Culture of Apanalua (WIP)

Overview
Around the globe, the culture of Apanalua is well known to be a multicultural society due to the diverse roots of it's inhabitants. The 'Apanaluan culture' created as a result of many races coexisting in the country for centuries has been compared to a rainbow. The most common interpretation of the "Anuenue Analogy" is that each colours of the rainbow represents the different cultures residing in Apanalua, with the zones in between each colours to be a fusion of these cultures.

A rainbow decoration on a house to celebrate Unity Day,
Apanalua's national day to celebrate the diversity of this
country.

To heavily oversimplify Apanaluan culture, the core of it has been built by Pacific Islanders, East Asians, and Western Europeans, more specifically the French and later, the British. The most prominent Indigenous Apanaluans, the Namokupunians derived their cultural roots from islands across Eastern Polynesia, most prominently Hawai'i and the Society Islands (colloquially known as Tahiti), with sizeable influences from Tuvalu, Marquesas Island and Rapa Nui. When Moegapepe, whose culture was strongly influenced by Samoa, Tonga and Fiji, was annexed into Namokupuni, parts of their culture merged (and later got standardised) into a Namo-Moegapepean culture, with the language being the most prominent examples. Namo-Moegapepean would serve as the root to most of the cultures of Indigenous Apanaluans, as many chose to settle in areas away from their core islands and eventually adapted to Asian customs.

As for Asian culture in Apanalua, the segregated patterns of settlement throughout the islands had created a clear monoethnic society within these islands. This, alongside the politics and hatred of each other Asian settlers had brought from their homeland had effectively hampered full integration of traditions with the exception of Huianatoru Island (officially called the Nasa Territory) and the Legation Cities. The culture on L'Hexagone Island had been predominantly French until British annexation in 1814, leading to a tug of war between increasing anglicisation of the islands pushed by British authorities or preserving, and often the increasing francization of the islands pushed by the French settler society who refuse to abandon their own traditions. L'Hexagone Island would be morphed into a patchwork between French and British (and British Dominion) cultures, resulting in aspects of these cultures being codominantly expressed.

Overall, there are three blocs of Apanaluan culture: the conservative, society orientated west populated by Asians and most Pacific Islanders, the more liberal, individualistic east populated by the Franco-British L'Hexagone Islanders and the rural and often religious nomads of Western Pake island which includes Çöltsölgan and Gnam Sa Cha, who despite being looked down upon as being uneducated or barbaric are the subject of many romantic-era style media and literature who praise them for their reactionary lifestyle, their purity from the sickly civilisation, the vast nature they reside on which spits upon industrialisation and in particular the continuous celebrations held by the people of Zla 'od prefecture, whom due to the sheer power of mother nature has ditched the orthodox adult way of working and instead turned to the more childish festivals where they express themselves through dance and music.

Some symbols of Apanaluan culture include the dance of Fuimu, where the participants duel each other with burning weapons, originating as a leisurely activity that would serve as training and a test of bravery, concentration and endurance for Apanalua's soldiers which takes influence from Ailao Afi (Samoan fire knife dance), Chinese sword dances, Japanese kendo, and in some ways: Fencing. Other well known parts of Apanaluan culture include Hakka country music, taking influence from Hakka Hill songs and Australian country music and Coconut Tea, which uses coconut water in place of normal water when multiple cholera outbreaks hit Apanalua, or Coconut Milk Tea which uses coconut milk rather than milk.

Language
The dominant and official language on a federal and state level used in Apanalua is English. According to the most recent national Apanaluan census, 98% of Apanaluans can speak English as a first or second language in part due to most official services in English as it's primary language and that proving proficient literacy in english is a requirement for students to graduate High School. English is considered one of the 'Nuiloa' languages alongside French, Chinese, Japanese and Namo-Moegapepean, which are the top five most spoken languages in Apanalua. Of the total population, 87% of Apanaluans speak French, 91% speaks a dialect of Chinese, with the main dialects being Mandarin, Cantonese or Hokkien, 88% can speak Japanese, and 79% can speak Namo-Moegapepean.

Institute of Languages & Literature, a government institute whose
purpose is to solve matters pertaining to Apanaluan languages
and literature.

