The Materialistic Ferengi Culture, --- [Do you HAVE the lobes???]...

The Ferengi originate from the planet Ferenginar, in the center of the Ferengi Alliance located in the Alpha Quadrant. Precisely what the Ferengi Alliance consisted of was never revealed; it may simply encompass Ferenginar and any uninhabited planets that the Ferengi have colonized since there was little indication that the Ferengi government exercised authority over any species other than its own.

It rains continually on Ferenginar so that Ferengi homes always have entryways where folks can shake off the water.  Quark and Rom have said when they are away from home they miss the smell of rotting vegetation, mold and mildew.

The Two Hundred Eighty-Five Ferengi Rules of Acquisition compose the sacred code on which all their society is based. The rules were written down by Gint, the first Grand Nagus (the title of the leader of the Ferengi Alliance). The title "Rules of Acquisition" was chosen as a clever marketing ploy (since the rules are almost universally considered to be merely guidelines by Ferengi and subject to very loose interpretation depending on the situation) and Gint numbered his first rule one hundred sixty-two to create a demand for the other one hundred sixty-one Rules that had not yet been created.

Ferengi culture is so devoted to unregulated capitalism that concepts such as labor unions, sick leave, vacations, or paid overtime for workers are considered abhorrent, because they would interfere with the honored Ferengi custom of the exploitation of workers. Ferengi workers don't particularly mind this system, because they all want to eventually gather enough wealth to become employers themselves, delightfully exploiting their own workers, thus perpetuating the cycle. In addition to the Rules, the Ferengi also recognize the five Stages of Acquisition: infatuation, justification, appropriation, obsession, and resale. The five Stages of Acquisition may be based on the five stages of grief.

Until the episodes "Ferengi Love Songs" and "Profit and Lace", the laws and society of the Ferengi were extremely harsh towards its women. Selling one's mother for gold-pressed latinum, the principal form of legal tender among Ferengi, is an act that would be looked on with admiration in Ferengi society. Moreover, female Ferengi were forbidden to learn to read, acquire profit, talk to strangers, or even wear clothes. They could only leave the house with the permission of the eldest, most senior male of the family. Ferengi women traditionally softened food for members of their family by chewing it, though not all females did this. The rules regarding females were not always followed by Ferengi women; Ishka, Quark's intelligent and sweet mother, regularly wore clothes and elegant jewelry, boldly talked to strangers and even engaged in business on the sly, and it is unlikely that she was the only rule-violator. Female Ferengi gained the legal right to wear clothing and so leave the house in "Profit and Lace".



By the time of Deep Space Nine's penultimate series episode, "The Dogs of War", it was indicated that Ferengi capitalism was coming under greater regulation, with historic changes towards left-wing politics and policies being made with respect to things such as universal health care and workers' rights, etc. Zek's appointment of Rom to be his successor as Grand Nagus suggests that this trend will likely continue, given that Rom was long depicted as much more liberal, compassionate, sensitive and cheerful than more the more traditional, dogmatic and greedy Ferengi such as Quark.

Noteworthy Ferengi males are neither buried nor cremated when they die. Rather, the dying male puts his body up for auction to the highest bidder and the dead body is carved up into little pieces that are vacuum-desiccated, preserved and packaged for sale as mementos of a worthy life. In one DS9 episode, Constable Odo expresses an interest, when the time comes, in buying Quark's remains. In another episode, Quark, faced with the eventuality of death on a far-off planet laments that his carcass will remain unmourned and, thus, --- embarrassingly "unsold".

A subset of the Ferengi culture are known as Eliminators, and they routinely hire themselves out as assassins to anyone willing to pay for their services. Most Ferengi, however, view the Eliminators as eccentric at best, since Eliminators appear to enjoy the sport of killing more than the profits gained thereby, or downright dangerous psychopaths at worst who kill potential customers, which is not at all good for business, and avoid them whenever possible.

An important component of Ferengi cuisine appears to be insects and other small invertebrates. Some, such as tube grubs and gree worms, are nearly always served alive like the Klingon dish gagh, while others are served jellied or in a juice form. Unlike how humans are repulsed at the idea of eating Klingon gach, Quark has been observed eating gagh on several occasions, though commenting that he thinks it tastes bland and boring. Popular beverages include Eelwasser and Slug-O-Cola ("The slimiest drink in the galaxy"). The cuisine of the Ferengi has achieved little acceptance among other cultures, with a few notable exceptions. Ferengi invented the alcohol substitute synthehol, and the alcoholic drink "black hole" is popular among some non-Ferengi.

Outside of Ferenginar, many Ferengi enjoy the food of other cultures in addition to traditional Ferengi cuisine and have integrated it into their menus. However, most Ferengi have a particular distaste for Terran food. In several episodes of DS9, Quark expresses his extreme distaste for the popular Terran soft drink root beer, which he describes as "so bubbly, cloying, and happy, just like the Federation."



When welcoming guests or perhaps Liquidators or other officials in particular into his home, a Ferengi male will recite a traditional greeting: 'Welcome to our home. Please place your thumbprint on the legal waivers and deposit your admission fee in the slot by the door. Remember, my house is my house." The guest replies, "As are its contents". The notion that everything, even traditional hospitality, is for sale on Ferenginar is shown elsewhere: in the Tower of Commerce, an elevator ride is extortionately expensive; even the waiting room chairs cost three slips of latinum to use and standing is one slip.

A certain branch of Ferengi government known as the Ferengi Commerce Authority, and especially its agents, known as Liquidators, is almost universally loathed by all Ferengi; it is possibly meant as a parody of the Internal Revenue Service. Liquidator Brunt was a recurring character on Deep Space Nine who often found himself at odds with Quark.

A notable Ferengi pastime is the strategic game Tongo, played with cards and a roulette wheel. At each turn the player has the choice to "evade", "confront", "acquire", or "retreat". A Global Tongo Championship is held each year on Ferenginar. Another Ferengi game using a similar wheel is Dabo. About ten players can sit around the dabo wheel, and each either "buys", "sells" or "converts" their gold-pressed latinum (money) in preparation for the next spin of the wheel. Proprietors who house dabo games in their establishments often employ attractive women (colloquially, "dabo girls") to run the games, entice customers to play and distract their attention.