Gormand par Excellence - An Interview

Zaffiry1 is one of the top in the land when it comes to fine dining. This handsome Royal Zafara has currently has eaten 1050 unique gourmet foods. Zaffiry1 and his owner, Boombaby13, have agreed to an interview to share their unique perspective on gourmet feeding and also to offer advice to those who aspire to such grand heights. Perhaps they can even dispel a few of the myths which seem to surround the Gourmet Club.

What motivated you to start feeding gourmet?

Boombaby13: I began feeding a long, long time ago to work for the gourmet trophy. I'm horrible at flash games, but I love trophies and collecting so it seemed like the perfect thing for me and Zaffiry1. As expensive as it gets, it's still easier than most games to me.

What do you most enjoy about feeding gourmets?

Boombaby13: I love watching my collection grow and grow. I'm always on the lookout for something that I haven't fed. I have a dream that maybe someday I could feed every gourmet.

Why did you keep feeding even after you received a gold gourmet badge?

Boombaby13: Someone once said they thought of gourmet feeding as a gallery of sorts. After I got my trophy, I considered starting a gourmet gallery and then thought why start over? Over the years I've just continued to feed to watch my "gallery" grow. It would never be for sale and would stay with myself and Zaffiry1 forever to enjoy and admire.

Does zaffiry1 ever refuse to eat certain foods?

Boombaby13: He moans and complains and coughs and sputters at the thought of some of the meals I've served him, but he knows he's a very special pet and toughens up and enjoys every last one of them from the weirdest to the officially gross.

Are there any foods you refuse to feed, why?

Boombaby13: I'd never refuse to feed a food, but the only thing that holds us back sometimes is the lack of Neopoints to fund the habit. Good news, though, is with the release of the Wheel of Extravagance we may actually be able to someday afford the rarity 100 chocolates that we thought were well out of reach.

Why did you choose to feed Draik Eggs to Zaffiry1? Don't you know those are baby Draiks??

Boombaby13: Draik Eggs are a food first; they restock in a Neopian food shop. While they are still in the egg stage, it isn’t much different than one of us humans getting up and fixing eggs for breakfast. Zaffiry1 quite likes eggs for breakfast and has had them several times.

A lot of people talk about how expensive Gourmet Club is. What is the most expensive item Zaffiry1 has eaten to date?

Boombaby13: The most I've ever spent on an item I've fed would be 3 million. Not too bad considering he's eaten four Draik Eggs! Draik eggs used to be a lot cheaper than they are now and they weren't even the items I spent 3 million on. That item was the Leaf Taco. Luckily, restocking foods has saved us a ton and we haven't had to go too high to buy our foods. I would hate to have to go back and do it over again, as things are much more expensive these days.

Approximately what percentage of your feeds did you restock yourself?

Boombaby13: I'd have to guess with this one, but I'm thinking about 75% or so of the foods I've fed have been either restocked or sniped off the shop wiz. By sniping I mean that I've bought something that should be unbuyable, from a user shop, for a buyable price, which is almost as good as restocking them yourself. Some of our most expensive and best foods have been obtained using these methods and that has saved us many Neopoints.

Does Zaffiry1 enjoy the food preparation process?

Boombaby13: Zaffiry1 is a laid back and rather lazy pet to be honest. I don't know how many times he's demanded his dinner over the years and isn't much concerned with how or where it came from. I don't think he realizes how spoiled rotten he is.

Is he primarily a day-to-day eater or a fast and gorger?

Boombaby13: Zaffiry always fell into the day-to-day category as we didn't even learn about the methods of speed feeding until well after we'd gotten into feeding. By that time the Neopoints funds were running too low to try and buy a lot of foods at once. These days, though, I tend to try to feed several at a time after waiting for prices to come down or restocking them myself, so he may get several treats at once.

Do you run into any difficulties when battling and gourmet feeding with Zaffiry1?

Boombaby13: Zaffiry1 is not the battler in our family. His idea of a workout only involves chewing. I knew right away he wouldn't be very interested in the Battledome so he has a brother that takes care of that for him.

Do you have any favorite foods?

Boombaby13: There are tons and tons of gourmets I just absolutely adore and love to look at. The Doughnutfruits and Faerie Mushrooms are some of my favorites. Some of the sandwiches and cakes make me hungry just looking at them. I mean who wouldn't want a Pizza Sandwich and Stack it High Cake for lunch?

What does "Get Chuffing" mean?

Boombaby13: Get chuffing is a way of saying hurry up and eat... often a noisy lip-smacking activity. We try not chuff too often as we prefer to slowly enjoy our meals. Neopets really should slow down and enjoy every morsel, even the often weird dishes that are gourmet. Although when you have a really hungry pet or an especially tasty treat, that often isn't the case.

Can you share any tips/secrets?

Boombaby13: I'm not sure there are any secrets--so to speak--for feeding, but the one thing I can't say enough to people is search and search and search. Becoming a huge bargain hunter is really key to getting far in the gourmet club; your bank account will be much happier the more time you spend looking for those amazing deals. They will be out there.

Another good tip, is to keep an up-to-date list of everything you've fed. There's nothing more depressing than spending hard earned Neopoints on a gourmet and feeding it only to find that you'd already fed it before. Whether you’re a computer whiz and can whip up a spread sheet or use the old fashion pen and paper method it doesn't matter, just keep an eye on your feeds because they will each only count for one point.

Thank you Boombaby13 and Zaffiry1 for sharing with the Neopian World your distinct insight into the Gourmet hobby.