those who are able to take a day off.

If you have no time, make the most of activities that everyone must do, eat together for dinner and breakfast if possible, watch your favorite TV programs together or even play chess, dolls or other games together. Also, you might want to rethink your priorities-it is not necessary to reach the top of your career, if you’re making a nice sum of money and have decent hours, stay there and work for bonuses.

If you have time, take the family to Old Town and spend the day at a park, barbequing, sitting around the campfire or shopping. This quality time can be well invested and keep your family well connected. If you have the money, go on a vacation-it’s the ultimate relaxation and connecting technique-no cooking, no cleaning, just eat-play-sleep 24/7.

The families in Greymount recommend the following schedule: work-work-study/friend building-work-work-off-work, therefore you work five days, yet have two days off, one for studying, preparing for promotions or connecting with friends, the other for family relations and unity.

Relationships Bewteen Parents and Children

Andy Lake

Establishing and maintaining healthy relationships between parents and children is important and challenging at any age. However, the parent/adult child relationship has a strong effect on the happiness of both parents and children and provides an enduring social tie between the family unit. It is important that the generations work together to make the relationship satisfying rather than strained.

Communicate. Listen to and try to understand the interests of the other person. Parents can try to learn more about what their children are interested in so that conversations at dinner and while watching TV will build relations and not cause disagreements.

Respect one another. Children-don’t tease and taunt your parents. Parents-don’t nag your children.

Relationships between children and their parents continue throughout life and building and maintaining healthy intergenerational relationships can give families knowledge, respect, and appreciation for one another.

Raising Baby

Starr Grey

So you want to have a baby, how should you prepare? First make sure your family is stable, no child should be brought into the world and enter a dysfunctional family. After this, make sure that there is room for a baby-start preparing a separate room if necessary for the baby, for babies grow into children before our eyes. Then start saving cash, the family will be expected to miss three days of work-so save at least three days worth of salary, some families are lucky and have a previous child that cares for the baby.

You have the stable household, the extra room and the money, now you need the time and love. Start by sharing romantic encounters with your partner-kisses, flirting, kisses. Soon you will have a bundle of joy or a call from the adoption agency with an available baby.

Now you have the baby and are ready for three days of pure terror. Babies are helpless and need constant feedings and need to be sung to sleep. My husband and I used a technique of whenever the baby awoke, we feed-sung-feed and sung it to sleep a final time, other parents must add play in that sequence or an extra feeding, see what works with your child.

Now in three days, your little bundle of joy will be a full-grown child, ready and willing to help with the household either by cleaning, gaining scholarships or selling paintings. The child will also be a great addition to the family and will be a constant source of love and comfort.

Choosing A Pet

Prisilla Lake



One popular gift this holiday season is a pet for a child. Wheter it be a fish or a puppy, families should carefully choose thier newest family member.

While all kinds of pets can bring children pleasure, it is important to choose a pet that is right for your family, your home, and your lifestyle; and one that your child can help care for.

Large pets, cats and dogs, should be brought in pairs if your family is very busy and can not provide socially for the pet-especially if the pet is very friendly. These pets are best for providing a shy or lonely child friendship and companionship.

Small pets, such as fish, birds, and turtles, are fairly easy to take care of-but provide little interaction bewteen family members and the pet. These pets are best for teaching responsibility such as cleaning out cages, feeding the pets and playing with the pets to keep them happy.


Many children expressed interest in owning the monkey that our neighborhood musician has-thank goodness it is not offered in pet stores. Try giving them a turtle instead.

Even SUPERSTAR Alisa Crawston spends time caring for her pets.

Children raised with pets show many benefits. Positive relationships with pets can aid in the development of relationships with others. A good relationship with a pet can also help in developing compassion. Pets can be safe recipients of secrets as children often talk to their pets, they can help develop responsible behavior in the children who care for them.

Also other physical and emotional needs are fulfilled by pet ownership such as physical activity, love, loyalty, affection, and the experience with loss if a pet is lost or dies.

So this holiday season, think twice and choose your gifts carefully.

Family Vacations

Jessica Pierce

Besides visiting old town or spending a day at home, going on a vacation is a great way to reconnect with your family and meet new people, especially those not from your neighborhood. Vacations are also a great way to get great souvenirs and try new activities such as sky diving and snorkeling.





Make sure you chose a resort with tons of activities that groups can participate in. Avoid treasure hunts, reading books and archery instead have the family join group games of volleyball, water balloon or snowball fights and campfires. Make sure to eat together and have similar schedules to maximize together time. However, allow some time away from each other for meeting new people-it’s an excellent time to expand your circle of friends and enjoying new activities.

If your family wants to gain the coveted Vacation Award, try participating in multiple activities, interacting with guests and making sure that you’re in a good mood. Soon you will be the proud recipients of a beautiful Vacation Award, depending on the location-you can get the golden pinecone, winter snow globe or sunray award. Remember, a happy family means a happy life.

Creative Dates

Jack Daniels

Tired of the same dinner downtown? Want to try some truly unique dates? Good, that’s why I wrote this article for sims like you.

You want to eat-but you and your partner have been to all the diners downtown. Try a picnic in the park instead, sure it’s more expensive, but there is unlimited quality time, some stolen kisses and a refreshing break from your standard fare. Besides, when was the last time you ate reclining. Better yet, try a home cooked meal, it’s cheaper by far and offers you and your partner private time at the house. If the meal is not your main concern, but more of an afterthought, local food stands will fulfill your appetite for a moment.

Let’s say you don’t want to eat while on your date, but want to enjoy other amenities. Try a local arcade, relaxing over a game of pinball with your partner is far better than staring at each other in silence. Pool is a winner as well, as long as you’re not focused on winning, however I recommend that you stay away from casinos-sure the payoffs are great, but with two sims playing and all the money coming from the asker’s account-it’s better to just play boardwalk amusement games and earn tickets. Not the playful type? Try a game of basketball, swimming in the local pool or if you don’t want to move, a campfire or racing boats at the fishpond.

Now that we have fulfilled the need for hunger and fun-what about a little one-on-one action. There are a variety of swings and sofas where you and your sweetie can relax and talk the night away. Also, there are great hot tubs built for two and if you’re lucky…you might even get a kiss.

So next time your date complains about seeing the same diner try surprising them with a creative date.

We Have to be Back by 8pm for Story Time

Jack Daniels

If you have children, you know the tremendous amount of time spent with your child-making sure they are fed, entertained and well-adjusted to life. If you date, you know the time and effort it takes to maintain a relationship or meet new people. Now imagine trying to do both all alone. This is the predicament of single parents, but it can be done.