In total, there are 15 languages under the Nuiloa language, with the wider Nuiloa languages including Korean, Okinawan, Zhuang, Namokan, Mongolian, Tibetan, Uyghur, Corsican, Alsatian German, and Hawaiian. Due to the multicultural nature of Apanalua, many Apanaluans are bilingual, knowing English and one of their local languages with some mad lads knowing one of the Nuiloa languages, because of this, it is rare to find a monolingual person with the exception of foreigners like immigrants or tourists and any children who has yet to undertake any education, especially in languages. The diversity of the languages spoken in Apanalua is especially highlighted in the "language wall" in Nasa, which was originally meant to be a mural encouraging Apanaluans to speak English as a stepping stone for Apanalua's economic growth. However, it has been morphed into a monument of Apanalua's diversity, albeit the change was initially brought about because people vandalised the mural and wrote names of other languages on it.

What language an Apanaluan would speak will most likely follow state and prefectural lines, which themselves mostly follow geographical boundaries, for example about 90% of Chinese speakers live in Zhèngguó state alone. However each state hosts their own variant of english, which is partly intelligible with British English. The most well known variant is the Onoituan Pidgin, most spoken by Indigenous Onoituans of L'Hexagone Island, taking aspects from Onoituan, French, and Hawaiian Pidgin.

In Onoituan Pidgin, there are several differences such as:
• "H" not being pronounced
E.g.,
English: Hat, How, Helm
Onoituan Pidgin: 'at, 'ow, 'elm

~ "Th" is pronounced as "D"
E.g.,
English: This, The, They
Onoituan Pidgin: Dis, Da, Day

~Few loan words from French and Onoituan
E.g.,
C'est da fox dat pekepeke over da lazy poi.
It is the fox that jumped over the lazy dog.

Da bird mort.
The bird is dead.

~ The endings of some words are softened
E.g.,
Mort will often sound like mor
Pekepeke will often sound like pekepek or pekepe

Dances
Fuimu
Fuimu whilst categorised as a form of dance, is more of duel between two opponents (or in this case, dancers) encased in a small room surrounded by guards to prevent escape. The duelists are equipped with weapons that are set alight, with the dancers and guards mainly using either torches or a Fire Knife, a machete wrapped with towels on both end, with an exposed blade that has been blunted.

Nowadays most Fuimu performances are staged
to prevent major injuries and to appeal to tourists.
It's difficult to find an authentic Fuimu performance.

Fuimu found it's roots in Ailao Afi, or more specifically the history around it. When Samoa was still under Tongan rule, Samoan warriors were called to the Samoan residence of Tu'i Tonga Talakaifaiki (King of Tonga) to entertain him. During the festivities, the Samoans performed a fire dance for the Tongans, however, in reality they were pointing out the locations of buried weapons to another group Samoan warriors waiting offshore. Once they stormed the beach and lit their weapons, the Samoans cornered the Tongans at the other end of the island, forcing them to leave.

Around the time when Apanalua began creating it's first ever army, the increasingly urbanised environment proved to be a difficult environment to fight in. According to the story, when a guard heard of this myth, he developed Fuimu in order to mitigate this problem by forcing men to fight in tight knit environments in order to gain experience and courage.

The rules are that whoever outlasts their opponent wins. In each match, there are several (at minimum 2) guards who stand around the perimeter of the stage and will begin to close in on the opponents the longer the fight continues, constricting the fighter's space. Unless it is specified not to, they are tasked to block incoming attacks directly or indirectly aimed at them. Unless in an emergency situation, guards are not allowed to intervene in the fight. In ancient times, Fuimu was used as a test of endurance, through outlasting a long fight against an opponent in a hot and claustrophobic area, bravery, through the dancer's ability to wield fire, and concentration, to keep their attention on their opponent and environment. It also served as a way for soldiers to learn these philosophies as well as to hone their skills in combat, in particular to improve flexibility and strength in hands and coordination.

During the dance, drums are rapidly beaten and loud chants are shouted from the guards in order to intensify the pressure placed upon the dancers. To further attempt to distract them, tapping sticks are banged loudly and nose flutes are occasionally blown. The longer the fight lasts, the faster the beats (or for the flute, the melody) will be.

Apaau
The Apaau is a dance usually performed by a women in celebration of a completion of a certain important task, usually at the completion of the construction of a building or a closing act for a wedding. Whilst traditionally performed by unmarried women or virgins, but nowadays this is not a requirement for someone to perform the dance.

