I always have food and drinks in my characters inventories, but it's usually nothing special, just whatever I have to use up. I use them if I remember as I'm going into an area where I'll be in combat a lot, like a dungeon or delve. Even when I'm questing I can spend a lot of time talking to NPCs and wandering around the wilderness only fighting the odd wolf or bandit so I definitely don't need them all the time. (I don't even really need them in delves and public or normal mode dungeons, but it feels less of a waste to use them there than when I'm wandering around a town.)

About 90% (not for crafting, card games or cusual questing)

always in trials or vet dungeons, not when pootling around questing etc

I use it always, even when just being afk. I feel naked without.

'Regular' food is cheap enough to craft, why not.

Michae wrote: »

I just pop in one of those free Crown meals we get from login rewards every time previous buff runs out.

Same boat, except my main and anyone else I end up using a lot gets crafted food that supports their roles instead, Crown food is for alts. There really isn’t a better use for it, and I like to keep some kind of food/drink buff going at all times, because otherwise I WILL forget on the rare occasion I stop wandering around the map to do some group content and subsequently get clobbered.

Since it's about 200 gold to use a food or drink buff, why not!

I think some people see the gold 'citrus fillet' or 'bone broth' recommendations in guides that think the average player needs a lower dps food buff with health to survive the 0 damage they'll take in regular content.

Ghastly Eye Bowl
Lava foot soup and Saltrice

Those are blue food that give more damage than the gold because they don't waste time offering health when you don't need it. And they're cheap - dirt cheap - like 100 to 200g for 2 hours of it. They offer so much regeneration as well, 450*1.28 (with armor passives) you'll eliminate so many heavy attacks using it.

As for tanks - Crown Meals are a great start until you get some cheap sugar cookies. Not as cheap as the above foods, however, but cheap enough for the periods you're tanking.

I have plenty food in my inventory and my bank to last the next ten years so I always eat food. Ate three the other day for the endeavour and thought nothing of it.
Haven't worked out what drinks are for though

I only use them if I'm going to solo some group thing, such as a WB. Feels like cheating to use them against normal enemies.

Don't need buff for soloing, crafting, card games, treasure hunting, etc.

As soon as I enter group PvE or any sort of PvP, checking food buff is my first move.

Michae wrote: »

I just pop in one of those free Crown meals we get from login rewards every time previous buff runs out.

This.

I didn't use them for the longest time after I began playing ESO, but eventually I started to use them all the time on my main characters, as well as on any alt characters I might be playing on (which is seldom).

However, lately I've been kind of so-so at times about refreshing my preferred food buff after it runs out, usually because I want to consume multiple short-term white foods or drinks for an endeavor, but also partly because I want to see how well I can perform without relying on my usual buffs.

Note that I don't do "end-game vet" content; the most difficult content I play consists of soloing world bosses and soloing normal group dungeons. I also don't like to feel that those types of content are "too easy," because if I'm going to solo them then I want to feel challenged by them.

SammyKhajit wrote: »

This one cannot resist free, roast chicken 🍗

I've become addicted to Sugar Skulls, and use the Longfin Pasty, when short other ingredients

Auldwulfe

I always do if I'm fighting a World Boss or running a Vent or Harrowstorm, etc., but I don't always think about it when I'm just questing.