History Fridge / StardewValley

** Take a look at the projects Maru and her father do: Maru does a lot of practical applications, building, and the like, whereas Demetrius is more observation and taking notes. You'd think a scientist would love Battery Packs (as Maru does), but Demetrius hates them. Look at what he does: Research and a lot of writing. Of course he doesn't like them, they're useless to him.
*** Speaking of batteries, why does Maru like gold bars? It's because gold is one of the best conducting metals in its pure state, perfect for wiring in mechanical devices. That's probably also the reason she's one of the only two people who likes copper bars as a gift, while almost literally everyone else dislikes or hates them.

** On a more somber note: Penny's hated gifts include wine and beer. With her mother being an alcoholic, that shouldn't come as much surprise. Her dislike of grapes may seem odd until you quickly realize that wine is a product of fermenting grapes. There's also the fact that she hates the Rabbit's Foot, while everyone else loves it. Maybe she's an animal person...
*** On a brighter note, among her favorite gifts are Tom Kha Soup and Sandfish. These seem out of place; especially compared to her more modest favorites, the Red Plate (Red Cabbage and Radish), the Roots Platter, Poppies, and Emeralds; and would be easy to write off as someone who's lived poor wanting a taste of something exotic. Except that these items are found in Calico Town, on the bus line. The bus line her mother used to work before it broke down. It's easy to gather that these foods were probably brought back when her mother was employed, and remind her of happier times.

** Abigail's love of pumpkins is obvious when you find out how much she loves the fall season.
*** Abigail loves Blackberry Cobbler, but hates Blackberries. This makes more sense when you realize that giving her a blackberry implies that she'd need to make the Cobbler herself, which itself implies she'd need to stay home / stay safe / act like a stereotypical girl, as she puts it. As shown in her 6 heart cutscene, she tells her father that she hates being treated as such.
*** Another possibility is that Abigail doesn't like the taste of straight blackberries very much, but loves them when they're cooked into something. It'd be like a person loving banana bread (with the sugar, spices, nuts, etc), but not being at all fond of bananas as a fruit.
*** Her love of the Amethyst becomes obvious as the color matches her hair. Her liking Quartz, similarly, isn't too far off.

** Shane's love for hot peppers and spicy food: being drunk numbs the sense of taste (among other things), so he may be craving ''anything'' flavorful. Hot food also encourages [[TheAlcoholic drinking more]], and studies have indicated a possible link between an affinity for spicy food and an increased risk of addiction/alcoholism.
*** Ties into his depression as well; spicy food isn't unheard of as a coping strategy for a number of reasons. The intense taste might make him feel more alive, and the pain of capsaicin burn can be handy as a safe way to sate self-harm urges.

** Jodi loves receiving dishes of food (and diamonds!) from the player. Considering how often she gripes about having to do chores and the sort for her family, you handing her plates of food probably saves her plenty of time and energy to do what she wants! Also, one of her favorite dishes, Crispy Bass, is Kent's recipe. So it probably reminds her of happy times.
*** Alternatively, she probably exhausts herself by doing all the housework, and recovers energy better with cooked dishes!

** The Dwarf also likes all movies. The Dwarf lost their family in an attack by the Shadow People, and is an outsider to the humans. They're probably just happy to have a friend.
*** It may also be that the Dwarf has lived their entire life underground in the Mine, and so is simply taken with the novelty of movies in general. New foods, bright, moving colors on a screen, the whole thing is likely new and exciting to them.

* The hospital is closed for a significant portion of each day, notably the night, when health emergencies are more likely to occur.
** Being the town's only doctor, Harvey is likely always on duty for such emergencies, even during his off times. The big FridgeHorror comes from the emergencies Harvey can't handle, like those requiring surgery, but he likely knows enough to stabilize those types of injuries just to give people enough time so they can be transported to a hospital.
*** This is outright confirmed by any time you pass out from damage in the mines--you come to in the hospital, with a very worried Harvey hovering over you, having patched you up--and Shane's six-heart event: [[spoiler: any time you find him, between 9 a.m. or 8 p.m., he'll end up in Harvey's clinic, where the doctor pumps his stomach and gets him some bed rest.]]

** Being the town's only doctor, Harvey is likely always on duty for such emergencies, even during his off times. The big FridgeHorror comes from the emergencies Harvey can't handle, like those requiring surgery, but he likely knows enough to stabilize those types of injuries just to give people enough time so they can be transported to a hospital.

** Being the town's only doctor, Harvey is likely always on duty for such emergencies, even during his off times. The big FridgeHorror comes from the emergencies Harvey can't handle, like those requiring surgery, but he likely knows enough to stabilize those types of injuries just to give people enough time so they can be transported to a hospital.
* Another sad one: Vincent has a heart event teaching you to clean spring onions more efficiently, saying his mom taught him how so he can bring them home for dinner. ''Does Jodi have that much trouble affording to feed her family???''

* One of the objects you can build in your farm is a Fish Pond, which allows you to breed fish to gain eggs and a sustainable supply of those fish. After a while, those fish start giving you quests to help you boost the capacity of the pond, and they give you a general idea on how they're doing when you interact with it. In case you've missed the implications there...All those fish you've caught, cooked, sold and eaten raw? [[LetsMeetTheMeat Yup, they're all sentient.]]

** Being the town's only doctor, Harvey is likely always on duty for such emergencies, even during his off times. The big FridgeHorror comes from the emergencies Harvey can't handle, like those requiring surgery, but he likely knows enough to stabilize those types of injuries just to give people enough time so they can be transported to a hospital.

