The North PacificBoard

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"The overcoat is a nice touch... but white pants with Sotoan leather boots? Good God, come back when your eyes can actually perceive style."

- Ralph Tobor, an infamously-critical bouncer at Requiem's Club Tornado

The culture of Ellbonnia has long been known for the accomplishments of a wide variety of artists.

Of the country's many monarchs, a few of the more powerful ones, such as King Gustav II and Queen Mona, have been exceptionally important to its cultural development.

In modern times, many Ellbes have been internationally celebrated for their cultural work, among them Jessie Elron, Patrick Ri, April Streitz, Isaac Bormann, India Braubus and J.E.X. Automotive designs such as those of Volvere and Saab have also been widely known.

Ellbonnian culture is primarily of Eastern origin, but is influenced by a multicultural ethos that includes Verusan, Old Ellbonnian, Anean, and Western Usean people and their cultures. It also has its own distinct social and cultural characteristics, such as dialect, music, arts, social habits, cuisine, and folklore. Ellbonnia is ethnically and racially diverse as a result of large-scale migration throughout its history.

Regions

Main article: Provinces of Ellbonnia

The 25 historical provinces of Ellbonnia, which early in their histories had poor intercommunication, each have a distinct culture, though today they have lost their importance as administrative and political regions while the population of Ellbonnia still identifies with them. Each province has its own history and individual nature. In early times, some of them were so separate from Ellbonnia (as known) that they had their own laws. Historically, some of the regions were independent or longtime parts of San Salvacion. They have more or less different indigenous dialects within the frameworks of North Belkan or Voslagian languages, and all have ethnic minorities.

Cuisine

Main article: Ellbonnian cuisine

The cuisine of Ellbonnia is extremely diverse, owing to its relatively large population and the number of native and immigrant influences. Mainstream Ellbonnian culinary arts are similar to those in other Eastern countries. Wheat and corn are the primary cereal grains. Traditional Ellbonnian cuisine uses ingredients such as beef, potatoes, tomatoes, corn (maize), apples (of all varieties), and maple syrup, as well as indigenous foods employed by Old Ellbonnians and early Usean settlers, and their descendants.

Iconic Ellbonnian dishes such as apple strudel, maple-glazed donuts, pepper steak, pizza, deep-fried potato pancakes, and savory chilled soups are derived from the recipes of various immigrants and domestic innovations. Erusean poutine, Sapinish dishes such as croquettes and cured ham, and seafood dishes freely adapted from well-known Sotoan recipes are also widely consumed.

The types of food served at home vary greatly and depend upon the region of the country and the family's own cultural heritage. Recent immigrants tend to eat food similar to that of their country of origin, and Ellbonnianized versions of these cultural foods, such as Estovakian-Ellbonnian cuisine or Emmerian-Ellbonnian cuisine often eventually appear. Ustian cuisine, Koryan cuisine and Rectan cuisine in authentic forms are often readily available in large cities. Belkan cuisine has had a profound impact on Ellbonnian cuisine, especially mid-western cuisine; potatoes, noodles, roasts, stews, pies, and other pastries are the most iconic ingredients in both cuisines. Dishes such as the hamburger, pot roast, Black Forest tart, and bratwurst are examples of Ellbonnian dishes derived from Belkan cuisine.

Different regions of Ellbonnia have their own cuisine and styles of cooking. The provinces of Caltir and Fusio, for example, are known for their Kadean and Creare cooking. Kadean and Creare cooking are influenced by Erusean, Arcadian, and Aurelian cuisine, although the dishes themselves are original and unique. Examples include braised lobster and noodles, white gravy rice, "surf and turf" hotpot, "cauldron rice" stew, and spicy beer-battered sausage. Emmerian, Belkan, Yuktobanian, and Estovakian influences, and traditional Old Ellbonnian, Sotoan, Sapinish, and Delarusian dishes, have also diffused into the general Ellbonnian repertoire. It is not uncommon for a "middle-class" family from Western Ellbonnia to eat, for example, cheeseburgers from a Belkan fast-food joint, homemade fermented cabbage soup, stewed oxtails from a local diner, leftover paprika chicken, mixed curry vegetables on rice, and veal schnitzel for dinner over the course of a single week.

Ellbonnians generally prefer tea to coffee, and more than 89% of the adult population drinks at least three cups of tea a day. Marketing by Ellbonnian companies is largely responsible for making orange juice and Ptolemaeus-style milk tea ubiquitous breakfast beverages. Highly sweetened soft drinks are unpopular in Ellbonnia, owing mostly to stringent health legislation; non-alcoholic carbonated beverages account for less than 1% of the average Ellbonnian's daily caloric intake.

The consumption of alcohol in the home was noted in 2006 as being slightly less than in many other Usean countries, owing to the government's monopoly on alcoholic beverages, but this is not the case with restaurants and bars. Ellbonnian-style Prosecco is a spirit of particular historical significance in Ellbonnia.

Overall, Ellbonnia consistently ranks among the top 50 nations in the world for alcohol consumption per capita, with more than 451 Alcoholics Anonymous groups in the country working on widespread problems with alcoholism in the general populace.

Film

Main article: Cinema of Ellbonnia

India Braubus, Victor Albany and Luka Verosa are just several of many Ellbonnian movie and TV directors who have had noted international careers, and Osean-born director Brett Coil, now living in Ellbonnia, has been highly productive in his new studio.

