LT Gila Sadar - Something's Sweet Here, and It's NOT the Food
LT Gila Sadar
(( Sadar-Aqila Quarters - Compartment 83, Sector 03, Deck 6, USS Artemis-A ))
Thus far, all things were proceeding according to expectations, if not according to plan. Sil-net derailing the initial conversation with some crazy notion of this was well within her expectations of her jubilant friend, and Lt. Commander Jovenan proving a calming and guiding presence was also well within Gila’s notion of how the evening would progress. Now, she only hoped that her mediocre attempt at cooking wouldn’t end up with her having to administer any food poisoning medicine - which she had prepared in a first aid kit in the nearby sideboard - but she didn’t think making that observation out loud would encourage a good atmosphere for enjoying the food, so she kept it to herself.
Instead, she opted to explain the menu.
Sadar: F-For the appetizer, uhh, I-I’m serving slow-simmered coral-leaf soup. ::counts on her fingers:: The m-main course is Mizragavi - it’s, uhh, cheese and fried vegetables in boiled oyster shells - along with a salad with nuts and honey gel. Dessert is quillfruit pudding with salt and nutmeg.
Silveira: Sounds amazing to me.
Jovenan: Even the names sound delicious! Are you serving each of them with a suitable drink as well?
Gila blanched slightly at that.
Sadar: I-I, uhh, I’m not... I-I’ll be having Bimai. I-It’s, uhh, similar in taste to cow milk, only thinner and more sour? I finally got the replicator to make it to specifications. B-But I’ll replicate whatever you wish to drink, of course!
It was difficult to properly explain what Bimai tasted like. The similarity to cow milk that she spoke of was cursory at best, but it truly was the best example she could provide. She was unsure how it would appeal to the taste buds of anyone not Mizarian, but for someone who’d been away from home for over a decade, the accomplishment of finally getting the replicator to make it properly was one that she was still very pleased with, and she’d been drinking it with practically every meal since.
Silveira: I'll try that as well, Sada. After all we are trying your cuisine, it will be good to have the full experience.
Jovenan: Then I’ll have that as well, please!
Gila nodded, setting to bringing each of them a tall, lean glass of Bimai, the blue-tinted white liquid within sloshing languidly with each movement. She also placed a large container of ice water with shredded vegetables on the table, along with a few empty glasses. A ‘way out’, per se, should her friends decide that the Bimai didn’t suit their tastes.
Once she’d done so, she took her own seat at the table, allowing her buckling knees the relief of not having to carry her tall body around despite the bubbling anxiety within.
Silveira: Thank you Sada. I have to say you're doing a remarkable job so far.
Sadar: Oh, uhh... Th-Thank you. I-I’m sorry if it’s not, uhh, up to standards? H-Hosting things isn’t something I’m used to, and... ::clears throat:: I-I hope I’m doing it correctly.
Jovenan: You are! There’s no need for anything elaborate when the results speak of the hard work you’ve done. ::pause:: Are we ready to begin?
Sil-net raised his spoon, evidently ready for the dinner to officially begin.
Sadar: W-Well, uhh... ::searches for appropriate words:: ‘Dinner is served’?
Silveira: I have a feeling this tastes as good as it smells.
Jovenan: It certainly smells amazing!
Gila and Lt. Commander Jovenan both waited for the ever courageous Sil-net to take the first bite. Lt. Commander Jovenan likely awaited to ensure that the food was edible and not poisonous in any way, while Gila wanted with bated breath. While she valued her two friends’ opinions equally, Sil-net had ever showcased a talent and vested interest in cooking, and as such, she felt that his opinion would likely be the more truthful one, rather than one intended to spare her feelings.
He savored the spoonful of coral-flower soup, before looking at her with a smile.
Silveira: This is amazing Sada… I have eaten fish and seafood all my life but this is one of the best soups I tried. ::He took another spoonful, closing his eyes as he tasted it. He smiled at Nan before speaking again:: Honey you have to try it, it's phenomenal.
Gila breathed out with relief, not only because Sil-net hadn’t immediately dropped to the floor in dying throes because of some unforeseen allergic reaction, but also because he had assured her of the taste value of the dish. She was aware that Mizarian cuisine, in many ways, was considered one-note by aliens - a valid critique, since the food existed on the simply spectrum between melharn and sakharn, and as such, sensations such as ‘spicy’, ‘savoury’, ‘mellow’ or many other such tastes were all but nonexistent in Mizarian cooking. She did believe, however, that very few cultures had mastered the two taste profiles that Mizarians possessed quite like her people had.
oO Wait... There’s no honey in the soup? Oo
Jovenan: Oh, I must! ::takes a spoonful but doesn’t eat it all:: Ooh, sorry, hot!
Surprised out of her confused state, Gila hastily rose from her seat to pour a glass of iced water, just in case the Lt. Commander opted for the more familiar option to quench the soup’s heat.
Sadar: Oh, s-so sorry, I should’ve warned- d-drink something, please!
Silveira: Response
Instead, Lt. Commander Jovenan opted for the Bimai, and Gila slowly lowered herself to her seat once more, watching the blonde Edo with concern.
Jovenan: I should have been more careful! Let me try again. ::takes a spoonful, blows, eats:: Mmh! You’re right, sweetie, it’s amazing!
That was the final straw. Gila knew for a fact that coral-flower soup was in no way sweet. She looked between her two friends with a growing sensation of missing something, and yet it remained right there in front of her, almost taunting her for not catching onto whatever it was that had changed.
Silveira: Response
Jovenan: May I ask, are all these foods traditional Mizarian dishes, or did you experiment on them?
As Gila started noticing more - the slightly too close manner with which her two friends sat together, the way Sil-net seemed even worse than usual at shying his eyes away from the aesthetically pleasing Edo woman, the strange manner of calling the other by flavor profiles - she was slightly delayed with realizing that the Lt. Commander had, in fact, asked a question of her.
Sadar: Huh? Oh. Uhh... Th-They’re traditional. I-I’ve had to substitute some ingredients, because a lot of Mizarian ingredients aren’t programmed into the replicator yet, b-but it’s far more expansive than last time we cooked together.
Jovenan/Silveira: Response
Sadar: Quite... ::narrows her eyes:: L-Lieutenant Commander, Sil-net, I-I don’t mean to be pry, but... I-Is everything quite as it’s meant to be?
Jovenan/Silveira: Response
Sadar: W-Well, i-it’s just... I-I’ve never known you to call each other by ‘honey’ and ‘sweetie’ before?
Jovenan/Silveira: Response
Tags/TBC
LT Gila Sadar
Medical Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240006GS1