** Alternatively, and slightly less horrifying, is that its not actually the fish giving you quests, so much as that your character is able to interpret what they're wanting through the vague "forest magic" you're tapped into. (The same magic that lets you speak to bears and Junimos)

** On a more somber note: Penny's hated gifts include wine and beer. With her mother being an alcoholic, that shouldn't come as much surprise. Her dislike of grapes may seem odd until you quickly realize that wine is a product by fermenting grapes. There's also the fact that she hates the Rabbit's Foot, while everyone else loves it. Maybe she's an animal person...

*** Another possibility is that Abigail doesn't like the taste of straight blackberries very much, but loves them when they're cooked into something (it'd be like a person loving banana bread (with the sugar, spices, nuts, etc), but not being at all fond of bananas as a fruit)

* There is a shrine that [[spoiler: turns unwanted children into doves and erases the memory of them]]. Considering you find it in [[spoiler: the Witch's Hut]] it may explain why the Wizard had an affair. [[spoiler: It seems the shrine can only be activated by someone with a close bond to the child, such as a parent or guardian. The Wizard knew this and wanted a child the Witch couldn't transform, so he cheated on her then left the child to be raised by someone else.]]

* It seems odd that the lava pit at level 100 of the Mines has so much trash in it but consider that Pelican Town has no garbage disposal service. Presumably, all the town's trash is dumped into the lava pit. As for why it doesn't burn up, chalk it up to GameplayAndStorySegregation.

* Why does Pierre claim he can't beat Joja's cheap prices when they sell seeds more expensive? Easy! As an independant businessman, Pierre can modify his prices ''just for you''. After all, after you've set up you're coming in at the start of every month buying several hundred seeds, his wallpaper catalogue, and backpacks. As for the cheaper cooking goods, that's because he likes you. Morris has no such flexibility as he can only sell at [=JojaMart's=] inflated prices until you have a membership and even then they're identical to Pierre's.

** Another way to look at it: Joja sells produce (to the other villagers) at cheaper prices than Pierre's, and sells you seeds at steeper prices - which means that, if it was for Joja, you'd be forced to buy high and sell low, and that is certainly a way to discourage independent farmers and traders like yourself.

** Jodi loves receiving dishes of food (and diamonds!) from the player. Considering how often she gripes about having to do chores and the sort for her family, you handing her plates of food probably saves her plenty of time and energy to do what she wants!

** Also, Joja Cola is the only item categorized as trash which cannot be recycled into anything useful. It's not just garbage, it's ''irredeemable'' gargabe.

** It may not be that, so much as that Sebastian's family likely doesn't quite "get" his interests (Robin is very much a rural, dowm-to-earth person, so may not quite grasp Seb's progeamming work or love of Fantasy, Demetrius is a practical and literal-minded man, whuch again would cause problems (programming doesn't produce tangible results like scientific study or engineering, and Fantasy stuff may be incomprehensible to him), and Maru isn't sure how to approach him since their personalities are polar opposites). There may have been considerable friction (either real or perceived) in the past when they tried to connect with him, and they've decided to just give him space.

* The hospital is closed for a significant portion of each day, notably the night, when health emergencies are more likely to occur.

* The sewer cave is generously littered with apparent human remains. Who are they? Ill-fated maintenance workers? Adventurous young people like Abigail and the kids? Financial liabilities for Joja?

* Although the player character proposes to one of the bachelorettes by giving them a Mermaid's Pendant, proposing to another player instead requires them to craft an engagement ring. This makes sense when one considers that the Mermaid's Pendant is a local Stardew Valley custom, and the player characters are all outsiders to the valley- they would naturally expect a traditional ring proposal, and wouldn't understand what the pendant was supposed to mean.

** Shane's love for hot peppers and spicy food: being drunk numbs the sense of taste (among other things), so he may be craving ''anything'' flavorful. Hot food also encourages [[TheAlcoholic drinking more]]...

* One of the objects you can build in your farm is a Fish Pond, which allows you to breed fish to gain eggs and a sustainable supply of those fish. After a while, those fish start giving you quests to help you boost the capacity of the pond, and they give you a general idea on how they're doing when you interact with it. In case you've missed the implications there...All those fish you've caught, cooked, sold and eaten raw? [[LetsMeetTheMeat Yup, they're all sentient.]]

** On a brighter note, among her favorite gifts are Tom Kha Soup and Sandfish. These seem out of place; especially compared to her more modest favorites, the Red Plate (Red Cabbage and Radish), the Roots Platter, Poppies, and Emeralds; and would be easy to write off as someone who's lived poor wanting a taste of something exotic. Except that these items are found in Calico Town, on the bus line. The bus line her mother used to work before it broke down. It's easy to gather that these foods were probably brought back when her mother was employed, and remind her of happier times.

* It seems odd that the lava pit at level 100 of the Mines has so much trash in it but consider that Pelican Town has no garbage disposal service. Presumably, all the town's trash is dumped into the lava pit. As for why it doesn't burn up, chalk it up GameplayAndStorySegregation.

* Why does Sandy like all of the movies at the Movie Theatre, from the childish-looking Brave Little Sapling to mature films like It Howls In The Rain? Well, she ''did'' say she wanted a reason to come out to Pelican Town, and you inviting her to watch a movie is reason enough, regard of what kind of movie that's playing.

* Joja Cola doesn't restore much energy for a caffeinated beverage. Well, the most likely place you're going to find it is as fished up trash, since it's insanely overpriced in its vending machine. Everybody in town dislikes it, and they're throwing their cans away half-empty!