First, if you want to meet people, take a day off from work and send the children to school-then go downtown or to Old Town and mingle, meet and talk with anyone who catches your eye, maybe have lunch with a new friend, but get back in time to rest and have dinner on the table for the children.

If you are pursuing a relationship, have your partner come to the house as often as possible to interact with the children. Also, if going out for the night, prepare dinner for the children before going on your date-that way you don’t have to worry about feeding them when you return later. Again, dates during the daytime when you take a day off from work are good as well for you can rest during the day before the children come home.

Good luck with single parent dating and remember to be back in time to put the children to bed.

Serial Dating

Alisa Crawston



(A few of my conquests)

Ok, you have either given up on finding love or are not looking for love, but either way you are not in a serious relationship and you’re officially a serial dater. Whether you like it or not, serial dating is a growing trend as sims become more picky about who they chose to spend their life with. So how can you successfully serial date?

First, don’t play games. Don’t confess your love for another sim and you don’t have plans to pursue a long-term relationship. This means avoiding interactions that give the message that you’re in love with them, such as passionate kisses, giving of diamond rings and of course the infamous vibrator bed.

If you do decide to engage in these interactions with several sims-like I do-make sure they are not around at the same time or jealously will become rampant in your life. Depending on whom you’re dating dictates where you go. For example, if you’re dating multiple Townies-go on dates to local community lots and on vacations, but not too many dates downtown as your other partners might see you. If you’re dating a celebrity, anywhere is fine to take them on a date since they usually congregate in StudioTown or their home. If you meet someone on vacation, take them downtown and if you must date multiple sims from your neighborhood-which I don’t recommend, take them on vacations only-everywhere else you’re bound to bump into a neighbor who will quickly spread the gossip of your other flings. What if you’re dating sims from every part of SimCity? Well, you’re safe at your home and when you go on vacations-unless you met them while on vacation-in that case, I recommend staying at home..

It may be hard, but it is possible to be a successful serial dater, until you find that special sim you want to spend all your days with.

Summer Love


(The Kents enjoy a summer meal)

Jack Daniels

Besides going downtown for an evening or visiting old town, going on a vacation is a great way to meet people, especially those not from your neighborhood. Vacations are also a great way to revitalize a relationship or repair one that’s on the rocks.

If you’re using your vacation as a romantic getaway, make sure you chose a spot without a lot of activities that must be done alone. Resorts with fireplaces and plush rugs, love beds, Jacuzzis for two or other intimate amenities can bring the fire back into a dead relationship. Avoid activities like treasure hunting and this is not the vacation to pursue a Vacation Award. Instead spend about three to five days relaxing in the hot tubs, fishing, sitting around a campfire or lying in front of a fireplace sipping champagne.

However, if you’re single and ready to mingle, make sure you chose a resort with tons of activities that groups can participate in. Avoid treasure hunts, romantic and family centered resorts instead join group games of volleyball, water balloon or snowball fights and just put yourself out there and introduce yourself. Just be forewarned, Vacation Island attracts families and very few single Sims, at least your new love will know how to behave in a relationship.

Dinner and a Movie: The Concept of Food & Dating,

Jack Daniels


When most Sims call their significant other and invite them downtown for a date, there is always food involved. Either the posh restaurant is the main event of the date or the local ice-cream parlor is a forgotten pit stop. A full course meal and good conversation can cause any Sim to jump massive amounts in their relationship. In fact, over the Salamander Diner’s Glutton Special is how all of my closest friends became my closest friends.

If using the meal as the main event, I suggest greeting your date and refreshing yourself on their interests before ordering the largest meal available. Why the largest? This will produce the largest increase in relationships. If you’re seated at a table, be a gentleman or gentlewoman and offer a chair to your date.




Keep the conversation simple while deciding what to order and while eating the first course. Then during or before the second course, if you have been getting good vibes from your date, go ahead and compliment or admire them. If your date refuses your advances, continue talking for the remainder of the meal. If your date accepts your advances, the next step would be a simple game of footsie.

By the end of the game, your second course should have been placed on the table. Eat the meal and enjoy the faint blush of your partner’s cheeks then after eating, attempt to cuddle. For a first date, I advise keeping it simple; if you want to move beyond cuddling, try an embrace or a kiss. Do not attempt to make-out in the booths if it is your first date, many Sims have returned home with a black eye because of this.

After dessert, the date is finally over; you would have spent over seven hours sitting in the restaurant. Say goodbye to your date and go home basking in the joy of starting a new relationship with the help of a simple meal.

Breaking Up is Hard To Do

Jack Daniels


No Sim wants a relationship to end, especially if they are the ones to be dumped. If you happen to be on the recieving end of the bad relationship, I can help you.

First, identify the reason(s) for the breakup. There are a few reasons why Sims go through a breakup.

1. You did something that angered your partner (cheated, lied, etc)

2. Crises of circumstance. Maybe your partner wants to go for a career, the parents discourage the relationship, the partner moves, etc.

3. There is someone else

4. Your partner simply lost interest in you (does not necessarily mean there is someone else)

Normally, the reason why your partner is breaking up with you is never clear-cut. It could be a combination of the above. As the perfect Sim you are, you need to stop your pathetic whimpering and identify the reasons for the break-up. Cry if you like but don’t lose sight of your goal, to get your partner to tell you why they broke up with you in the first place.

Why does any Sim want to know why their relationship is over? Easy, to help you with your next relationship. The simple, "Could you tell me why you are breaking up with me?" should work since your partner probably has a list of the reasons.

Once you have identified the reasons, it's time to formulate a plan of action on getting them back or getting them out of your mind.

Will You Marry Me?

Jack Daniels

Ok, to pop the question or not to pop the question? That is the question. If you’ve been living together for who knows how long, there comes a time when it just becomes rude not to have popped the question. Understand that every Sim reaches a stage in their life when they want their partner to be legally obliged to come home every night. Don’t fight it, like a dentist appointment; you know you have to do it. But be calm. Don’t panic. If it feels like you’re about to resign yourself to a life sentence, best not say anything for the moment.

Is it time to get married? So you're in a relationship, and you're thinking about marriage! How can you be sure that you're making the right decision? Well, you can't. But I’ve come up with a list of issues to help you with the big questions.

RELATIONSHIP
You can tell your partner when they have hurt you, instead of holding a grudge and you are able to resolve fights.

You both know that relationships take work, and you are willing to go the distance.

You meet each other’s needs.

You love each other!

You are able to have fun together and your communication skills are well.

You share enough of the same interests and friends that you don't feel like you are always on your own.