The dance consists of subtle but graceful hand and facial gestures accompanied by small and slow steps. In addition, the main performer also holds a hand fan which omits any hand gestures made in Taualuga, a similar dance the Apaau derives it's origin from, but in it's place, gives the main performer many options on how they can use the fan, with a common move being to slowly hide or to reveal their face from or to the audience.

In the background, the main performer is accompanied by other dancers, but unlike the main performer they make more obvious, flowing moves rather than subtle moves, but they still have to be elegant nonetheless. Their moves are more influenced by Chinese fan dances and some modern performances will take moves from certain Ballroom dances. Their main purpose is to emphasise the main dancer or as a contrast against them.

Choral music usually accompanies the dance alongside percussion instruments like slit gong, a hollow percussion instrument carved from wood or rolled mats beaten with sticks. It's etiquette for the dancers to curtsy when starting and ending their performance and the audience to throw money at the dancers as a sign of respect for their skills.

Visual Arts
The earliest arts of Apanalua were made by Polynesian settlers, mainly in the forms of potteries, sculptures, textiles, and paintings, like other Polynesian arts, these were usually ornate in nature, as they were meant to contain supernatural powers/mana. These patterns follow a geometrical motif, mainly repeated triangles and bands, but as the times went on, more complex shapes were used, mainly a beehive like pattern or ocean waves. These patterns would be applied to Japamalas (Buddhist beads), and it's said that each bead in a japamala is full of mana.

With the advent of Asian settlers to Apanalua, geometrical pattern slowly fell out of favour when it came to paintings, and many of the arts in Apanalua are modelled after the landscape and nature, the easiest example that could be listed are the impressionistic paintings, like the three main rivers of Pake Island or the Plum Blossom March. When minimalistic art movement began, most of the artists often incorporate many native patterns, and has been a key component in the revival of Polynesian culture in the country.

Minimalist Art
In areas that are more populated by European and Indigenous populations, any art galleries there will mostly if not always have some form of minimalist art, mainly in the forms of paintings. Traditional, ancient Apanaluan art/motif often followed a geometrical motif like repeated triangles and bands, with these patterns believed to hold mana. However, as Asian settlers came to Apanalua, geometrical patterns slowly fell out of favour, but with the rise of minimalist art in the Western world, the practice eventually spread to Apanalua, where the now famous minimalist artist, Kamea Latu painted and showed his most famous painting: Waves.

Most minimalist paintings tend to focus on social issues and use traditional Polynesian motifs as a way of "blessing those affect by the issue". However, these motifs are now used for aesthetic or a representation of Indigenous Apanaluans rather than for any spiritual or deep meaning.

Mamari Statues
The Mamari statues are the symbols of Lilli Sepania, Namokupuni. These statues are usually chunks of tuff (sometimes basalt) that were carved out of hills, chipped down and designed to be human like, although unlike their more famous cousins, the Moai of Rapa Nui, the facial features of the Mamaris are more rounded, a semblance of chests and hands carved onto the statue, the Pukuo, or the headpiece was carved alongside the head rather than separately from the heads and the eyes are outlined rather than having a chunk of stone carved out. More visibly, the Mamaris are significantly smaller and slimmer than the Moais.

Ancient Apanaluan sources suggest that the Mamari statues were built by Indigenous Apanaluans as a way to honour their ancestors and past chiefs, in addition it also grants them protection to all and fertility to women. In ancient times, people would sail to Lilli Sepania to leave their offering to their ancestors, mainly in return for being blessed with protection or fertility. However in recent times the island and Mamaris have been associated with ghosts due to many ghost sightings around the Mamaris, and inspired by this many movie directors tend to set their horror films, linking their plot and monster with the Mamaris.

A Romana bust of Baptiste's
Grandfather, an icon of the Statues

Romana Statues
Romana Statues are replicas of Greco-Roman statues carved from basalt instead of marble. The Romana Statues were made on the orders of the longest serving Governor of L'Hexagone Island: Augustine Baptiste, whose obsession with exalting France lead to him commission sculptures that can be made should resemble the ones of Ancient Rome and Greece. But due to the long and expensive process of importing marble, basalt were used as a substitution, albeit, it was a reluctant decision made by Augustin.

