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Of the many things that can be said about Tales of Symphonia, one of them is surely that it’s packed full of seemingly strange and random features. I personally thought that made it more fun – my first playthrough felt like I was constantly discovering something new – but others might find some of those things confusing.
An example of one weird aspect is the cooking. It seems kind of odd that cooking would be incorporated into a JRPG, but it was indeed there and it was strangely…fun? I thought it was, anyway.
Well, one thing I’ve seen some people asking is who the worst cook is in the party in Tales of Symphonia, and that’s definitely one thing I can answer. So here I am, once again writing a piece that likely won’t matter…but that I’ll find delectable to write.
Let’s move past my stupid use of the word “delectable” and jump right into it.
Why Bother Cooking?
Unlike in other games, the cooking in Tales of Symphonia isn’t some randomly placed minigame. Rather, it’s something you can access in the menu or after battles.
Just click the recipe you want to make, who you want to cook it, and provided you have all the ingredients, it’s done. Simple as that.
But what’s the reason for doing it? Do you get anything out of it?
Yes. Cooking can restore HP and TP to your party members, which can make or break you sometimes if you’re in the middle of a dungeon and can’t get access to additional healing supplies.
What’s more, cooking good recipes can raise your friendship ratings with other characters in the party. It can also allow you get into overlimit faster, as well as provide some temporary stat boosts for the battle immediately following the meal.
Who is the Worst Cook in the Party?
I don’t even need to think about this one, because I know it off the top of my head: Raine. Raine Sage is, without a doubt, the worst cook in the game.
This isn’t even something that you just notice in passing if you ever accidentally cook with her. It’s a joke throughout the game – how Genis had to feed them both, because Raine is such a nightmarishly horrible cook.
Let me put it into perspective for you. Each character gets a rating that shows how well they can make different recipes. The maximum score ranges anywhere from five to seven stars.
The maximum rating Raine can achieve on any recipe is two or three stars. In other words, expect to hear that depressing little failure sound pretty much any time you use her to cook something.
There’s even a skit in the game about how bad she is at cooking. Click the thumbnail above to see what I mean.
So, Who’s the Best Cook in the Party?
It’s not as easy to say who the best cook is, because there’s kind of a tie. Both Regal and Genis are solid cooks who will make your party happy with their culinary prowess.
I’ve noticed that Sheena is also pretty good, though, especially when it comes to recipes like miso stew.
Everyone else aside from Raine is average. You won’t get high ratings from them, but you won’t upset anyone, either.
Wrap Up
I don’t know if many people were wondering who the worst cook in Tales of Symphonia is, but if you were…well, now you know the answer. Likewise, now you know that you shouldn’t bother cooking with Raine – stick to Genis, and then maybe Regal later on in the game.
Looking for more of my Symphonia-related answers? You can take a look at my thoughts on why Tales of Symphonia is so hard or my definitive ranking of Tales of Symphonia characters.