MONEY
You have similar spending/saving habits, or you've discussed how you'll each compromise to keep the peace.

You are comfortable with the plan of merging your finances once you get married.

FAMILY
You generally get along with each other's households and if not, you've at least discussed to what extent they will play a role in your future family life.

You've talked about children -- how many you want, or if you want them at all.

If you have children from a previous relationship, your partner treats them with respect and kindness.

If a majority of these statements are true about your relationship, I say go for it! But if not, your relationship needs more work before you're ready to tie the knot.

But be aware that there are many traditions with the proposal. What about the ring? How much do you spend? Where do you pop the question? In the pub? In the bathroom?
The ring is crucial. No Sim wants to wear something for the rest of their life that looks like it came from the trash. Diamonds are a good thing and expect to spend $1000 for the ring. You may be wondering at this moment why you have to bother with all this preparation. Well, bear one thing in mind – your partner’s expectations are high. And when I say high, we’re talking stratospheric. Even the coolest Sim goes to pieces when their partner drops on one knee. Select your location with care. Always keep in mind you are doing the groundwork for making memories. Now all you have to do is actually ask your partner. You have the ring and the ideal spot, what could possibly go wrong?

Be careful with being too ambitious. In downtown Sim City, an unnamed Sim attached a ring to the collar of their partner’s cat, assuming it would trot to the mailbox to be petted by their unsuspecting partner. Unfortunately, the Sim stepped on the cat’s tail. It screeched, bolted out of the house and across the road into oncoming traffic. The ring was never quite the same. Then again, a wealthy friend of mine took their partner on holiday for three weeks in Tiki Village. While there the Sim had a private helicopter pick them up and take them thirty miles out to sea on a small deserted island, where a table for two set up in the shallow water, miles from anywhere. On the table were Champagne, oysters and a diamond-encrusted engagement ring. The Sim’s partner couldn’t say yes quick enough. Bottom line is that all you need is a bit of inspiration and imagination, oh and cash helps too. The ‘miles from anywhere’ is a nice touch. Proposing in public often backfires, another friend (no cash, no sense) popped the question by turning up at their partner’s place of work and dropping on one knee in the middle of the floor. The Sim died of embarrassment, refused, dumped my friend and took out a court order against him.

If your partner says no? Find out why and try again later, persistence is the key.

Changing For the Lover

Jack Daniels


(Tobi and Veronika Kent have lots of common interests)


Have you and your significant other had a conversation where there is no agreement on the topic and you were left wondering if you had anything in common with your true love. As some communities expanded to include access downtown, the interests in their residents have grown which caused some confusion between couples. So should you change your interests to have more productive conversations?

Yes…and no. It is healthy to want to learn about a few of the interests of your love, however to completely change ALL of your interests signifies that you and your love are not as compatible as you think, especially since learning about your significant other’s interests decreases your original interests. One compromise is to order a special made bookcase that delivers magazines monthly and allows you to learn about other interests without losing interest in your original interests.

The next time you and your significant other have a conversation, suggest that you each learn about one of the other’s interests to make the conversation, and the relationship, more interesting.

Making and Maintaining Friends

Jack Daniels



In most cases, the transition from acquaintance to friendship occurs gradually. We reach out to offer friendship by offering a potential friend caring, listening, talking, sharing, accepting, and affirming. It takes time and effort to build a friendship.

Paying attention to means that you focus your ears, eyes, body and feelings on that person at one time. Talking is also an integral component of friendship. When a friend talks they are expecting shared information in return. If two sims don’t share similar interests-this part of the relationship can be very difficult and result in loss or lowering of relations.

Friends require one-on-one contact to survive: telephone calls and getting together are musts for best friends to continue. In fact, probably the quickest way to end a friendship is to neglect it and sever contact.

Yet it is often hard to make time in a busy day and busy life to maintain our friends. But if you don't have to have hours to spare to maintain a friendship try calling every other day. Send postcard from vacations. Go to lunch at least once a month. Simple efforts can prove beneficial for the friendship in the long term.

When Friendships End

Jack Daniels



Many sims expect that their friends will always be there. They expect friendship to last forever. Yet, friendships end and friends part company everyday and even the best maintained friendships can end.

Some end because of a change in personality. Often once a sim has altered their personality for whatever reason-their former friends may not be able to maintain the same type of relationship and thus the relationship falls apart.

Rarely, losing a friendship is the result of a evil spell of wish from a genie on his bad day. More often it is a change in lifestyle that causes friendships to end. Many know that when there is a new baby in the house-it is harder to make contact with your friends or even sleep for that manner. A new marriage can cause the newlyweds to focus on each other and their relationship and forget about their friends from before the marriage.

Sometimes the process of time makes friends drift apart. The friendship slowly loses importance and finally disappears.

Regardless of why, when, or how friendships end, there is always some pain of loss to assimilate. When nothing can be done to mend the friendship, it is important to grieve and feel the pain fully. Then move on to enhance another friendship or build entirely new friendships.


The author and a friend decide to call it quits and go on with life without each other.

What is the Food Expo

SimCity's Food Expo 2004

SimCity Food Expo 2004 is to be hosted by Greymount, and our goal is to make the community focus on food and kitchen culture for one month! Like the previous expos, you can participate in many ways!

Sim Nation Food Association has chosen Greymount to host this year's SimCity Food Expo. This event will open Sunday, August 1st, and will be ongoing for the entire month! The main location will be at The Farmer’s Market of Greymount, which was built for this purpose. Like last year, the goal of the expo will be to focus on different kinds of food and kitchen appliances, introduce new meals and appliances, and learn information on Simmish culture and traditions regarding food related subjects.

The many ways to participate:
There is only a month to pack in the three themes of the Annual Food Expo, but it can be done with help from everyone in SimNation.
· Build a Food Expo Market in your local neighborhood
· Submit recipes or food related items for display at the Food Expo by July 15th
· Sign up to be a judge by July 15th
· Write or give lectures about the Simmish kitchen and food traditions, new food, farming, appliances or any related subject
· Sign up for Mr & Ms Food Expo 2004 by July 15th

The Themes

Food in the Garden
Focus on farming, growing vegetables, outdoors appliances with lectures on farming traditions.
Contest: The judges will select the best-submitted item for outdoors use that goes with the farming theme.

Food in the Kitchen
Focus on kitchen appliances, kitchen interior, and cooking routine.
Contest: The judges will select the best-submitted item or appliance for kitchen use

Food on the Table
Focus on various meals and vending for various occasions with lectures on subjects such as decorating the dining room, having a romantic meal, and the all over attitude to dining in general.