There are also some Romana Statues some made of bronze, another prized material used to make statues by the Romans but due to high demand for metal, few were ever made, however a more uncommon sight is an olive coloured Romana statue, made from olivine basalt. Most of these statues are highly valued and expertly crafted, and can be found in the San Markos Museum and Gallery, one of the highest honours an artist can be bestowed upon.

In the wider Apanaluan mainstream, these statues are seen as a "snobby" subject only admired by the upper class, and a symbol of a dark past under the colonisers. Despite it being a high earning but physically taxing job to carve basalt, many people decide to turn away from it, and some despise and destroy it for this very reason.

Namokupunian Tattoos derives
most of it's style from Hawaiian
Kākaus

Tattoos
Tattoos or Kākaus held an important role in early Apanaluan society. Seeing it's ink can tell you the identity of the person, or at least parts of the identity that are expressed from personality, class, sexual maturity, family line, grief of a loved one and any event down to the last detail. However, it also served as a mark of endurance, and it's symbolism overshadows the expression of identity when tattoos come to mind, this was because tattooing was a very painful process where the tattooer inks most of the body from head or chest to toe using pigment made from ash and soot. This process lasted from as short as half a day to day long, and upon completion the tattooed person faces death from infected wounds. Anyone who completed the process would usually be celebrated for 'becoming a man' and likewise, anyone who abandoned the tattooing process would be branded as a Pala’ai, a coward and would be ostracised by society.

When inking, a geometrical motif was used, mainly repeated triangles and bands. In most cases, objects pertaining to nature and society were inked on the subject's body as well, with some examples being faces and sea creatures like turtles. However in more recent years, tattooers use shapes used in Asian or European art, like flowers but add their own twist to it.

However, when the first Asian settlers arrived on Apanalua, they disdained the practice for being too barbaric and later, associated tattoos with gangsters and riff-raffs during the urbanisation of Apanalua's population during industrialisation when gang crimes rose. Even nowadays, in the larger cities, public baths are not only segregated based on gender but also based on whether the person has tattoos or not. (i.e., those with tattoos are kicked out)

Due to the stigma of tattoos, many Indigenous people chose to drop tattoos, with some choosing to paint on the tattoos instead as a temporary solution for ceremonious purposes whilst maintaining face in public. However in the second half of the 20th century, due to growing interest from L'Hexagone Island and western nations in tattooing as well as a revival of Indigenous culture in Apanalua lead to the rise of tattooing in the country, and the artform has since made a comeback in Apanalua, but only in the non-Asian states and Tsuka prefecture in Kennoshima, which hosts a sizeable Ainu population with their own tattooing culture.

Gender Roles

Men are pressured to not be emotional, leading to high
suicide rates amongst Apanalua's male population

Male:
Mainstream Apanaluan culture is a mainly patriarchal system stemming from a traditional philosophical concept of Yin and Yang, where women, or the Yin was seen as passive and weak, whilst men, or the Yang were the hard dominators. In the concept of Yin and Yang, the latter was considered superior to Yin, and this is reflected in gender as well. In families, the father or grandfather is considered the patriarch of the house, and have full or most control over aspects of their families' life. With this power, the father is expected to discipline and instil a sense of responsibility to his child, and have the final say on most important decisions. The father provides kindness, guidance, and protection for his family in return he receives obedience from his wife and children.

In addition, he is also expected to be the, in most cases, the sole provider for the family and to make sure that his family is financially stable. Usually, this leaves limited space for the father to spend time raising their children, the role which is pushed onto the wife instead. If possible (and by if possible, I meant always), the perfect man is one that is able to not only achieve financial stability and provide basic essentials through his hard earned money, but also able to earn a surplus of money to pay for luxuries and live a relatively easy life for his family. This contributes to the cultural pressure which is enforced on most boys (although it's enforced on everyone in general) to study and graduate university, which would later guarantee them a high paying, white-collared job, usually as a bureaucrat, although fields such as medicine, engineering and law are also preferred if one wishes not to mingle with bureaucracy.

For those in the working classing or those who are unable to study at a university, they mainly work in blue collared jobs, which whilst looked down upon in the Asian and some sections of Polynesian societies in Apanalua, these jobs still pay enough to provide a man's family with essentials. Other options include inheriting the family business as well as joining the military. However, if you live in L'Hexagone island, or any parts of Apanalua that are more Western orientated, if you are a blue-collared worker, and have a career in a job like mining, construction, or any job which requires a huge amount of physical labour, it is seen as a commitment to, and as a flex of a man's strength, fitness, and stamina, which overall, contributes to their athleticism.

