Automats

In Kronova, perhaps one of the best-preserved and longest lasting cultural trends from before the founding of the Republic is the automat restaurant. The automat allows for maximum convenience and speed, and can be found on almost every street corner in Kronova's cities. Although they are rarer in rural areas, many can still be found there, a testament to their ubiquity in Kronovan culture.

The idea of the automat restaurant was introduced by a Chalian capitalist named Edward Frosch, who brought the idea from mainland Chalia, where the idea was already popular. He opened his first establishment in the city of Magniskovsk in the year -55F, and quickly found a great deal of success. By the time of the Revolution, his businesses and their competitors could be found in most coastal cities in Kronova. With the Revolution and founding of the Industrial Republic, most private property was confiscated and put in the hands of the popular governments of the time. Frosch's family fled the country to Mosse', leaving behind their popular eateries. Despite this, Kronovans had acquired a liking to automats and the convenience they provided, and the restaurants continued to be run as they had, with slight alterations. For one, the machines were adjusted to accept the ration tokens given to citizens during the lean years of centralization, to ensure enough food could be found for all. Additionally, the newly "liberated" (as the term came to be applied to property seized from foreign interests) restaurants focused more on traditional Kronovan foods.

Eventually, the lean times of early centralization passed, and even when automats in the rest of the world fell out of style, Kronovans continued to frequent them for the fast food needs. Token slots were replaced with coin slots once again once the Nova Ruble stabilized, allowing citizens to eat to their heart's content. Many foreigners joke that Kronovans love the establishments due to their anti-social natures; this is not a completely unfair assessment. Automats allow Kronovans to get in, buy their food, and either eat there or leave to eat it elsewhere in peace with minimum human contact. This is assuredly by design. Today, most automats found in urban areas allow for digital payments, meaning that physical currency is unnecessary for the transaction. Automats are busiest around lunchtime, when Kronovans go off to eat their packed lunches or find something to eat out in the world.

Most food available in automats is easy to eat while walking or otherwise on the go. Pirozhki, a fried meat, mushroom, and onion pie, is one of the most popular dishes to be purchased at automats. Kronova's Presidium voted to make the little pie the Republic's national dish thanks to its level of popularity. Other popular automat dishes include other varieties of fried, stuffed buns; sausages; zapiekanka (open faced sandwiches); and wrapped pancakes filled with various toppings both savory and sweet. Sibet is often also available, as are many other uniquely Kronovan beverages.

Although they began as stationary enterprises, automats have been increasingly popular abroad trains in Kronova. As countless Kronovans rely on rail travel to get to and from work, it is understandable that a combination of the two could occur. Now, Kronovans may expect to eat two or even three of their daily meals from an automat: two going and coming from work abroad a train, and the third at lunchtime from a building.