GREAT GORILLA.

or “but how do you get your protein????”

so according to a canon source       M’Baku. it was M’Baku       the Jabari Tribe is vegetarian. an odd little fact, maybe, especially considering that they are the tribe living in the most remote, cold, barren part of Wakanda, while apparently raising the biggest “beef”cakes. see what I did there? heh. still, when M’Baku casually mentioned it, my heart immediately skipped a beat and I may have squealed a little. so naturally, I must now pick this piece of canon apart for my own, but also your convenience. buckle up, it’s headcanon time.

is M’Baku vegetarian? pescetarian? vegan? according to himself, M’Baku is vegetarian, meaning that dairy and eggs may still be on his meal plan, but any kind of meat, including fish, is not. personally, I’m shifting to a plant-based ovo-diet, meaning he will have the occasional egg as a treat, but is actually part of the majority of African people who are lactose-intolerant. meaning your milkshake will bring this boy to the yard if you use oatmilk or something. M’Baku, for my portrayal, thus is largely vegan, with the exception of, as I said, the occasional egg, and the occasional spoonful of honey. because he can, and because it’s delicious. (note by the mun: post infinity war, M’Baku will have in fact eatent he flesh of a White Gorilla, but he will consider that an absolute exception and doesn’t plan on doing that again anytime soon)

so what are M’Baku’s main eating patterns? easy. the most important factor to his diet is that it’s a lot and often. M’Baku is a massive guy, so it is more than likely that he has between six to eight meals split over the day, and at least four of them could feed an entire family for two days. he eats a lot. and by a lot I mean about 6000 calories a day. to get that intake, his portions will have sizes you may perhaps find on the average American XXL menue, but three of those daily. he will also snack whenever he can. a handful of nuts here, a piece of fruit there, half a loaf of bread after lunch, y’know. the little things. the biggest part of any meal will be beans and legumes, followed by carbs (rice as far as the eye can see, as well as potaoes), leafy greens, and fruit.

but how can he get fresh veggies in a mountain? see, I don’t think the script writers thought that part through too much because an icy tundra naturally doesn’t produce that many greens. duh. where the writers failed however, I dug in a little, and the answer is quite easy               greenhouses. in the mountains themselves, the Jabari will largely grow so called cool season vegetables. they don’t require high temperatures, nor a lot of light, and their growing seasons are relatively short. all of that protected from direct snow via greenhouse, and the Jabari can provide themselves with leafy greens, such as kale, spinach, salads, collards, cabbage, and endives. root vegetables work as well, say some carrots, beets, potatoes, turnips, and radishes. last but not least broccoli, cauliflower, and peas too can grow in such a climate under the right cirumstances. to feed the Jabari population, their greenhouses of course are gigantic.

veggies alone however don’t suffice on a vegan or vegetarian diet, so the Jabari will simply use trade to obtain anything else they may require. not with the other Wakandans of course, but with the folks living across the mountain range. they will trade in pelts, cloth, wool, fresh mountain river trout (hence the fishermen! aha!), as well as the occasional, precious Jabari wood. in return, they buy large quantities of rice and dry beans. done is your perfected vegetarian meal plan.

but why would they even go through all the trouble? it took me a while to figure out a motivation for M’Baku and the Jabari to be vegetarian at all. they are cut off from society, so things like factory farming, animal cruelty, or any similar ethical reason surely won’t interest them much. they also won’t care about global warming, and getting large quantities of meat is indeed easier in the mountains than growing vegetables. so why be vegetarian at all? personal headcanon says that M’Baku felt inspired by the gorillas they worship. gorillas are about 97% vegetarian, with the exception of occasional eggs, insects, and small critters like mice and young birds. perhaps he aimed to obtain the ultimate gorilla strength by matching their diet. perhaps Hanuman came to him in a dream and told him to eat his goddamn veggies. fact is, with the switch to worshipping the White Gorilla again, also came the vegetarian diet. and you can bet your butts that M’Baku forced every single Jabari into this new lifestyle. like it or not.

last but not least: but how do they get their protein???

*  mcu quotes | accepting. *  @ikumkani​ said “ please, stay. “

STEADY IS THE FLOW OF PEOPLE LEAVING THE THRONE ROOM ONE BY ONE. tribal leaders and close associates, members of the royal family, Dora Milaje, and two UN representatives diligently ushered out the door on to whatever guest rooms they’ve been given in the palace. one so happens to catch M’Baku’s eyes, almost immediately shying away from the grim look. he’s not happy. arms folded before the massive chest, the pelts ruffled, standing as tall as he can to purposely look as intimidating as possible. if it didn’t work as well as it does, it would almost be comical. travelling to meet other nations is bad enough. inviting them here however         

two of his own guard have already left, a third following suit out the doors, but before M’Baku can turn to leave, too, that by now so very familiar voice rings in his back. a little tired, a little deflated perhaps. and who could blame him after hours of pointless talks? months ago that quiet little request would probably have elicited an eye roll from the Jabari. now it’s a minimal shake of his head, and just a hint of a smile twitching in the corner of his lips.

“I barely said a word, before you even think about telling me off.” a half truth, granted. M’Baku hadn’t said much but looks often speak louder than words, and he has no doubt the two gentlemen from the UN, in the course of the conversations, had occasionally very much felt like running for the hills. still he turns around to face his king; his weight comfortably propped on the knobkerrie in his hands. funny how aggression slowly fades the longer he is in T’Challa’s presence, and his presence alone. with the room now cleared, the Jabari almost seems peaceful; taking a few, deliberately slow steps back towards the throne.