Athleticism is one of the key factors of masculinity in L'Hexagone Island and other Western orientated parts of Apanalua, which were brought to the islands by European settlers and eventually spread across Polynesian society in Apanalua, morphing early ideas about masculinity (at least for the men in higher ranks like chiefs) from a man's value in war and as fighters, into an idea that masculinity is about how strong a man is. In particular, because of German presence in Nouvelle Est, Prussian militarism has seeped into the ideas of masculinity in that prefecture, emphasising the aggressiveness of masculinity. A man's strength is not only assessed by his athleticism but also how courageous he is, which he can prove by enlisting in the military or partake in adventures or hunting trips. The emphasis of athleticism as a key component of masculinity has also heavily influenced the culture of sports in the nation, with many choosing to partake in football/soccer (although futsal is popular in urban areas), swimming, rugby, and tennis.

Despite differences in careers or how athletic a man is, all men in Apanalua are expected to marry and father a child so they can continue their bloodline, for a father to be successful in continuing their bloodline, not only does he need to have children, but he needs to father a son, as daughters are adopted into her husband's family once they marry. In addition to showing emotions (such as crying), be unsuccessful in their career, and choosing undesirable careers such as a career in pink-collared jobs, to be unable to start a family is frowned upon in Apanaluan society.

In more contemporary times, and especially in L'Hexagone Island and more western aligned areas, the underlying term that a masculine Apanaluan man should be stoic, strong and should father children are considered toxic, and instead strive for a more positive version of masculinity which emphasises the athleticism, hard-working, and protectiveness that already exist in the traditional view of masculinity as well as introducing more western ideas such as emotionally expressing yourself and taking on more feminine roles such as pink-collared jobs or as a house husband.

A chart showing the usual beauty standards
for Apanaluan women

Female:
In a traditional Chinese philosophical concept, Yin, which represented women were inferior to Yang, which represented men. This idea was later brought to Apanalua, morphing it into a patriarchal society. Women in Apanaluan society have the opposite roles when compared to men, or to put it bluntly, the dominated. This sense of being obedient towards and should follow the lead of men is instilled in girls from a young age, which is often done by only allowing them to interact with toys that put them in a position of a mother (i.e., dolls) and being subservient to the family patriarch. Once married, she has to move in to and be subservient to her in-law's patriarch, which in the future will include the women's son if he is of age.

Traditionally, the women's role in an Apanaluan family were to be child bearers, or to be more specific, they were meant to continue the family bloodline by giving birth to a son. Women who had sons were held in higher regard in the eyes of Apanaluan society and their own family. Whilst daughters won't affect a women's image if they had at least one son, if they were to have a daughter as their own child, they would be looked at with concern, and if they have three daughters and no sons, they would be looked down for failing to continue the family's bloodline. Even if a women had sons, the only way she would gain a voice in the family is if the patriarchs (usually the Grandfather and Father) dies and her sons are not of age yet. In addition women were expected to be confined to homes and were eternally bound to home duties like cooking, so it's uncommon to see them near the front of the house unless they are greeting whoever's at the door. However, they were still allowed to go outside, although usually the reason is binded to home duties.

To add further social pressures, women, or more specifically, younger women were valued for their beauty (which also to an extent applies to men) Historically being beautiful to Apanaluan social standards (i.e., pale white smooth skin, slim, and tall) meant that you were affluent and were able to attract men of higher status allowing for an easy climb up the social ladder. Nowadays, the meaning of being beautiful has faded but the sentiment still lingers around today, with many considering beauty to be an absolute factor in society, with many taking it to the absolute extremes leading to many women to loose out on potential jobs or friendships and even force themselves to take surgery to rectify imperfections. This has lead to discrimination against Indigenous Apanaluans or those of partial Indigenous descent due to their "darker skin tone" that makes them look ugly or if one were to be extremely foul: call them "sh*t-skins" due to their brown skin.

When the Chinese first arrived in Apanalua, they brought with them a practice called "foot-binding" which involved weaving tight cloths around girl's feet to make them more "petite" and "attractive" which brought about an aura of "higher status" as they were unable to work or perform home duties. However, this practice was immediately outlawed by the ruling Polynesians class who found the practice to be revolting and counterintuitive.