Ellbonnian-born actresses and actors known internationally include Mary Gellen, Akron McNeil, Gigi Donashanski, Isaac Bormann, Britney Aker, Gabriela Griffith, Sigmar Msta, Patrick Ri, Rudolph Moon, Tina Haw, Leonardo Speranza, Julie Fischer, Margaret-Ann Dove, Iris Baer, Naomi Laplace, Stella Siskund and her sons Vik, Adrian, and Barry, Petra Strassen, Gustav Thule, Nigel Flayn, and Jackson von Norman.

Music

Main article: Music of Ellbonnia

See also: Category:Ellbonnian singers and List of Ellbonnian composers

Music in Ellbonnia covers a wide range of genres. Ellbonnian music styles and influences (such as jazz, rock, techno, and power metal) and music based on them can be heard all over the world.

With singing being a popular pastime in Ellbonnia, more than 10 million of its inhabitants participate in various choirs across the country. Internationally known songwriters like Jezreel Zubatá and Benjamin Lee have made Ellbonnia their home since before the turn of the century.

In popular music, the J.E.X. group became world-famous during the 1970s and early 1980s. The pop rock duo Sparxo emerged in Ellbonnia during the late 1980s and early 1990s, and found great success performing in the Osean Federation. USEA, Ace of Aces, and The Turtlenecks are additional Ellbonnian pop groups that have been very popular on an international scale.

The pop promo director Jonah Stele was born and raised in Ellbonnia, and is known for his well-received productions of RITUAL's Wouldn't Be Love and Jaymes Young's I'll Be Good music videos.

Indie pop/rock has flourished in Ellbonnia. The cosmopolitan city of Gothamburg in particular has spawned many prominent bands and artists, thanks to labels such as Kindest Regards and Servo. Notable Ellbonnian indie bands and artists include Jukio Kallio, The xx, Olivia Louise, Milky Chance, Eden Project, Hikaru Station, The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men, Oh Wonder, MGMT, Digitalism, Junior Boys, Dan Croll, Age of Consent, Holy Ghost!, Toro y Moi, Cut Copy, kk, Air Erusea, Ceres!, and Twin Shadow.

Other Ellbonnian music acts on the international scene are Avicii, Adam Jensen, LRKR, Disfigure, Adam Lambert, CRX, Mat Kearney, Khary, Lost Frequencies, JP Cooper, Martin Garrix, TV On The Radio, Flume, ScHoolboy Q, and Porter Robinson. Some performers are only famous on the domestic Ellbonnian music scene, such as Laleh, Zara Larsson, and Eric Prydz.

Literature

Main article: Ellbonnian literature

The work of Karl Lansa has had a profound impact on the world of taxonomy. Other Ellbonnian authors known around the world include April Streitz, Astraea Ludwig, and Rosa Langley.

Art

Main article: Art of Ellbonnia

Zella Andrews was an internationally known 17th century artist. Also in the 17th century, painter Carlos Lansen shaped an idyllic image of domestic Ellbonnian country life not unlike that of artist Leslie Rockefeller in the Osean Federation. Among Ellbonnian sculptors, Carroll Miles and Claus Orrson are the most notable.

In the late-18th and early-19th centuries, Ellbonnian artists primarily painted landscapes and portraits in a realistic style or that which looked to Anea for answers on technique: For example, James Snyder Coppola was born in Baltia, but most of his portraiture for which he is famous follow the trends of Nordennavic painters like Thaddeus Galil and the transitional period between the Late Baroque movement and Neoclassicism.

The period of reconstruction following the Lighthouse War has birthed a new movement of young artists aiming to represent the chaos of the war, and to preserve traditional Ellbonnian artistic styles for future generations. This ongoing era of revitalization and renewed interest in art has become known as the Ellbonnian Golden Age, led by visionaries such as Thorin von Kanan.

Theater

Main article: Theater of Ellbonnia

Theater of Ellbonnia is based in the Western tradition, and did not take on a unique dramatic identity until the emergence of Gaston E. Vos in the early twentieth century, now considered by many to be the father of Ellbonnian drama. Vos is a four-time winner of the Pocsci Prize for drama, and the only Ellbonnian playwright to win the Nobble Prize in Literature. After Vos, Ellbonnian drama came of age and flourished with the likes of Asher Barnett, Lanier Dakin, Florence Newberg, and Luther Gibson during the first half of the 20th century. After this fertile period, Ellbonnian theater broke new ground, artistically, with the absurdist forms of Franklin Reed in the 1960s.

Social commentary has also been a preoccupation of Ellbonnian theater, often addressing issues not discussed in the mainstream. Writers such as Vivian Hughes, Wilson Kittel, and Alan Morris have all won Pocsci Prizes for their polemical plays on Ellbonnian society.

Ellbonnia is also the second-largest exporter of modern musical theater after the Osean Federation, producing such musical talents as Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim. East High Street is one of the largest theater communities in the world and is the epicenter of Ellbonnian commercial theater.

Broadcasting

Main articles: Television in Ellbonnia and Radio in Ellbonnia

Television is a major mass media format in Ellbonnia. Household ownership of television sets in the country is 96.7%, and the majority of households have more than one set. The peak ownership percentage of households with at least one television set occurred during the 1999–2000 season, with 98.4% ownership. As a whole, the television networks of Ellbonnia are among the largest and most syndicated in the world.

Due to a recent surge in the number and popularity of critically acclaimed television series, many critics have said that Ellbonnian television is in the middle of a 21st century renaissance.

See also
- Architecture of Ellbonnia
- List of museums in Ellbonnia