Contests:
The judges will select the best-submitted food item or recipe.
MR and MRS Food Expo

Make this event take place in your neighborhood!

For your neighborhood to participate, you should have an Old Town, because many of the facilities and themes at the Food Expo 2004 will be based on farming and items that requires Old Town, however, the market can be downtown or on a residential.

The market should include booths where the contributing items will be displayed and an area for the lectures otherwise the market can be modified further by your local management, depending on local interests. At the beginning of the expo, you can get the actual items for displaying them in the market booths. Some objects will require access to Old Town (UL), be displayed on a residential lot and some might need to be tested in the homes. Each neighborhood must find their way to display the items, of course you can choose to participate in just some of parts of the Expo.

Start creating food and appliances!
The categories are indicated above and you can send in max one item per category, but if your item exists in several variations/colors you should attach a picture or the items, because it might be of interest to the judges. The items will be controlled by the hosts here in Greymount (categorized for Old Town and Downtown, cost will be set according to the PTS system), and will then be available to all neighborhoods with a proper market place for displaying them. Deadlines for participating will be July 15th and the certificated items will be sent out within 10 days.

The events
This year's Food Expo will be awe-inspiring! In addition to the many local events, which I suggest should last for about a week in order to let as many of your local households as possible attend, there will be the Sim Nation Food Association’s Mr & Ms Food Expo 2004. Two candidates from each hood can be submitted and the winners will receive a year’s supply of Farmer’s Bob’s Tonic as well as $500. Eligible candidates are those who exhibit the spirit of the Food Expo and are chosen based on food knowledge, cooking skills and community commitment to food. For example, last year’s local winner: Matt Grayson is a founding officer of the Greymount Food Club, the president of the Greymount Gardening Association and has a Masters in Cooking as well as an incredible interest in food and the origins of many meals. To submit your hood’s candidates simply complete the registration form.

There will also be many lectures both published on Greymount’s website as well as local community sites, which will be linked at the beginning of the Food Expo, so that other hoods are able to give the lectures at their Food Expo market.

I can't wait for things to start happening and that all food loving Sims will contribute in one way or another! Hopefully, the Food Expo will enrich both minds and stomachs!

SimCity's Food Expo 2004

Food Expo 2004
August 1: Opening Ceremony
Catered by Dorian Wallace & Staff
Opening Address: Starr Grey, Spokesperson
Ribbon Cutting of Food Expo Site
Greymount’s Odd Food Traditions; Matt Grayson

Food in the Garden
Aesthetic Gardens; Veronika Kent

Food in the Kitchen
Saving Simoleans on Food, Leigh Sweeny

Food on the Table
The Dinner Table: A Psychological Look at Families and Eating; Dorian Wallace

Closing Ceremony
Catered by Dorian Wallace & Staff
Closing Address: Starr Grey, Spokesperson
Results and Future of Food Expo: Matt Grayson
Best Contributor 2004 Presentation
Neighborhood Dinner

Co-Hosts
Greymount
Simmerton
Lake Park
New Crystalford
Valdosta
Simmerville
Sim Parade

========================
Greymount’s Odd Food Traditions
Matt Grayson

When we discovered that Greymount would be hosting the Food Expo 2004, the local Food Club decided to research Greymount’s traditions involving food. We discovered some fairly odd traditions that have led to the current customs surrounding our meals.
The original settlement frequently ate whatever was dead and when they discovered it they exclaimed, “dez scangs ez bafs vebest” leading to the unexplained exclamation of well fed guests make over a delicious meal. Also, before the current national restriction of eight members per lot, local communities traditionally had only six members per lot and only cooked meals for those six, thus the tradition of cooking for six has continued with recipes either serving one or six, never eight. Finally, it was discovered why all meals resemble each other with some form of brown meat and vegetables. The first crops that were grown in Greymount were only green beans and the most abundant meat was rabbit, in order to retrace our paths to our ancestors, Greymount residents cook meals that resemble rabbit and green beans, thus the similarity between dishes.
There are other traditions that remain unexplained, but hopefully with a little more research, the secrets behind those mysteries will be unlocked.
=====

The Dinner Table: A Psychological Look at Families and Eating
Dorian Wallace

The dinner table is quickly becoming a thing of the past with families boasting of busier and busier schedules that rarely allow time for a sandwich; much less a decent meal around the table, but the dinner table is a vital and necessary part of every family.
At the dinner table, everyone has a chance to talk with everyone else and this vital communication builds relations with all family members which is easier by far than holding private conversations with individual family members. The dinner table also helps shy individuals speak up more since more people are talking and the focus isn’t on them.
Holding a brief telephone survey, it was found that families that eat at least one meal together have better relations than those who don’t eat meals together. So why not participate in one activity that is guaranteed to bring results?
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Saving Money on Food
Leigh Sweeny

At the end of the month do you look at the bills and your savings account and wonder where all the money has gone? Look closer into your kitchen and you could see the lost simoleans entering the mouths of your family members. Food can cost colossal amounts of money and last for a few moments. Here are a few ways to save money when eating.
First, cook only when everyone is hungry, most simoleans are lost due to waste from uneaten food and by eliminating this waste by cooking only when everyone is hungry and sure to minimize waste. Also, avoid cooking single meals, these often cost around $10 to prepare and only serve one member, as opposed to cooking for six, which costs about $20, a much better value for your simoleans. Another option includes eating homegrown food, but this value depends on several factors including growing a vine vegetable, such as beans or tomatoes, low pests, hard labor and good weather. Finally, avoid allowing children and family members to snack on the expensive bags of chips that cost $15 a bag! Instead put out bowls of apples, cookies or appetizers from Internet stores such as Around the Sims and Simmerville’s Stuff. These snacks are available such that everyone can snack on one or two of the goodies and are able to last several days before spoiling. This extended time before spoilage is worth the extra simoleans it costs to order the goodies.

By following these hints, your food bill should be considerable lower.

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Aesthetic Gardens
Veronika Kent

Being an architect, I often have to deal with a few unusual requests, but one request that isn’t as uncommon as I thought is the desire for a vegetable garden that looks good.

First, try something different than the rows and rows of vegetables, instead place the plots in diagonals. Plant them in designs of squares and rectangles bordered with flowers and water or placing the plots underneath trees. One option is to build a greenhouse for the vegetables.
Building a greenhouse is simple, just place the plots of vegetables in the desired position, due to national regulations the plots can not be moved after the green house is built, nor can additional plots be inserted, so make sure the plots are as you desire them. Then build the greenhouse around them, add floor to ceiling windows to let in plenty of healthy light and a door so that you can enter to tend to the plants.

Just think outside the box and you’ll be able to create a truly unique garden!

