Cooking

Cooking
Tales of Symphonia also takes a novel approach to character recovery. The RPG standbys of inns and recovery items exist, but characters can also learn recipes from an eccentric character known as the Wonder Chef, who is usually disguised as an out-of-place item, like a magazine rack (as he was in Tales of Eternia). If the character possesses the required food items, they can prepare a dish that will have beneficial effects upon the party, such as recovery of hit points and technical points, curing of ailments such as poison, or temporary boosting of character status. However, sometimes a recipe may be cooked unsuccessfully, resulting in wasted ingredients and greatly reduced benefits to the party. Mastery of each recipe is represented by a row of star icons; all characters start with only a few stars filled in, but the length of the row itself may also vary by character, representing personal taste and proficiency. The running gag concerning Raine's notorious lack of cooking skill is represented by the fact that many of her recipes max out at 2 stars of a possible 7 and include lemons; ironically, or perhaps understandably, her brother Genis is the best overall cook in the game.