MHWI: Canteen

The Commission's Hunters need plenty of food to fuel their hunts and studies, and the Canteen is here for them. The Canteen can be found in Astera, Seliana, the two Gathering Hubs, and any Base Camp. The player can choose from a preset combination of ingredients or make a custom platter for the most efficient boosts. The initial selection is meager, but completing Quests, deliveries, and gathering special account items will expand the menu.

Canteen Fundamentals
Before the hunter can select a meal, they must pay for their food with zenny or Research Points or redeem a Voucher or Gourmet Voucher. Vouchers make the next meal free for all hunters in the Gathering Hub for a period of time, while Gourmet Vouchers additionally ensure all ingredients are Fresh.

Next, the hunter must select a meal from a menu of options. The hunter can create a custom meal or order a meal specialized in skills or stat buffs. Ingredients marked as Fresh will grant health bonuses and increase the likelihood of activating Food Skills. Once an ingredient has been used in a meal, the next time the player eats at the canteen during the quest or expedition it cannot be selected. After eating, hunters cannot eat again until 10 minutes have passed or ingredients have been replenished.


 * Seasonal Platter: Consumes no ingredients and has fixed skills depending on the festival, but can only be ordered during festivals and while in the Gathering Hub.
 * Chef's Choice Platter: A meal that focuses on health. Uses as many Fresh ingredients as possible.
 * Meat Platter: A meal that boosts your attack power. Uses only meat ingredients.
 * Fish Platter: A meal that boosts your defense. Uses only fish ingredients.
 * Veggie Platter: A meal that boosts your elemental resistance. Uses only vegetable ingredients.
 * Hunter's Platter: A meal that activates Courage food skills.
 * Healthy Platter: A meal that activates Resilience food skills.
 * Challenger's Platter: A meal that activates Vigor food skills.
 * Comfort Platter: A meal that activates Acumen food skills.
 * Gunner's Platter: A meal that activates Artillery food skills.
 * Brew-lover's Platter: A meal that activates Perception food skills.
 * Lucky Liquor Platter: A meal that activates Fortune food skills.
 * Open Road Platter: A meal that activates Preparation food skills.
 * Curious Quencher Platter: A meal that activates Trailblazer food skills.
 * Unpredictable Platter: A meal that activates daily food skills. None of the ingredients used share a skill type.

The Custom Platter option allows the player to create a meal from scratch. There are 30 meat, fish, and vegetable and 24 drink options (12 in base game, 12 in Iceborne) available. The amount of ingredients that can be chosen for a meal starts at two and increases to four and six over the course of the base game. A meal cannot be ordered until it has the maximum possible ingredients. For ingredients, meat increases attack, fish increases defense, vegetables increases elemental resistance, and drinks have no additional effect. Stat bonuses can be stacked by having two, four, or six of one ingredient type. Custom platters can be saved under the five Favorite Platter slots at the end of the menu.

Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients and how to unlock them. Certain hard-to-find ingredients will be explained in the following section.

Elusive Ingredients
Hunters who have gathered at every special gathering point for each item and completed every quest, non-Event delivery request, and Critical Bounty may find themselves missing a few ingredients. These ingredients can be tricky to find, so here is a list of them and how to find their gathering point. These can be found only when an Upsurge or Flourishing event for specific gathering point types is active, or during certain gathering quests. (Pictures coming eventually.)
 * Sunkissed Grass: Ancient Forest - From the Ancient Forest Camp (Area 17), drop down to the west and crawl under some branches. Follow the path that leads to a swinging vine. The gathering point is in a nest.
 * Moonlit Mushroom: Ancient Forest - From the Northeast Camp (Area 11), go west and drop into the overgrown passage. Crawl under an orange-marked branch and the gathering point is in a small alcove in that room.
 * Dragonbloom: Wildspire Waste - Follow the path to Area 5 and climb to the top of the mountain. The gathering point is at the summit.
 * Divineapple: Wildspire Waste - Found in the Grimalkyne hideout in Area 15.
 * Violet Abalone: Coral Highlands - To the south of Paolumu's lair, crawl under the rock, then go to the right lobe of the overlook to find the gathering point.
 * Hot Heart (Platinum Pearl): Coral Highlands - In Area 14, the part with the climbable pillar. The gathering point is at the top near a pair of Devil's Blight mushrooms.
 * Big Bite Burger (Wicked Fossil): Rotten Vale - Take a right from the Southeast Camp (Area 1) and go up to the clearing. On the left is a ramp leading to a drop. The gathering point is buried in the middle of the ramp.
 * Heavenberry: Rotten Vale - Right outside a passage from the area outside Odogaron's lair to a small cave with Grimalkynes, atop a ledge reached by climbing vines. Alternatively, it is the area outside the shortcut passage.
 * Wyvern Fillet (Twilight Stone): Elder's Recess - Found in the river leading from the Gajalaka hideout. It is immediately before the one-way drop, across from a normal beryl deposit.
 * Fiery Seabream (Noahstone): Elder's Recess - From Area 8 (the part with the droppable crystals), jump down the one-way ledge and immediately turn around.
 * Entrancing Alembic (Snow White): Hoarfrost Reach - At the top of the mountain obstacle course in Area 13, surrounded by other butterbur patches.
 * Crystal Quaff (Petalcryst): Hoarfrost Reach - In Area 8, within the small cave with a stairwell-like series of slopes. It is in a small alcove halfway up that is otherwise empty.

Food Skills
Eating at the Canteen can activate special Food Skills. With some exceptions, these effects last until the player faints. The more Fresh ingredients used in the dish, the greater the chance of activating Food Skills. Using multiple ingredients of one skill type will result in the meal having food skills associated with that type instead of Daily Skills, starting from the top and working down.

Oven Roast
The Oven Roast feature allows you to give certain items to the Handler to be converted into items. This can only be performed in towns and hunting grounds, not the Gathering Hubs. Once the item has been handed over, the results will be ready after a quest has been completed. The number and type of items received are based on what item was cooked. Oven Roast can be picked up anywhere, even the Gathering Hub.