SimCity's Food Expo 2006

Food Expo 2006
June 10: Opening Ceremony
Opening Address: Alia Kent, SpokesSim
Ribbon Cutting of Food Expo Site "Farmer's Market"

Food in the Garden
The Importance of Fresh Veggies-Leroy Mendenhall

Food in the Kitchen
Celebrity Cookoff Play-by-Play-Gretta Mendenhall

Food on the Table
Leftovers - Avery Wilsonoff

June 30: Closing Ceremony
Closing Address: Alia Kent, SpokesSim
Results and Future of Food Expo: Leroy Mendenhall
Best Contributor 2006 Presentation
Neighborhood Dinner

Leftovers
Avery Wilsonoff

When our hood signed the deal to allow residents to go downtown, we had no idea that we would gain so much more, especially in the area of food preperation and storage. Before the deal, families hated cooking and having the food spoil, often gourging themselves and eating when they were no hungry so that thier precious simoleans wouldn't go to waste. Now, families have the ability to store food in thier personal inventories. But what's the best way to store these leftovers?

Some families keep the meals left on the serving platter and every so often instead of cooking a meal, they pull out the serving platter and everyone eats thier fill of yummy hotdogs, pancakes and even chili. This is a great way to have dinner on Friday nights instead of calling the pizza company and even allows the little ones to pick and chose thier desired meal, like a buffet! Other families save individual meals for teenagers headed off to university so they won't have to suffer thru cafeteria food and can devote more time to studies. In fact, this method has increased so much in Apple Valley, that university officials are considering changing the fee structure so that students pay one fee for housing and another fee for board. I've encountered numerous pregnant women who upon discovering that they were pregnant, cooked several individual meals, or saved the leftovers so that during thier third trimester (which is the hardest on the body) they didn't have to stand up and cook, but could simply eat a meal once they were hungry. This method also works well for sick sims who are too tired to cook.

Either way you look at it, leftovers are a great money saving tool and pretty darn tasty too.

The Importance of Fresh Veggies
Leroy Mendenhall

Now that delivery of groceries, chinese food and pizza have kept residents at home, many families miss out on the importance of going to thier local market and chosing thier own fresh veggies.

Delivered groceries are edible, but how can you insure that your basket of food stuffs were not sitting in some factory downtown waiting for your call. You can avoid this issue when you visit your local market. Just look at how the dirt still clings to the veggies, yep, this stuff was freshly picked that morning. The drops of dew still cover the yummy foodstuffs and you can smell the nature and occasional natural fertilizer when you place the item in your basket. The fresher your foodstuffs, the more healthy they are for your body.

What's that? No time to visit the market? Pishposh! Make it a family event and browse the stalls for fresh fruit, buy a warm sweetcake or simply enjoy a cup of coffee or play a game of tag. When you return home, cook some of your finds for dinner-my favorite way to display my treasures from a day at the market is through a fresh chef salad, but you can add your finds to fish or steak. Just remember, fresher is better.


Celebrity Cookoff Play-by-Play
Gretta Mendenhall

We're lucky enough to have a great crowd for the celebrity cook-off, especially considering that the event had to be held by the light of the moon due to one contestant's extreme sensativity to sunlight. Tonight's event features two celebrities well known in SimNation for thier artistic talents competing against each other for the title of Food Expo's Celebrity Chef 2006. The contestants will have one hour to cook a meal that must feature the secret ingrediant which is...well, let me first introduce the contestants. We have Arrendale Height actress Zaida Burrego and director Shawn Marsh, son of late actor, Silas Marsh. The judges for this event are actress Starr Grey, the owner of Farmer's Market Leroy Mendenhall (hi dad!) and chef Fidel Kent. The judges will award a maximum of five points on taste, presentation and originality. Now, the secret ingrediant is....rose petals?

1:00 left
-The contestants look bewildered due to the strange secret ingrediant, but Zaida quickly reacts and starts grabbing her pan and several baskets of fresh apples and a cactus. Shawn isn't too far behind as he grabs slices of fresh llama and numerous stalks of dills.
0:45 left
-Zaida has thrown the apples and rose petals into the food processor and she appears to be juicing the cactus-ouch! Shawn has placed the llama into the oven to roast and has started slicing the dill and adding the rose petals to a sauce of melted butter and garlic.
0:30 left
-Zaida has ran back to the food table to grab several large eggplants! Shawn is pouring his sauce over the roasting llama. Zaida has begun slicing the eggplants in half and scooping out the meat!
0:15 left
-Zaida has begun boiling the insides of the eggplant and has taken to slicing even more apples. Shawn is slicing the llama for the plates and appears to be placing whole rose heads on top of the meat. Zaida has now put the boiled eggplant back into the eggplant shells and has mixed the noodles with the apple rose petal mixture.
0:00 left
-Time's Up! Let's hear what our judges have to say.

Starr Grey: I must say, I love the presentation from Zaida's Apple Rose Pasta, though the flavors of the eggplant and the apple seem to be in competition. The flavors of Shawn's Roast Llama in a Butter Rose Sauce were better suited for each other, however I felt the presentation was lacking as well as the orginality.
Leroy Mendenhall: Both contestants had very original ideas using the rose, Zaida's dish has a sweet accent to the salty eggplant noodles, which the rose-butter sauce adds an extra element to Shawn's llama dish.
Fidel Kent: I disagree with Starr. I felt that the flavors of Zaida's Apple Rose Pasta were great together, and she filled a need for vegetarians by excluding meat and it's byproducts and gluten from wheat. Shawn's Llama was a little bland and I felt that the rose petals were an afterthought, and could barely notice them.

Here are the scores:
Zaida Burrego: taste=3, presentation=2, originality=4. Total= 9
Shawn Marsh: taste=4, presentation=3, originality=3. Total=10

Congratulations Shawn Marsh, you're the Food Expo's Celebrity Chef 2006!

Serving Food and All That Jazz

SimCity's Food Expo 2005
Katherine Herendez

Most sims think that all food should be served from the left and removed from the right. This is a misconception and stems from the fact that long ago, all food was served in large trays and each guest was served individually tableside from this large tray. But now the plates are presented to your guests with the food already on it, nicely displayed and decorated, then it should be served from the right.

These days it is nearly universal practice, even in very formal circumstances, for food to arrive already arranged on the plate, rather than to be presented on a platter. Preplated food as well as empty plates and clean utensils brought in preparation for upcoming courses, are always placed from the guest's right side. At the end of the course, these plates are also cleared from the right.

I hope that you are now prepared for your next dinner party!

Recipes for Your Favorite Meals, Including Prep Time

SimCity's Food Expo 2005
Josie Dawson

If you're like me, you don't like to run around looking for ingredients to your favorite meals, well here's the recipes to my favorite dishes for every entree: breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.

Omelettes
Hunger Efficiency: 75% ; Cooking Skill: 4+ ; Eat Cost: §5 ; Serve Cost: §20 ; Spoil Time: 6 Hours
Ingredients: Eggs, peppers, tomatoes, cheese, other as desired
Chop vegetables until fine, mix eggs in bowl. Combine. Fry in pan for 10 minutes. Serve

Chili Con Carne
Hunger Efficiency: 75% ; Cooking Skill: 4+ ; Eat Cost: §6 ; Serve Cost: §24 ; Spoil Time: 6 Hours
Ingredients: Meat, tomatos, peppers, spices, beans, tomato sauce
Chop vegetables until fine, mix with sauce and meat. Let simmer in pot 15 minutes and serve.

Salmon
Hunger Efficiency: 88%; Cooking Skill: 6+ ; Eat Cost: §7 ; Serve Cost: §28 ; Spoil Time: 6 Hours
Ingredients: Salmon, cloves, chives, ginger, salt, pepper
Marinate salmon, place in pan. Let bake for 30 minutes. Serve.

Layer Cake
Hunger Efficiency: 75% ; Cooking Skill: 6+ ; Eat Cost: §5 ; Serve Cost: §20 ;Spoil Time: 6 Hours
Ingredients: Baking Mix, Eggs, Vanilla, Sugar
Mix in bowl. Pour in pan and bake for 40 minutes. Serve.

From Farming To No Farms

SimCity's Food Expo 2005
Selena Herendez

Much of the history of Simnation revolves around the lust for land, the acquisition of territories, and the harnessing of its productive capabilities. Perhaps as important as this desire for land was the attitude toward that land. It was not a scarce resource to be guarded and nurtured for the future. Land was promiscuous in its abundance. Consequently, sims treated land as a "free gift" to be exploited as fully and as quickly as possible; conservation and love of the soil was not a characteristic of the early generations of settlers. Nevertheless, these settlers harnessed the productivity of the soil and established a strong agricultural economy, based upon grains and livestock, which sustained Simnation well into the new dimension.

Now farms are becoming extinct, so how do sims adjust from farming to not farming? Well, some sims still plant farm like gardens, though there are no crops and most still opt to buy thier food fresh from local markets to retain that flavor. However, a large group of sims anxiously wait for farming to be reinstated in the new dimension so that they can return to thier old way of life.

Food in the New Dimension

Elaine Forrester-Miller

Cooking in the New Dimension is unlike cooking in the old dimension, first you may chose from several recipes to cook-depending on the time of day-also depending on your skill with cooking, your dishes are either marvalous, or so horrible that the dog won't eat it.

Some other things about cooking that sims might not know:
-The more complex the recipe, the more satisfaction you get out of one serving. I believe since we know how much work and time goes into cooking the meal, we enjoy it more.

-The more skill you are, the less prep time there will be.

-If you are cooking a new recipe at the mimium skill level required to cook the meal, there s a 20% chance of burning it. The chance of burning decreases as you become more skilled.

-The more expensive cooking appliances you have, the more hunger satisfaction you get out of that meal. It's true about technology adding beads of flavor to the meal!

SimCity's Food Expo 2005 Overview

Food Expo 2005
July 15: Opening Ceremony
Opening Address: Harmony Pierce, SpokesSim
Ribbon Cutting of Food Expo Site
Food in the New Dimension-Elaine Forrester-Miller

Food in the Garden
The Transition from Farming to No Farms-Selena Herendez

Food in the Kitchen
Recipes for Your Favorite Meals, Including Prep Time-Josie Dawson

Food on the Table
Serving and All That Jazz- Katherine Hernedez

August 15: Closing Ceremony
Closing Address: Harmony Pierce, SpokesSim
Results and Future of Food Expo: Josie Dawson
Best Contributor 2005 Presentation
Neighborhood Dinner

Romantic Dinners at Home

Jack Daniels

When most Sims sit down to meals-romance is usually far from thier minds-instead the problems with children, bills and work are often the topic of conversation-but now everyone can have a romantic dinner at home by following a few simple steps.

First don't talk about the negative events of the day-focus the conversation on your partner. Even if you're eating as a family-focus your attention on your partner and thier needs. Drown them with lots of compliments and maybe talk about things that you know they are interested in. If you're not interested in the same topics that they are spend some time as a couple, learning about each other's interests. Who knows? You may like it.



When eating alone with your partner-lower the lights, have a few candles, nothing puts a room or a sim in a romantic mood like the placement of a few candles. Avoid the spooky head candles-those NEVER work to build romance. Some catalogs offer table candles for good prices, so shop around. Another way to maximize romance is to dress up for dinner. Put on your dressy outfit that you usually save for downtown and wear them to the dining room table-your partner will instantly know that tonight's dinner is special.

Sit as close to your partner as you can, minimize the distance bewteen you. That myth that couples sitting across from each other is more romantic is the biggest lie ever. How can you steal a kiss from across the table or whisper in your loved one's ears.

Leave the dishes to the children, or until the morning, and instead spend some time cuddling on the couch after dinner, it is a perfect way to end the perfect romantic dinner at home.

Dining Room Remodeled #2

Prisilla Lake recieved an email from SUN Spokesperson and actress Starr Grey, asking for her services in remodeling her dining room. Lake jumped at the chance to be back in the actress's luxury home. Lake found that renovating the dining room would be lots of fun since she could go with a theme of stardom. The room is part of a larger room holding the kitchen and the dining room. The room was nicely designed with subtle elements and light colors used in the decor. Lake had to consider the Gray's children would use the room as well as Starr's celebrity friends. Lake decided to go with a custom design to match Starr's profession and name.



Lake decided to bring in more elegance and star style into the room. First she decided to use the neutral colors, royal red and gold trim in the room. Ripping up the carpet and wallpaper-she replaced them with cream beiges wallpaper with gold trim and deep brown carpet. Lake installed a custom carpet ultilizing the traditional star tiles and deep red carpet. She replaced the cheap counters with wood counters and placed some plants from other parts of the home into the room. As a finishing touch she added a large decor door salvaged from a theater.




In all Lake spent $5640 much of that going to the theater doors, custom rug and new counters. Lake managed to gain more money with the sale of the wallpaper and carpet. Lake recommends that you start with a theme to tie the room together rather then a color or wallpaper-as it is harder to get furniture to match. Also, spend most of your money on one centerpiece or main item.

