Written by Jim Ziegler

Thanksgiving is a time to get together with your friends and family, to celebrate all the amazing things life has given you, and to celebrate a good harvest with a feast. Turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry chutney, and pumpkin pie are all classic Thanksgiving dishes, but have you thought about what Pokémon trainers like Ash and Professor Oak would eat for Thanksgiving?

 

Early Pokémon art showed a handful of normal animals in the Pokémon world, like cats and mongooses. As the franchise evolved, these normal animals faded into obscurity, eventually disappearing entirely. That means there are no cows for beef, pigs for pork, or chickens for… chicken. Is everyone in the Pokémon world vegetarian?

 

We’ve seen characters in the anime eating sausage and drumsticks. The video games usually skirt the issue by using “bean ham” and other plant-based ingredients, but the Pokédex tells a different story.

 

There are several Pokémon that have parts harvested for food. Children peel the skin off of Appletun to snack on, and Team Rocket famously chopped off Slowpoke tails to sell when they were low on funds. Jessie and James tried to catch a Farfetch’d to cook, using its own leek as a garnish. They weren’t the first, either: Farfetch’d is rare in the Kanto region because so many people hunted them for food. Even Ash and Brock dreamed about Magikarp sashimi. If the hero does it, it must not even be taboo.

 

A few Pokémon produce food that they happily share with humans, like Chansey’s eggs and Miltank’s milk. Along with some honey from Combee, that covers staple foods and can be used to make bread. But the Paldean Pokédex takes it a little farther. Apparently the Paldean diet is packed full of Pokémon, and the Pokémon of the region have evolved to shed parts that humans like to eat. Slowpoke shed their whole tails, Klawk claws break off and regrow, and Toedscool drops flaps of mushroom-like flesh for humans to enjoy. Veluza even (somehow) drops entire chunks of flesh and regrows them, allowing humans to fish already cut fillets out of the water.

 

This Thanksgiving, be thankful that you don’t live in the Pokemon world, where you might be eating your partner for Thanksgiving dinner.

 

GAM3ESCAPE is closed Thursday, November 28 for Thanksgiving

IN THE WORLD OF POKÉMON

Pokémon Standard Constructed Tournament

Sunday, 3:00pm

Show everyone that you’re the best! Like no one ever was! Join the battle at the weekly Standard Constructed Tournament! Regulation F, no deck list required. Entry fee: $7.

 

Pokémon League Casual Play

Monday and Saturday at 6:30 PM, Sunday at noon

Receive a pack of your choice from any in the store, as well as a promo pack. Participants are entered into the end-of-season prize pool. Entry fee: $10

 

Pokémon GO Scavenger Hunt

Grab an achievement sheet in-store and GO out to collect them! Complete the scavenger sheet to earn a booster pack and a promo pack, and to be entered into a drawing for an Elite Trainer Box and other prizes. Entry fee: $10 

 

GATHER FOR MAGIC

Foundations Jumpstart Tournament

Friday, 6:00 PM 

Shuffle two Jumpstart boosters together and you’ve got a deck, ready to go! Entry: $20

 

Casual Commander

Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday at 6:00 PM.

The most popular format in Magic, Commander, is back on the table. Bring your favorite deck, or playtest a new one against other magicians. No entry fee: These battles are for honor, not prizes!

 

TIME TO DUEL! Yu-Gi-Oh!

Advanced Constructed Tournament

Wednesday, Friday, 7:00 PM

Duel for supremacy in the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game. Earn booster packs and OTS Tournament Packs while demonstrating your skills as a duelist. Entry fee: $10

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

Azurite Sea Lorcana League

Monday, & Saturday, 6:30 PM

The adventures in the Inklands continue with Locana League. Bring your sealed deck, or join the fun! The initial entry fee includes a starter deck of your choice, a booster pack, and a 200-card deck box to keep your sealed cards from getting mixed up with your collection. Entry fee: $25 (one-time charge)

STAR WARS: UNLIMITED

Casual Play League

Tuesdays, 6:00 PM, Saturdays, 1:00 PM, Sundays 5:00 PM

Whether you’re an aspiring Jedi, a sinister Sith, or a bounty hunter looking for your next score, Star Wars: Unlimited has all the excitement of your favorite space opera in cardboard form. 

THIS MEANS WAR(HAMMER)!

Casual Warhammer

Friday & Sunday, 5:00 PM

In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. At Gam3Escape, there is only Warhammer! Whether it’s a Tyranid terror or a Blood Angel battalion, stage your army and prepare for battle at the weekly Casual Warhammer event. 

CARDFIGHT! VANGUARD!

Divinez Constructed Tournament

Monday, 5:30 PM

Bring your cards and get ready to fight! Cardfight! Vanguard is back with weekly tournaments, every Monday night. Entry fee: $6

Check out Jim's articles at The Gamer: https://www.thegamer.com/author/james-ziegler/ and like, follow, and subscribe to his Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Alolan_Professor