So there are a bunch of things wrapped up in this whole mess of an idea of mine.
The basic idea is a tropical paradise location that is unlocked for higher level/experienced players. The paradise would have different flora and fauna, and it would be an excellent stage setting to introduce fishing.
Trees:
Coconut trees – look like palm trees, and you harvest coconuts from them. Using a new machine*, you could convert the coconuts into other nuts (yes, I know coconuts are not true nuts), including almonds, macadamia, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts.
*The new machine would be the advanced form of the fruit machine—it would be what the grand ol grinder is to the regular grinder. Crafting it would require a higher level of Engineering, perhaps. It could be the Fruit and Nut converter.
Olive trees—These would give olives, which themselves could be used in recipes, but also put in a press** to obtain oils. In true Glitchian fashion, you could get sesame oil as well as olive oil from it. The olive trees could also occasionally give avocadoes as a bonus, which would have wonderful and special properties and uses. **Additionally, the press could be used to press grapes for wine, apples for cider.
Mango trees—These would provide mangoes, which could be converted, using the advanced fruit/nut converter, into other tropical fruits, including guava, passion, kiwi, various citrus fruits, papayas, lychee, dragonfruit.
Cocoa Bean Tree—A tree that gives cocoa beans. The cocoa beans could then be ground using an advanced spice mill to convert them to other flavors such as vanilla, coffee, caramel,
Animals: The pigs, chickens, and butterflies of the rest of Ur would not be allowed in the tropical land. Instead?
Fishing – provides various types of fish and shellfish. Our regular cooking tools would be useful here, but the addition of a sushi mat would open up wonderful new possibilities.
Tropical butterflies—There could be three or more types in different, vibrant colors, giving special flavored syrups (due to their sipping nectar from tropical trees).
Peacocks—flatter them to obtain the item rather than squeezing—the item could be a bit of sugar cane. Rarely it might drop a feather (which could be used to craft quills and other items).
Geckos: kiss or tickle a gecko, get a tropical flower. Type could be random--hibiscus, bird of paradise, orchids, tropical lilies, that kind of thing. The flowers could have herbal as well as decorative properties.
Crops: I It may be difficult to work in gardens, except by maybe permitting us to buy vacation homes there. Crops could include bamboo, melon vines, sugar cane, mint (as an herb), leek, daikon, bitter melon, bok choy, snow peas.
Digging: Sand pits for digging, rather than peat bogs or dirt piles. Sand can then be used in glassmaking (requiring a new skill and tool, of course!). Perhaps, similar to loam, there could be an occasional finer grade of sand obtained for the more delicate items to be crafted.
Using our scrapers, we could harvest clams and mussels. A new tool would permit shucking them, yielding meat, shells, and pearls.
Additionally, scrapers could be used on rocks to obtain gull guano, which would be superior to batterfly guano. This could carry a risk of getting pooped on by circling seabirds, which would lower mood.
Mining could be done in caves near the ocean, with new and different rocks. Gems would be an entirely new set, including emeralds, amethysts, topaz, onyx. New elements—yellow, glimmering, fiery, cold—could permit the production of more precious metals, including gold, platinum, titanium, silicon, and others, which would be needed to make the new advanced machine types.
Additionally, hunts for buried treasure would be a popular diversion.
This region would also open up the possibility of an underwater area
Edited to fix formatting, sorry!