Dining Room Remodeled

Prisilla Lake recieved a call from Neighborhood Council President, Tiffany Burb, asking for help remodeling her dining room. Lake jumped at the assignment, but renovating the dining room would be a small challenge since it was originally part of a larger room holding the kitchen, dining room and family room. The room was very plain with an oddly placed fireplace and light colors used in the decor. In addition to the three rooms in one, Lake had to consider the Burb's small child would use the room as well as the family’s desire and duty to entertain frequently. However, she worked miracles and produced an elegant dining room with simple changes.




Lake decided to bring in more color and elegance into the room. First she decided to use the colors and wood of the existing dining set and family room furniture as well as the doors and incorperate these into the wall and floor decor. Ripping up the carpet and wallpaper-she replaced them with a formal blue pattern and elegant wood tiles. She replaced the cheap counters with wood counters and updated the appliances in the kitchen. As a finishing touch she added a few decor pieces like a parlor lamp and antique photo discovered at the local antique shop.





In all Lake spent $8346, much of that going to the beautiful wood tiles, new counters, and updated appliances. Lake managed to gain more money with the sale of the old appliances, wallpaper and carpet. Lake recommends that you start with existing structures, furniture or room designs and build around those, instead of gutting out and starting anew. Also, using one piece of furniture, artwork or room design as inspiration to tie the room together works nicely as well.

Dinner and a Movie: The Concept of Food & Dating,

Jack Daniels

When most Sims call their significant other and invite them downtown for a date, there is always food involved. Either the posh restaurant is the main event of the date or the local ice-cream parlor is a forgotten pit stop. A full course meal and good conversation can cause any Sim to jump massive amounts in their relationship. In fact, over the Salamander Diner’s Glutton Special is how all of my closest friends became my closest friends.

If using the meal as the main event, I suggest greeting your date and refreshing yourself on their interests before ordering the largest meal available. Why the largest? This will produce the largest increase in relationships. If you’re seated at a table, be a gentleman or gentlewoman and offer a chair to your date.

Keep the conversation simple while deciding what to order and while eating the first course. Then during or before the second course, if you have been getting good vibes from your date, go ahead and compliment or admire them. If your date refuses your advances, continue talking for the remainder of the meal. If your date accepts your advances, the next step would be a simple game of footsie.

By the end of the game, your second course should have been placed on the table. Eat the meal and enjoy the faint blush of your partner’s cheeks then after eating, attempt to cuddle. For a first date, I advise keeping it simple; if you want to move beyond cuddling, try an embrace or a kiss. Do not attempt to make-out in the booths if it is your first date, many Sims have returned home with a black eye because of this.

After dessert, the date is finally over; you would have spent over seven hours sitting in the restaurant. Say goodbye to your date and go home basking in the joy of starting a new relationship with the help of a simple meal.

Where Does My Fork Go? Dining Etiquette for Sims

Dorian Wallace


Many Sims worry about the details of eating. Which way do you pass the bread, left or right? Well since Sims don’t eat bread, nor pass food, the question is null and void. However, there are many aspects of dining that do require simple etiquette.

When eating at home, make sure there are plenty of chairs for each visitor, visitors hate to stand and eat if everyone else is sitting down. The chairs should be easy to access as the meal is not as enjoyable if one spends ten minutes trying to get to the chair and finally sits down as everyone else is leaving. Also, make sure that there is proper lighting in the room, you don’t want to grab what you think is the leg of lamb and leave with a slap from a jealous lover. The most important thing is to leave a little food on the plate, it’s an old Simmish tradition so that the flies may have a little food and grace the house with their presence.

If you are the host, you and your family should clean up after dinner, however if your guest is nice and insists on washing their own plate, allow them to. After the meal, allow the guest use of the restroom first, so that they’re in good spirits for the remainder of the time spent in your home. Now with pets in the family, it is very important that pets are locked in another room during the meal to avoid unnecessary begging.

When eating downtown, go to the restaurant as soon as you arrive. This ensures that the wait time is minimum as it's very embarrassing to show up and have to wait an extended period of time for a table, leaving a very bad impression on your date. When your food arrives, proper dining etiquette requires you to eat at a moderate pace so that you have time to talk. It is bad dining etiquette if you gobble down your food and you spend the rest of the time watching your date eat.

If you follow those simple hints, guests will always want to eat with you and your family.

Cramped and Cluttered to Cozy and Country

Prisalla Lake

I recently remodeled a kitchen in the home of a Greymount resident who wishes to remain unnamed due to a secret experiment or some sort. The tenant of a small cramped studio apartment had a limited budget and no taste. The tenent is a gardener doing a few gardening experiments to perfect a top secret fertilizer. I agreed to remodel the kitchen and create a space of order and warmth.

The kitchen proved to be very challenging. The budget was set at $2500 and the kitchen was housed in a room that served as the bedroom and living room of a small studio apartment.

The kitchen contained two old desks from a yard sale and a rusty fridge that was donated by a friend. The appliances were ill arranged and the only salvaged items from the old kitchen was the stove and the appliances. The kitchen needed a complete makeover-however, I had a budget and a time constraint.

The decor in the room was horrible, a dull clapboard wall and blue carpeting, but I decided to use the wall as a design theme and create a country/garden kitchen. The design worked well with the tenent, a gardener. My main goals were to update the current appliances, install more storage space for the room and create a seperate space for the kitchen.

I started by replacing the old fridge, buying a double basin sink and installing opened faced counters. The counters gave more space for food and other items in the room and provided a clean garden feeling. I also laid down a wooden floor made from scrapwood salvaged at the local mill and installed a beautiful anitque window that the tenant's grandmother had saved from her first home. Finnaly, I painted a series of three paintings for the wall and added plants to the counterspace to create a cozy yet open country kitchen.

In all I spent $2350, under budget!!!

Shopping List

[all items can be found in the Maxis Buying Catalog and the Maxis Building Catalog]

Appliances:
Porcina Fridge
Double Basin Sink

Surfaces:
Opened Face Counters

Decorations:
Paintings by art student

Flooring:
Grange Wood Panels

Windows
Windser Window

Kitchen Space Planning

Prisilla Lake

When planning your kitchen, think efficiency. Most Sims spend about 20% of their time in the kitchen, with some simple rearrangements, Sims could spend 10% of their time in the kitchen.

Lets look at the typical Sim cooking pattern. First remove the food from the refrigerator, then prepare it on a counter, mix it in the food processor, and heat. Some Sims skip a step or two depending on the recipe, however this is the long version.

Based on this order, your fridge should have an empty counter next to it. Next to the empty counter should be the food processor and beside that your heating device (toaster, microwave or stove).

