In Tibia, food healed you over a period of time. What I mean is that food will not instantly heal you, which I think should be left to potions, but heal you over a period of time. I am saying this as an idea for how food can heal you, and if it doesn\'t heal you, have beneficial/not-so-beneficial effects on you. And I think that resting should at least heal you. As for arms getting ripped off, I think that should be left to others attaching fake arms or magical arms to your body. Or you can brag about having only one (or no) arms.
I keep seeing foods healing health, but not mana. Perhaps some type of magical food can restore mana, but why that or if it will happen I do not know. Also why not eat things raw or overcooked? Of course, it can taste really bad, but in case you\'re bored and want to try out a few new foods... Help yoruself.
I like the idea of some foods being poisonous to some races and not poisonous to others. It can be balanced by those races being able to eat a food not being able to eat another, while the ones unable to eat food able to eat food, i fyou catch my drift.
I think that food should be found anywhere, from apple trees (or the Planeshift equivalent, if there is one) to grasses and roots. Skills in identifying the edible plants would be needed, even the apple trees. For those apples may contain a hidden danger... For they might not be apples at all, or merely deadly to dwarves. Or other races.
And there will be no classes in the game. So anyone can become a chef, though some more skilled in cooking than others.