When’s dinner time for an Inuit?

 

I read a lot about the Inuit people of the Arctic when I was researching SONG HUNTER: living in the frozen North, the Inuit have had to overcome the same sorts of problems that faced Neanderthals during the Ice Age.

The Inuit all have conventional homes nowadays (though they may shelter in igloos when they’re out hunting) but some customs persist from before they moved into settlements.

 For instance, there’s traditionally no dinner time in an Inuit household. A piece of cardboard will be put on the floor of the house, a chunk of probably raw and perhaps frozen meat will be placed on it, and anyone who’s hungry is free to cut themselves a hunk.

 If you’re not hungry, then there’s no particular obligation to eat.

 To me, a life without meal times is as alien as purple cheese and space suits.

Gosh, though, but that sort of thing doesn't half make you think.