You are a professor who teaches Anthropology at a university, and today has been an incredibly long day. It's almost 7 PM, and you are sitting at your desk grading exams, feeling exhausted. You want to get the gradings done by today, but your eyelids start to droop a little... maybe you need another cup of coffee... or perhaps a little nap won't hurt.

Oh no! You open your eyes, and suddenly you see yourself in what looks like a savanna with some grassy shrubs and trees. The air feels clean--nothing like the typical Chicago air. You look around and ask yourself, where am I? Is this real? Suddenly, you hear something moving by a nearby shrub, and you jump back, startled!

Still confused, you see a large pair of beady eyes staring at you. Wow, you have never seen anything like this up close before! As it notices you, it steps back and starts running further toward the trees. Curious, you decide to follow it.

You dash along the savanna, admiring the view around you, wondering where the animal will lead you. You realize you're getting very tired, and you slow down. You hear your tummy rumble... it's been a while since you had lunch, and a McChicken with fries sounds soooo good right now. You see a tree with mysterious fruit in front of you, it looks inviting.

The tree contains mysterious fruit looks plump and red. It reminds you of a cross between a tiny apple and a pomegranate, and it sure looks delicious! Your tummy rumbles again... you've been traveling for a bit and your body is low on energy. You remember that food = energy = work, so maybe this can fuel you up for a bit.

You pick one off the tree and take a bite of the fruit. The juicy flesh breaks through your teeth... thank god for those incisors! The fruit tastes sweet, but not as sweet as an apple from back home, probably because it is unprocessed. This was no McChicken, but it sure does hit the spot! You feel yourself gaining back some energy due to the carbohydrates you just consumed. The glucose give you the quick energy to walk along!

All of a sudden, you see a beautiful lake from across the land. The animal you just saw is taking a big sip of water and unexpectedly, you feel really thirsty too. It has already been quite a journey today, and the hot sun is beating down on you...

You keep walking. You know that the fruit is not worth the risk, what if it is poisonous?! You know this was a risk many hominins face when trying out new food resources. You're still hungry though, and you are running very low on energy because you remember that food = energy = work, and you are definitely using more than gaining. Feeling exhausted, you give up on following the animal and decide to rest.

You decide not to drink from the lake. What if there are disease-causing pathogens in there?! Then, feeling extremely dehydrated, your vision starts to blur. You know that 3 days is the max you can go without water, however, water is one of the most important things your body needs. Unfortunately, the hot arid environment is inflicting a heatstroke. Suddenly, your vision goes dark. You have passed out.

Unexpectedly, you jolted awake. Your head feels light, so you decide to drink the water from the lake anyway to get back the hydration. You suddenly feel very refreshed and a lot better than before. Your body still feels super weak, and you crave something high-protein to eat.

You approach the lake and look down. The water looks pretty clean. You take a deep breath, crouch down, and cup your hands under the cool water. Then, you bring it up to your lips and take a loooong sip.
Ahhhh
Immediately, you feel very refreshed. Although water does not cure your hunger, it is still a very important thing your body needs. You know that 3 days is the max you can go without it, however, with the extreme heat, you have managed to avoid a heatstroke by cooling down with a drink!

You keep walking along, taking in the beautiful scenery. The sun is starting to set, and you wonder if you're going to be stuck here in the savanna forever... Could you even survive here?
Your stomach rumbles again, and you know you probably need to find something to eat soon. Suddenly, you hear a loud chirp--they sound like crickets! You look at the trees surrounding you and see a few crickets on the branches and leaves.

You walk up to the tree and see a BUNCH of crickets! Some of them aren't moving, and you realize they'd be really easy to pick off. You eye a few on the leaves, and you remember that many modern day cultures consume insects as a source of protein.

You quickly grab the cricket from the leaf. It seems they are already dead. You pop them in your mouth sowly, and the insect crunches between your teeth. To your surprise, it doesn't really taste like anything, just a bit earthy. You grab a few more from the tree, knowing that insects can provide great nutrional qualities for you. Good thing you're not influenced by the typical Western idea of insect consumption!

You choose to not eat the cricket, even though you notice some of them are already dead and they'll be easy to consume. You wonder why you did not eat the cricket, was it because it seems scary or gross? was this line of thinking influenced by the western idea of insect consumption? Regardless, you pluck a leaf off the tree and pop it in your mouth. The leaf is able to provide you with some nutrients and water, but you realize it is not very filling.

You keep continuing the journey until you come across a large area of land.
You froze.
In front of you, you see a group of hyenas tearing into a animal on the ground. You step back, but the hyenas hear you and turn their heads towards your direction.

Startled, you start running. You run further back towards the trees, not looking back. You safely hide by a large baobab tree and realize there are no hyenas behind you. They might've lost you, or perhaps they might've not seen you at all. Whatever the case, you are exhausted from that run and realize you are not properly fueled for that activity. Perhaps you should go back and see what can be taken from that carcass.

You return to the area while keeping yourself alert for any potential predators. You see the animal that the hyenas were just at and realize that they were gone. It should be safe to check out now!

You freeze in your steps. You figure maybe they will not see you if you just pretend to be one of the trees. Fortunately, the hyenas ignore you and goes back to their meal. After staying still for a few more minutes, the hyenas stop eating and left.

You go closer to the animal on the ground to investigate it. It looks like some sort of ungulate, and you hope it's not the one you saw earlier. The hyenas have taken most of the good meaty parts, however, there were still some meat left by the legs of the animal. You figure you are passive scavenging, so you will not have access to the good stuff, but you can still get some things from it to fuel you for your journey!

You decide to go for the marrow and break off a rib with great strength. You know that even though meat gives you protein, the marrow from the bone can give good fats. Regardless, you will be getting more calories compared to consuming a leaf, meaning more energy! However, you realize you are unable to get through the bone itself without any tools. Before you can do anything further, you hear a loud growl... you turn back and see the hyenas have returned! And they do not look friendly...

You go for the leg. You figure that you can get some meat at the thighs because meat will provide you with the protein you need. It can also give you more energy than a leaf, and therefore, more calories! It is more bang for the buck! However, you realize you have no tools or anything to extract the meat. Before you can do anything further, you hear a loud growl... you turn back and see the hyenas have returned! And they do not look happy...

You abandon the meat and ran! This time, the hyenas definitely see you and start to chase after you. You curse at your bad luck for not being able to eat earlier or not having any tools. You are still feeling extremely tired and need more energy!

You don't know where you're going, but you don't want to end up like those carcasses you saw! Suddenly, before you can do anything else, your body gives out, and everything goes black.

You open your eyes, and in front of you is your computer. You quickly sit up and realize you are back at your office.
It was only a dream!
You check the clock, and it reads 8:12 PM. You have definitely been asleep longer than you intended! Maybe you should return home, eat a nice meal, and start up a warm bath... it has been a long day...
You pack up your things and reflect back on the adventure you just went through. We are indeed lucky to be where we are now with so much conveniency and technology at our hands... food was so difficult to find back then, let alone survival! Props to our ancestors!

Thank you for playing! :)