Once you have the order of your appliances, then you should concern yourself with the space in the kitchen. Even though only one Sim will probably be cooking at a time, everyone will want to congregate in the kitchen to sample the still raw goodies. Due to this desire it is important to leave at least two tiles of free space around your cooking devices.

For some reason, Sims sometimes rush to clean up after meals and there is usually a line at the dishwater, sink or bathroom sinks. I suggest have a dishwater and a sink and make sure to leave at least two free tiles in front of the sink or dishwasher.

Using these methods, your kitchen will be better spaced out and planned, thus resulting in better and quicker meals for the entire family.

Hunger Fulfillment

Hunger Fulfillment
Gina Deere, scientist-Sim Laboratories


All Sims must eat and eating is what most Sims do best. However, what most households don’t know is that they may be spending unnecessary Simeolons on appliances that are not needed. Before shopping for your new kitchen, let’s look at the basics.

Every kitchen must have a fridge, once this is purchased, a food processor should be next on the list. Afterwards, any appliance that will heat the food from a toaster oven to a stove can be purchased. When cooking, Sims tend to use only one heating device for each meal, so it is not necessary to have both a stove and a microwave, but if you like variety in your kitchen and have the funds-go ahead and purchase multiple heating devices.

Now, what about those quality points? The quality points from appliances are calculated and this will give you your hunger value after using these appliances. We want a value of ten, which is full and happy, so we’ll be looking for hunger quality point combinations that give as close to ten as possible.

Finally, the most economical combination that was found gives a hunger score of nine. To purchase this combination the shopping list is detailed below:

Llamark refrigerator= $600 =6 hunger points
Food Processor =$220= 3 hunger points
Microwave= $250 =2 hunger points
Total =$1070= 9 hunger points

This simple combination streamlines the cooking time and maximizes the hunger score for less than the price of purchasing the Porcina refrigerator. Also, by using Simmerville’s PTS calculator it was discovered that most of the refrigerators and stoves in the standard catalog are overpriced. Outside of the suggested shopping list, I recommend purchasing the appliances if they complement your kitchen design.

History of Greymount Through Food

History of Greymount Through Food
Dorian Wallace

Henry Greymount founded Greymount in 1832, since then artifacts found in backyards and community property has revealed the history of Greymount.

The oldest known food artifact is a piece of bread; the dough was made from a local rye and mixed with local berries. This was the main staple of the first settlement of Greymount. After this, a mouse was found wrapped in the skin of an armadillo. This was the main element of the residents of 1851 when there was a drought and only road kill was found to eat.

After the drought of 1851, the residents rebelled against simple food and government and started dining on roasted lamb and rosemary seasoned vegetables. This diet fad did not last long as the residents experienced a flux of immigrants in the 1890’s. The immigrants, from all over, brought their native foods and diets. Greymount experienced a delightful switch from a staple diet to an eclectic mix of food, including stuffed grape leaves, chicken burritos, jalapeno cornbread, clam chowder, sushi and much more.

The 1920’s brought about meals consisting of sandwiches and milk such that families could spend time importing spirits illegally. The diets of the immigrants were blended together in the civil rights era of the1960’s to form Greymount style meals; sample meals included chicken burritos with grape stuffed leaves and jalapeno cornbread or clam chowder with cucumber sushi.

Now the diets of Greymount residents are as varied as its residents.

Food Expo 2003 Overview

SimCity's Food Expo 2003
Food Expo 2003

June 1: Opening Ceremony
Catered by PariƩ
Opening Address: Starr Grey, Spokesperson
History of Greymount Through Food: Dorian Wallace
Ribbon Cutting of Food Expo Site: MR and MRS Food Expo 2003

June: Food in the Garden
The Greymount Gardening Association present a series of short lectures about the vegetable garden: including advice on choosing seeds, garden layouts, planting, weeding, plant tonic, pests, harvesting, selling versus storing and a state of the art indoor garden

July: Food in the Kitchen
The Best Food Fulfillment Combination: Gina Deere, scientist-Sim Laboratories
Space Planning for the Kitchen: Prisilla Lake, interior designer-Lake Designs & Homes
Kitchen Makeover Results: Prisilla Lake, interior designer-Lake Designs & Homes

August: Food on the Table
Dining Etiquette: Dorian Wallace-chef, Parie
Dinner and a Movie, The Concept of Food in Dating: Jack Daniels
Dining Room Makeover Results: Prisilla Lake, interior designer-Lake Designs & Homes
Dining Room Makeover Results #2: Prisilla Lake, interior designer-Lake Designs & Homes
Romantic Dinners At Home: Jack Daniels

August 31: Closing Ceremony
Catered by Macaroni Grille, [Wallace Enterprises]
Closing Address: Starr Grey, Spokesperson
Results and Future of Food Expo: Dorian Wallace
Best Contributor 2003 Presentation
Neighborhood Dinner

The Food Expo has ended and Greymount closed the city-wide event with a large closing ceremony and presentation of the Best Contributor award for 2003.

"The dinner was great and served to introduce us to any other neighbors we did not know!" ~Veronika Kent

"Congratulations to Prisilla Lake, enjoy the win because next year, I will get the Best Contributor Award" ~Jack Daniels

Results and Future of Food Expo: Dorian Wallace
The Food Expo brought Greymount a lot of publicity and forged ties with other neighborhoods. 678 Sims visited the Food Expo section for advice on gardening, cooking and decorating tips. Locally, Greymount had numerous visitors from downtown and even a few celebrities from StudioTown visit the Food Expo with thier friends from Greymount. The Food Expo helped create the Greymount Gardening Association and the event successfully married off two residents-Matt and Jennifer Grayson. Overall, the Food Expo was a large success for Greymount and SimCity!

The future of the Food Expo is as exciting as the event itself. Greymount was looked upon very favorably and had the option to be the main host for the Food Expo 2004. However, due to the small neighborhood and lack of farmers and food lovers at the moment-Greymount declined the option. However, Greymount is looking forward to co-hosting the Food Expo 2004 and is possibly looking into becoming the main host for the Food Expo 2005!

Best Contributor 2003
The race for Best Contributor 2003 was close and the three candidates: Jack Daniels, Prisilla Lake and Dorian Wallace were all very talented and presented great lectures. However with 65% of the votes-the winner recieved the Honorary Food Expo Lawn Gnome and $250.

Congratulations to Prisilla Lake!

"Next year they better have stuff for us kids!" ~Laura Hick

"There should be a Food Lover's Club-then we could plan the Food Expo to be bigger and even better than ever!" ~Matt Grayson