How to Make Lunch in Neopia

To a newbie, Neopia can be an intimidating place full of strange customs and words. Having successfully made it through the newbie faze (and several years after) I’ve written this article to introduce new-comers to the crazy world of Neopia and help them to learn to live day-by-day until they start to get the hang of things.

Starting the Day Off Right

The first thing to learn is how to make food for yourself and your pet(s). Breakfast would be the first on the menu. A classic Doughnut of any kind would be a good and easy choice, or you could buy a Cinnamon Swirl and top it off with some Breakfast Tea. That’s the simplified version; everything can be bought as is with no preparation needed. However, living out of restaurants will quickly drive you bankrupt. For a more budget-appropriate meal, you’ll want to cook it yourself. The only pots currently in existence in Neopia are for flowers or decorating, and the only stove is far out of price range, as a result cooking can become a bit of a challenge. It ultimately comes down to resourcefulness. Iron furniture works best for substitute cookware since it won’t melt and conducts heat well. An Iron Desk works best for an oven and cook top. Start a fire under it and let the metal heat up. Once it’s heated, use the drawer as an oven and the top as a cook top. For breakfast, I’d suggest cracking a few eggs on top along with some bacon and putting some breakfast rolls into the ‘oven’ drawer. No breakfast is complete with out orange juice, and Neopia is in a desperate lack of juicers; fortunately, the handle of a Pyramid Dagger does the job nicely. You’ll also find the dagger’s blade quite handy in the kitchen when you take advantage of the removable pyramid tip, as we don’t have any kitchen knives. After washing up your ‘dishes’ (Halleluiah we have a sink!) you’re ready to go onto the day’s next big challenge.

In the Meanwhile…

You have some time before starting on your next meal, so why not go exploring? As a newbie, you need to meet people. Now is the time to make friends and set down roots in Neopia. For this, I’d suggest the NeoBoards. There’s the Help board for any questions you may have, and the Guild board to find a place to belong. Look at the Guild board for a guild that will be friendly to newbies and offer you help getting started. Hopefully, you’ll meet lots of friendly and caring people. Watch out for those who may be angry with you, just try to be polite and leave them alone. Most Neopians are really nice, so try to focus on the good.

How to Make Lunch

Back at home, time for lunch. On the store-bought side we have Nachos, Ham, Chicken, or even a Turkey Dinner with Neocola or Achyfi. For those looking to the future and wishing to spend less, there are also home-cooked options. Soup is a versatile and easy to fix treat, and for cooking it, I recommend Sturdy Iron Lupe Boots. Although meant to protect the feet of great Lupes in battle, these boots double as handy cooking pots. First, be sure to clean them out well (particularly if they have previously been used,) then chop up carrots, tomatoes, hot dogs, left over bacon, and anything else you happen to have lying around using the dagger from breakfast. Now you’ll have to fire up your desk again. Put a boot full of water and ingredients on top and wait for it to boil. When it does, bank the fire and scoop a few hot coals into the drawer, cover the pot, and let it simmer until everything is soft. Chop lettuce (or kelp if you have it) into the other boot and add some! Gadgadsbogen fruits to make a salad to compliment your soup. Tap water makes the perfect accent for this low-budget lunch.

Out and About…

Once again, with free time until dinner, try spending time making Neopoints to make you Neopian existence more comfortable. This will also enable you to take a break form the homemade meals every once in a while. You can play each game as many times a day as you wish, however, you may only send you score and receive payment for 3 of those times. A few good games for beginners include Meerca Chase, Destruct-O-Match, Kiko Match II, Meepit Juice Break, and Swarm. After collecting points from a few of these it’s time to go work on dinner.

The Best Meal of the Day

For dinner you can enjoy a treat from the store, anything from Grackle-Stuffed Turkey to The Faerie Queen Burrito is on the shelves. Or, for a more down-home experience, try making something yourself. Get your desk going again and put onions and Geopeppers on to fry, they can cook right on the surface of the desktop. Slice chicken into pieces and add it to the mix, then, liberally add on sweetened mustard. Mix everything until the liquid begins to cook and disappear, in absence of a spatula, I’d recommend, using the dagger again. For serving this spicy-sweet dish, put it on either the last of you lunch salad or toasted bread. Boil tealeaves in one of the boot-pots to make a refreshing drink and your dinner meal is complete.

The Coming of Night

There are beds in Neopia, however at this point, you probably don’t have one. Never fear, throw your coat over your cooling stove (mind that the hem doesn’t catch fire) and you’ll have a warm place to stay for the night. As you drift off to sleep, think about all the wonderful things to come in your new life as a Neopian…

Further Instructions

Repeat every day as needed until you find yourself successful and able to accommodate your preferences however you wish.

A/N Surviving your first few weeks in Neopia is a lot like surviving college. You cook things that were never meant to be cooking utensils, you learn the fine art of leftovers and reusing previous meals, and you have a lot of fun. Best wishes for happy living, ~Merlin.