With the exception of Manulus of Onsegyee and certain parts of Kennoshima, women throughout Apanalua's history have not contributed to their family's income (on a significant level), and that the percentage of Apanaluan women in the workforce remained low. Since the industrialisation of Apanalua, the percentage of women in the workforce and gaining an education began to rise and began to skyrocket in the post-WWII and Golden era of Apanalua because of the efforts of the Apanaluan government in bridging the gap between genders. Currently, women account for 46% of the workforce in Apanalua and around 50% of women in Apanalua contribute to their family's income.

However, because of the recent shift of women's roles in Apanalua means that the wider society has not completely adjusted to the change. The majority of the workforce still work in low ranking jobs and at most around 10-15% of women work in middle and senior managerial jobs. In addition, men are more sought out after when looking for job promotions and hirings for particular high ranking jobs. On average, women in Apanalua earns about 15% less than what men earns, an issue the government is attempting to clamp down on. To add more fuel to the fire, women are the target of most sexual harassments in the workplace, where they are still viewed as passive. They face the same risk out of the workplace, particularly in more crowded places. For example, there are train compartments which only allow women in.

Since the late 19th and all of 20th century, due to campaigning by women they have since gained the right to vote (1918), run for public office (1900), earn equal pay (1945), own property (1904), receive education (1898), have equal rights within marriage (1945), and maternity leave (1973). Fortunately the social attitudes have also drastically changed towards women. The view that women are viewed as passive pets of men are fading away and being replaced with the view that they are an an individual with a voice that is capable of anything when they put their mind to it.

Fa'afaelua Pageants are held annually, the money earned
is usually donated to retirement homes

Non-Binary:
The idea of binary genders was introduced to Apanalua through intermingling with Asian and European cultures, but however, in Indigenous Apanaluan culture, or more specifically, Moegapepean culture. The idea of gender fluidity first arrived in Apanalua through Hawaiian and Tahitian settlers, which amongst some of them, would include those who identified as a Māhū, an 'in-between' gender. Simultaneously it arrived Moegapepe from Samoan settlers, and amongst some of these settlers were Fa’afafine and Fa’afatama, in which the person is biologically born a male and female respectively, but embody traits considered feminine or masculine. These ideas were later compacted together and called Fa'afaelua (the way of both)

Traditionally, Māhūs and Fa'afaeluas (Māhūs will be used to refer to the third gender for simplicity's sake, but these terms are interchangeable) were respected as keepers of tradition and more importantly the teachers of dances and chants as they were able to access temples and other sacred locations that restricted access to those of particular genders. In addition, Māhūs were also caretakers of elderly people in their community, tending to their needs and entertaining them, a role that many Māhūs still fulfil to this day.

Nowadays, Māhū is often used as a term for the LGBT+ people and the idea of the Māhūs is often linked with the movement as well.

Cuisine
Apanaluan cuisine is a blend of cuisines from several countries which can be grouped into three categories: Polynesia, East Asia and European, which includes the British settler colonies. Before the industrial era, the average Apanaluan diet was mainly vegetarian, consisting of foods such as rice, bao (steamed bread) and variants of root vegetables like potatoes, with some seafood and poultry on the side. Any other ingredients used heavily depended on the season. If these foods could not be steamed, boiled or stir-fried, then they would usually be preserved.

Breadfruit is starchy, meaning that it is used as a substitute
for potatoes, making it one of Apanalua's staple fruits

Fruits:
Apanalua hosts a wide variety of native flora, however, most of the edible plants such were introduced to the islands by Polynesian settlers. Many of Apanalua's native fruits are the ulu or breadfruit, coconut and Fe'i bananas. Native fruits are usually eaten raw or are components of many Indigenous Apanaluan dishes where they're steamed, baked or boiled. In Apanaluan society, especially in areas more populated by Asians, fruit is regarded as a special gift because of it's colour, seasonality and sweetness. Most importantly, it is used as a symbol for a parent, grandparent or a guardian's love for their child. The parent would usually prepare a plate of fruit (usually chopping up and peeling apples or a bowl of blueberries) and serve it besides their child whilst they're studying, usually for an important exam. This trickles down to general work culture, usually with the spouse serving a plate of fruit to their significant other whilst they're working hard.

