As you may have heard, Winter is Coming. Now, in the face of the coming cold you have two options. The first is to begin a set of byzantine power games that will result in wars, assassinations, and arranged marriages across the kingdom. The other option is of course to curl up indoors with a mug of hot chocolate and all five series of HBO’s Game of Thrones for an epic winter re-watch marathon. Ask yourself, what would Tyrion do?
The second option is obviously the most appealing and the one that will involve the least effort, but that doesn’t mean it won’t still involve considerable preparation. After all, as Tyrion once said of properly enjoying yourself, “Everyone would do it if it were easy.”
“Explain to me why it is more noble to kill 10,000 men in battle than a dozen at dinner.”
Of course, the first thing you need to consider before getting into a really full on Game of Thrones marathon is, naturally, what you’re going to eat during the scenes where people aren’t being violently murdered.
Fortunately, when the citizens of Westeros aren’t killing or using sex as a metaphor for political intrigue, they’re usually hungry, and the series is full of fantastic food ideas. The Inn at the Crossroads is a great site for Game of Thrones themed recipes. Most of the recipes are geared more towards your average banquette than they are nibbles for in front of the telly, but there are some good snacks to be found there. Stuffed aubergines are quick to prepare, delicious and looks super fancy, while gooey apple rolls in caramel sauce may just be the most exquisite comfort food ever created.
“I have no interest in hospitality or comfort.”
The person who said this ended up (spoiler alert!) meeting the kind of end that could put you off your gooey apple rolls in caramel sauce, and so he’s safely ignored. As you may have hard, a season known for being cold is going to be arriving soon, so you want to make sure you’re snug. We recommend curling up on the sofa with a good blanket, although as with everything in Game of Thrones, your loyalties will be thrown into question. Are you going to align with House Stark? Or House Targaryen?
Either way, having a good blanket will not only keep you warm, it will also serve as useful cover to hide behind whenever something horrible happens (which will be most of the time).
“Everything’s better with some wine in the belly.”
A pretty self-explanatory quote, again from Tyrion Lanister. You’ll find all the murder, scheming, destruction and lengthy speeches of the nature of political power given in brothels will be a whole lot more fun if you also have a bottle or two of something nice to hand.
However, we advise you go easy on it until you’re at least halfway into season one and have learned to tell apart all the serious looking men with beards.
Oh, and one more thing. Make sure you have comfortable place to sit. Not something like this:
