This section offers tips on the food and cure elements to Metal Gear Solid 3: Solid Snake. The stamina meter slowly decreases over time and decreases more rapidly during strenuous activity. As the stamina meter gets low, Snake becomes less proficient with his weapon (aim becomes less steady) and his health won’t regenerate as quickly. Replenish Snake’s stamina meter by eating food.

A particularly vicious attack can inflict a deeper wound that Snake won’t be able to simply regenerate. Use the cure menu when you notice a red line within Snake’s health bar. Within the cure menu you can apply various medicines and surgical procedures to mend Snake’s wounds or cure ailments.

• Keeping your meat supply at maximum isn’t a bad idea. You’ll always have something in your reserves in case your stamina becomes too low and you need quick refreshment. However, as meat sits in your inventory, it does become rotten. Eating rotten meat negates any benefits to stamina and actually poisons Snake, which adversely affects health.


• If you do eat rotten food, you can cure the poison with medicine or force Snake to regurgitate the bad grub. Press start and use R1 to select the viewer. Using the right analog stick you can spin Snake around in a circle. Spin him around for several seconds. It sounds silly but when you return to the game, Snake--apparently dizzy from all that spinning--vomits and regurgitates the rotten food. It does cure the poison problem but stamina takes a big hit. Now you’ll have to go find some better food to replenish Snake’s stamina!


• Take the time combing areas for food items, especially unguarded areas. Equip your thermal goggles to help you find food. You’ll be able to see the heat signature of snakes, or even the distinct outline of certain plants (which add medical items to your inventory). Don’t forget to look up into the trees as well. You may find a snake hanging from a branch or some fruit. Shoot the fruit to knock it to the ground.


• Preserve certain animal meat by capturing the animal alive instead of slaughtering the creature and picking up the meat. You can also use the Mk22 and its tranquilizer ammunition to knock out small animals like snakes so you can capture them. The meat remains fresh in your inventory since the creature is caged and alive. Use mousetraps found in the game to capture smaller animals. It’s also possible to throw caged animals to remove them from your inventory. Toss one at a guard if you need to create a distraction.


• Many base areas in the game contain storage structures for the enemies’ food supply. Here you’ll find rations, calorie mate, and even instant noodles. These foods are extremely beneficial to your stamina and don’t spoil over time (or at least as quickly). If your food reserves are full and you find the enemies’ food storage, toss out some of your meat and replace it with the rations, calorie mates, and instant noodles.


• After collecting the food from the enemies’ food storage, destroy the structure with TNT. This depletes the enemies’ food supply and basically causes them to starve. When you’re around an enemy, you’ll hear him mumbling about being extremely hungry. These enemies are now weaker, with less stamina, and basically less perceptive then their well-fed counterparts. You can also take advantage of their hunger by tossing out rotten food. They’re so hungry they’ll eat the rotten food on sight. The resulting sickness creates the distraction you’ll need to get around the guard.


• Snake automatically suffers some significant injuries throughout the game (as the result of cut scene encounters) but if you’re trying to muscle your way through the game, you’ll likely suffer some injuries on your own. When part of Snake’s health bar turns red, you have a significant injury. Open the cure menu to tend to your wounds. You must use combinations of surgery and medicine to mend specific wounds. The chart below lists cures and fixes for common ailments.

• As you would also search areas for food, search areas for plants that have medicinal properties (and can add medicine or surgical items to your inventory). Equip thermal goggles to spot the plants easier then cut the plant with a knife to recover the item.


• After finding new food or medical supplies, speak with para-medic for valuable information regarding the items.