What Do Fremen Eat?

[ordos45]

In the prequels (the almighty mess up that screwed around everything about Dune) it tells how Liet and his family are happy to have some rare meat after the donkey is killed. But it also says in (the mess that screws everything up) the prequels, that they are amazed to see a garden full of plants. So if they didn't eat fruits and vegetables, or animal meat, or fish (since of the obvious lack of oceans), what did the Fremen eat exactly?

[DarkElf49]

From what I've read, anything thats spice coated, in "Dune" Paul was given food that was wraped in a leaf (I think) and the food was coated in spice. :- But I'm not shure on this so don't take my word for it ;)

[TMA_1]

Well it talks about in the books some plants that were transplanted on Dune thousands of years ago by traffic and immigration. There are plants that grow and so they use those plants that are successful on arrakis. Also They can use spice as a food. Making bread and cereal things with it and things like tubers that are surprising abundant in deserts. It seems that some wealthy tribes are able to grow "exotic" plants for eating and whatnot. I agree that the prequels ruin a lot of stuff. oh well.lol

[Mahdi]

I've always thought that was one of the few plotholes in the Dune books. the only time they talk about eating, Paul is handed some bird meat rolled up in a leaf. There is no way there are enough plants/animals on Dune to feed 10 million Fremen. Especally since they are rare.

[quoudam72]

I have always thought since the Fremen characters are based on an Arabian model that their eating would also be of the same model. Yes Dune is a desert planet except for a few "rocky" places and that animals would be scarce but once the Fremen had started to inhabit the planet they would bring in species that could survive the climate. It never seemed to me a question that was not answered or needed to be explained (of my own understanding). Then again with all the other complex issuses in the Duniverse it's not a bad question to ask at all. I thought about it in the terms of what Kynes was doing with the terraforming (sp?) and thought if they had knowledge to something on that scale they could cultivate crops somewhere on Arrakis. I had wondered if the Fremen cultivated their food by using some sort of aquatic horticulture. A reason I thought in this direction was because the presence of a crop would be a signal to the Harkonnen or others and give away the presence of the Fremen. The idea of aquatic horticulture had it's drawback also I was not sure if that knowledge was correct with the characterics that Frank Herbert had written into the Fremen peoples. :-X

[DUNEfan1983]

I would say spice.

[Vanguard3000]

Apart from spice products (coffee, wafers, etc), and small animals, the Fremen did have small areas where they kept plants. They used egg-shaped devices which turned white during the day, and transparent at night. This helped bits of moisture condence on it, dripping onto the plants.

[Mahdi]

But once again, do you really theink the very few of those plants they ate (remember: Most were grass's or weeds or bushes or other plants like that and were there to terraform the world, nto as food) would have been enough to feed 10 million people? And those plants ahd only been there for, what, 60 years? What did those 10 million people eat before then?

[TMA_1]

Plants like that grow like a virus. They spread and grow very fast. they also adapt to their environment. Remember too that spice could be turned into food.

[Mahdi]

TMA, when you take some grass, plant it in the empty quarter (which isn't near as bad a clmate as Dune) and grow enough food to feed ten million people without using up enough land that people want to investigate whats going on, then I might beleive that it might possibly be possible to feed all those pople. But until then, it's a plothole.

[TMA_1]

lol ahh mahdi... lots of what was grown was in their sieches underground. There was plenty of room to grow underground. Also there was no suspicion. Most of the outlanders on arrakis could care less about the outer reaches of the desert where fremen lived. Also the planetologists were not all they were cracked up to be before liet.

[Mahdi]

lol ahh mahdi... lots of what was grown was in their sieches underground. There was plenty of room to grow underground. Also there was no suspicion. Most of the outlanders on arrakis could care less about the outer reaches of the desert where fremen lived. Also the planetologists were not all they were cracked up to be before liet.

Oh really? And where in Dune, praytell, did it speak of giant underground fields of corn grown from rock?

[TMA_1]

I sure dont know but you have a snobby attitude. work on it.

[Mahdi]

I sure dont know but you have a snobby attitude. work on it.

Tongue-in-check man. Sorry if it came off otherwise.

[TMA_1]

clarify.lol because if I was with you in person I could get the joke. its a little hard to display sarcasm online as a joke. I learned that the hard way.lol my girlfriend was grounded so she couldnt come over or be on the phone.we talked online. lets just say she didnt talk to me for 3 days.lol

[Mahdi]

Yeah, that happens a lot on messageboards. More flame threads seem to be created from misunderstandings like that than anything else.

But, I ahte to bring this back to topic, there is no evidence in Dune that they have vast, underground fields of grain to feed 10+ million people. The logistics of it are jsut mind boggling, plus nothing like that was ever said in the books.

[TMA_1]

sigh... I must agree mahdi. Its all speculation from what I am saying.

[Vanguard3000]

I agree entirely. The things I emntioned were just small things. And, as you said, they were more for the transformation of Arrakis than for a food source.

But I'd like to mention this: Simply because it's never mentioned in the books, doesn't mean it's a "plothole".

Overall, I think the Fremen ate mostly spice wafers. I remember it being mentioned that they had factories for making them.

[thomas]

they probaly ate low moisure requiring herbs

[AlteaDeo]

what about eating Harkonnen? :)

at least, they drink their waters ;D ;D

*totally useless comment ::) *

[nemafakei]

Let's do this logically.

Sun provides for a small number of plants, who provide for insects and small animals like Kangaroo Mice (even before terraforming). Now, I reckon a global population of 2,000 million mice and other small beasts is just about feasible across a whole planet (we have far, far more on earth, and about 40% of the landmass is close to being as harsh as Arrakis, minus the worms (who do not eat small animals)). That's enough for 200 mice or equivalent per person. Given that the fremen eat less thhan the average person (they have adapted to it) - and given that they can steal food from travellers, I reckon they can manage it. Plus there's the spice, which probably increases tolerance to hunger (we know it's geriatric).

Only just, though.

[AlteaDeo]

it is said just beside your name...

Too much Sapho.... really :P

[exatreide]

i know what they eat......

Spice is made of people! PEEEEEEOOOOOPLEEEEEEE! j k

er i mean they drain the water...why not eat the body? its food. why let it go to waste?

[Vanguard3000]

Without the water, wouldn't the flesh be prettu much just dust? that's what happened in the '60's Batman movie, anyway. :)

[exatreide]

no it would just be all dried up and shrivled like a mummy but they could still eat it.