Due to this, Apanaluan farmers tend to dedicate sections of their farmlands to growing fruit, especially in the more temperate areas in central-northern parts of Apanalua. Fruits make up a significant chunk of Apanalua's agricultural production, with tropical fruits being the most produced because of Apanalua's location near the tropics. However, nowadays and especially in the more "culturally western" regions of Apanalua, fruits are seen as a healthy snack.

Due to the abundance of Pineapples grown in Apanalua, many dishes utilise it as a substitute for a bowl or plate because the pineapple's acidity complimented the flavours of certain dishes. In restaurants more oriented towards tourists, Curry and Fried Rice are usually served inside pineapples, with the most popular dish being Shrimp Curry in Pineapple and Pineapple Fried Rice.

Fruits cultivated and consumed in Apanalua include many varieties of apples, bananas, citrus fruits (oranges, lime, lemon), berries (strawberries, blueberries), melons (watermelon, rock melon), pineapple, passionfruit, lychees, mangoes, stonefruit (peaches, plums), dragonfruit, durian, avocado and longans.

Yams and Potatoes:
When one thinks of Apanaluan cuisine, the first thing that comes to mind are potatoes. The history of potatoes in Apanalua stems back to their introduction to the islands by Polynesian settlers, who brought with them sweet potatoes and taro. Alongside Chinese yams, these three were the staple foods of most Apanaluans because of it's widespread consumption and relative cheapness.

When fresh, Poi is sweet. However when left to
ferment it has a sour taste similar to yoghurt

Originally, yams and taro prepared in two ways. They were cooked, mashed and mixed into a viscous dish called Poi, or they were placed inside an earth oven as an accompaniment for the main dish, which was usually a whole pig. When East Asians first arrived to Apanalua, they would stir fry yams and taro and serve them with plain rice and some sauce.

However, with the introduction the Russet potato and European cooking methods, potatoes started being mashed, made into hash browns or pancakes, used as the top layer for pies and deep fried. With the Apanaluan distaste for wasting food brought upon by many famines and French culinary influences, potato skins were either left on potatoes when chopped up or the skins would be peeled off and deep fried as potato skin chips, which are a popular snack food. Mashed Potatoes are even mixed with cheese (and unpopular food in Asian Apanalua) to create the Aligot, which is one of the staple dishes which stereotypically defines Apanalua (despite it's French origins)

All parts of the plant would be used, and in particular, Taro/Yam Leaves are used for a staple dish called Poulet Fafa. First the leaves are boiled in salted water to make it less acidic, whilst chopped up pieces of chicken was browned in hot oil before being mixed with taro/yam leaves and coconut milk.

Grain:
In Apanalua, three types of grains: Rice, Wheat, and Barley. Rice is the most consumed grain in Apanalua and is one of the country's staple food. Nowadays it is boiled in an electric rice cooker before being served in several ways: either it is eaten plain with some sauce (usually soy sauce) and toppings sprinkled over it, used to make fried rice or congee or processed into like foodstuffs like rice crackers or rice cake. Prominently, the most famous dish of Apanalua: Potato Rice features rice being mixed with mashed potatoes and it's considered the epitome of Apanalua's staple foods.

Meanwhile in certain parts of the country, wheat is grown and is more locally available in the area. Usually wheat is grounded into flour, which is used to make dough. This dough will later be used to create staple dishes like steamed buns, dumplings and noodles. In more rural areas like Gnam Sa Cha and Çöltsölgan, barley is used as a substitute for wheat and the resulting dough can also be used to make flatbread.

Meat:
In Apanalua, pork and poultry are the most consumed meat. This stems from the low resource cost when raising these animals as they required human scraps to feed them. When Apanalua began industrialising, the poultry industry exploded because chickens required less space and resources to raise them, consequently, many European dishes that used beef or lamb were substituted with poultry as it was more cheaper to use chicken than it was to use beef.

In Apanalua, the traditional way to prepare meat is to bake, steam or smoke them in an earth oven for a few hours. The process required digging a metre deep pit, heating up adjacent stones using burning dry wood, covering the pit with dirt, vegetation and stones as well as constant supervision to prevent the escape of heat and smoke. This meant that earth ovens would only be used for festive occasions the food that was cooked was worth the amount of intense labour and time consumption. However, for those who don't have the time for an earth oven could get their own barbecue, a popular summer pastime brought to the country from Australia. Traditional meats that are cooked include pork, chicken and sausages, as well as some strips of beef and lamb chop.

Meat can also be minced and used as stuffings for many pies, dumplings or steamed buns. Many Apanaluans will also make meatballs from minced meat, with many commenting that Apanaluan meatballs are more similar to Chinese style meatballs, alongside dumplings, these are usually accompaniments to many soup noodle dishes. However, the most popular way of preparing meat on a daily basis include chopping them up into little pieces and stir-frying them, or stir-frying them with noodles or rice. Chow Mien is a popular fried noodle dish eaten as lunch or dinner on a daily basis, it consists of Char Siu/Pork, Carrots, and Beans.

Many Apanaluans are also fond of game meats, with many eating goose and duck on a regular basis, both are enjoyed when roasted and with sweet plum sauce. Rabbit is also a popular game meat, which are commonly used in many curries or spicy dishes, which is believed to have stemmed from the fact that the people who usually hunted down and ate rabbits were those who originated from Sichuan. In addition due to Apanalua's distaste of waste, offals are readily available, with tripes and chicken livers being the most popular.

Seafood
Apanalua has always been a seafaring nation, and it isn't farfetched that seafood has always been a core component of the Apanaluan diet. Before Asian settlement, fish and octopus were salted, dried or made in Poke, a seafood dish where fish and octopus are chopped up into little chunks and eaten raw. Seafood became more prominent in Apanaluan cuisine when the population of the islands started to grow because of migration from Asia, and alongside it: the growing need to feed more people. Due to the time intensive nature of raising what limited livestock could be grown and the Pacific Ocean engulfing Apanalua, it was inevitable that seafood would become a core component of the Apanaluan diet.

When contact was made with Asia, three dishes in particular became popular: steamed fish, where fish is steamed in soy sauce with garnish like ginger and shallots, crab meat and sashimi. Seafood is usually served fresh, which either means two things: either the seafood is immediately bought after it's been brought to shore or the animal is literally murdered before being cooked. When it was invented, Ikejime became a popular way to kill fish as the quality of the meat could be preserved without having it be a little spoiled when brought to shore after hours of fishing or having to literally haul the fish.

Tuna makes up most of the seafood consumption in Apanalua but a wide variety of fishes can also be grilled, used in stir-fries, poached, and broiled. In particular, Marlins and Swordfishes steaks are popular for barbecues and ever since it could be safely consumed, Salmon has become a popular cut of fish. Oysters, Crabs, Mussels and Prawns are also commonly consumed seafood, and Sea Cucumbers are considered delicacies.

Fish & Chips, whilst originating from the United Kingdom is a popular takeaway food in Apanalua, especially in L'Hexagone Island. However pollock is used instead of cod, and the chips are made from a variety of root vegetables.

Beverages
Tea is one of the main beverages of Apanalua ever since it's introduction to the islands by Asian settlers, and later further popularised by it's popularity amongst British settlers in L'Hexagone Island. Traditionally, tea bricks were grind down into a fine powder and whisked with hot water to make tea, but after the Chinese began to use loose tea leaves to make tea, this method became the primary method of preparing tea. The most popular flavours of tea included black tea, green tea, flower tea and jasmine tea.

Eventually milk tea churned with butter or mixed condensed milk, traditions that were introduced by Tibetan and British settlers became popular for their unique flavour and creamy texture. However, Apanalua is known for it's Kava Tea, created by mixing tea with small amounts of Kava, an extract made from the roots of the plant with the same name, which is said to have been bitter, but also have a sedative calming affect on people. Nowadays, whilst tea remains one of the country's most popular beverages, there seems to be a generational gap in taste, with the younger generations preferring lemon, iced and bubble tea, and the older generation preferring the more traditional forms.

Whilst dairy still makes up a small component of the Apanaluan diet, Milo, a chocolate flavoured malt powder drink mixed with milk and water is a popular beverage in Apanalua. Depending on the season, Milo will be served in two main ways, in cooler times, Milo is mixed with milk and hot water to make a what's essentially hot chocolate whilst in hotter times the powder is mixed with milk and ice create 'Iced Milo' or 'Milo Bing' as it's more commonly known. Due to Nestle advertising Milo alongside athleticism, the drink is often served at sport events, usually football/soccer and cricket so kids can 'get the energy they need' before playing.