the way I see it, wyll had to learn on the road how to feed himself. sure maybe he knew how to fish, but did he pack a fishing rod when ulder kicked him out? I don’t think so 😔
so with very limited means and lots of try send error he learns to forage and hunt and do stuff so it's all edible and can sustain him on the road from town to town and village to village, bc supplies are nice but they cost gold and he goes after monsters so I think his gold goes mainly towards healing potions and such
but! all those people he's saving, not all of them have means to pay in gold and riches (if he's lucky the monster is a hoarder) so I imagine some pay by giving him a bed for the night to sleep under a roof for a change, maybe somebody pays / shows gratitude by neatly stitching the hole in his shirt, and of course feeding him. but my point is. imagine wyll going all over the coast, collecting recipes from grateful townsfolk and peasants, and treasuring it, but being unable to make those things (for the most part) bc he's on the road and also bc he hasn't learnt it so even if he landed in a fully stocked kitchen he wouldn't know what to do with some of it
and then he meets the tadfools, and he goes to forage with halsin and listens to everything the druid has to say on how to spot safe berries and shroom, and what you can do with them with nothing but the campfire and a pot of water. and it's not all brand new for wyll, he had to figure it out for himself, but it's nice to have stuff sorted and confirmed with a good reliable source. and halsin shows him how to find and forage herbs so it's not just bland sustenance (bet your ass wyll would not 'waste' precious coin on spices when that money could buy him a temporary roof over his head in a blizzard)
and then he likes to watch gale cook, bc there's this practiced confidence to how he does things, it's not even that they share the same tastes, tho maybe a little, but I headcanon that wyll would be very self conscious abt sharing his culinary skills with the group. surviving on his own is one thing, but these ppl were plucked from their homes (presumably at first at least) and it's intimidating to think of their judgment.
and with a group, a bigger coin purse and some luck he ends up having the opportunity to not just cook with spices but also feel free enough to learn and fuck up some of it ('waste')
just. baby wyll going from harsh survival mode with a heroic facade to finding a family that encourages him and takes care of him as much as he wants to take care of them 😭
he has this whole book of recipes given to him by ppl he saved who were so grateful they shared their own traditions and family heirlooms with him to take on the road. and he now has people to share those with 😭🥲😌
amandla
blakekathryn
yousharknotpass
