Ensign Amelia Semara - The Fine Art of Barbeque

[Max]

(( USS Khitomer, Earth Orbit - Deck 12, Main Engineering ))

Amelia had just finished presenting the proposal for Khitomer's new life sciences lab, but she'd been thorough, and between doing her homework and the fleet guidelines had laid out, there really wasn't much to discuss.

Dewitt: I’m impressed, Ensign. You have my approval on those systems. I need at least three crew members familiar with your specifications and the systems to be installed from the Science Department. At least one needs to be on-site or on-call at all times. ::pause, putting PADD down:: So why are you so eager to get these modifications?

She nodded.  It would take some time before work got started, so it would be easy enough to bring others up to speed.  Again, there were protocols aplenty for these sorts of things, so it hardly came as a surprise she'd have to make sure the room was properly supervised.

Semara: :: A wry grin :: I like studyin' animals.  But I also like not havin' my insides liquified by whatever hemorrhagic disease a specimen might be carryin'.  So yeah, I do my homework.  :: Beat :: How is it, by the way? :: Gesturing at the container with a smile ::

Dewitt: It’s terrific, could have come from my mum’s kitchen - where did you learn to cook like that?

Amelia beamed.  Depending on the person, "mom's kitchen" could be a place of horror or delight.  In this case, it was abundantly evident it was the latter, and it pleased her immensely she'd been able to evoke something so familiar for the man.

Semara: My grandparents ran a resort on Casperia.  My mama and I were expected to make all our special visitors feel at home, and one of the easiest ways to do that was to learn their cuisine.  So I spent a lot of time figurin' out everything from Hasperat to Plomeek soup.  Even learned to appreciate Klingon food...  :: She chuckled :: Your mom cooks a lot?

In the age of replicated food, it was a tenuously maintained art form - akin to writing poetry or quilting.  Finding another soul aboard who appreciated the time and love and skill that went into the ritual of preparing the meals that brought people together at the dinner table was gratifying.

Dewitt: Oh my parents own restaurant - There was not a day where we did not have a terrific lunch or dinner. We sometimes helped in the kitchen, but I never had my mother’s expertise when it came to combining ingredients and spices. If there is a constant in the universe and my life, it is that I can always be sure to dine first class when I come home.

Semara: Then I'm very flattered by the comparison.  There really is nothing like a taste of home.  I'll have to make sure I visit their restaurant before we leave.  :: A huge grin and a low voice ::  See if I can reverse-engineer any recipes.  :: Beat ::  I hadn't realized so many folks aboard would share my views on cooking.  Might have to try puttin' somethin' together sometime. :: A pleasant smile. ::

Dewitt: Oh, you should come visit for the BBQ in late August - It’s a feast and the best night all year. All the cooks are outside preparing food in front of the guests and you can sit all over the garden to eat it. It’s magical… ::pause:: at least if the weather allows.

If Amelia smiled any bigger, she might have had to visit sickbay again on account of hurting herself.  There couldn't have been any way for the Commander to know, but he'd stumbled into a topic she could talk about for hours, and one of her truest food passions.  She was practically salivating at the thought of experiencing what sounded like a barbeque culture so like to her own.

Semara: Oh, that sounds positively marvellous!  An invitation like that, I'm not sure you could keep me away.  Barbeque is a huge deal for my family.  If we ever visit Casperia in fall, I'll take you to the Nantahala fête.  It sounds a lot like what your family does, 'cept it's almost a week long affair and just about the whole valley joins in.  Maybe a closer human holiday might be Thanksgiving.  I helped every year since I could walk, 'til I left for the academy.

Dewitt: Response

Even if the commander hadn't expressed interest in the festival, he'd struck on a topic that had the ability to make her homesick more than just about any other.  Upon voicing interest, there was very little chance of him escaping a rather detailed explanation of the lengthy and involved celebration now.  Mercifully, Amelia wasn't so unkind as to make it uninteresting.

Semara: Well, you gotta know Betazoids rarely keep animals for meat.  Eggs, cheese, wool, honey, so on... but not meat.  :: Tapping her head. ::  Empath thing...

Even without her particular affinity for living creatures, the average Betazoid didn't especially enjoy the sensation of life slipping away from a creature at their hand.

Semara: So meat's a special treat.  Less so, these days, with replicators, but the fall barbeque is probably the oldest and most traditional ritual we have in Nantahala.  So that means a hunt.

As far as she knew, such things were comparatively rare in Betazoid culture.  It was entirely possible to do a vegetarian barbeque, but it just wasn't quite the same.

Dewitt: Response

Semara: In fall, Kuracks migrate down from the high country to the lowlands before winter sets in.  They're something like Earth's cow... No - more like Bison.  But migratory, like Wildebeest.  Real big.  There's not enough wolves in their summer range to keep numbers in check anymore, and we only take some of the bulls two or three years old who'll fight to the death for breeding dominance in spring anyway.

The balance of nature in her home valley was a delicate and precious thing, and the people living there had taken generations to find their way to preserving the spectacle of their surroundings with the demands on the land required by living there.  It didn't take Amelia's particular understanding to know that, but the fact she didn't disapprove said something to those who knew her.

Semara: Even still, only the best markswomen are allowed to hunt.  There's a competition, of sorts, in the weeks before to make sure you can kill the animal in one shot.  No one's perfect, but we don't take kindly to lettin' 'em suffer.  And it ain't easy.  Have to use an ancient projectile rifle, which is tricky at a distance with wind, gravity, and recoil.  Phasers spoil the meat, and we eat the whole thing.  Besides, it's tradition.

Even if she'd never taken the shot herself at a real animal, and even if she didn't keep it up anymore, once upon a time she'd done the target practice and had the aim expected of an heiress to the Semara name.  She knew the difficulty of making the shot from experience.  The funny thing was that practice never translated to skill with a phaser - sidearm or rifle.

Dewitt: Response

Semara: Betazoids are historically matriarchal, so markswomen specifically - especially in families like mine.  It was somethin' my mama always practiced for, and she always took me with as her bag girl when I was old enough.  :: A chuckle ::  I usually traipsed around the valley with my papa as a kid, so it was a special time for my mama and me to spend together, away from the usual society rules.  :: A grin :: It didn't hurt we always seemed to find the best grounds.  Even still, it usually took a coupla' days to find the herd.

It was an annual tradition as treasured and well-remembered as much as the flavor of the meat.  Alessa, her mama, was a completely different kind of camper from her and her papa: one who treasured her creature comforts, and seemed to appraise the land with a sort of ladylike haughtiness.  Amelia kept those memories all the closer for the differences between them.

Semara: By the time everyone's back, the men are done building the smokehouse and collecting Sooav wood for the fire.  It's a tree that only grows at elevation on Casperia, and it's the best wood you could ask for - it imparts a light, sweet tang.  Once the fire's set, it takes about thirty hours for everything to cook.  Fatty cuts go to the top, so anything that melts drips down onto the less fatty meat.  There's several different rubs, all made from local herbs, spices, and chiles.  Some a' those chiles are so hot raw, they can make a Klingon cry. :: A grin. ::

She nearly slipped into reverie, recollection of the impressionist watercolor majesty of Nantahala in fall, and the closeness of friends and family coloring her voice.

Semara: Everyone takes a shift keepin' the fire up, but my personal favorite to take was always the early mornin'.  :: Beat :: My friends and I'd stay warm by the fire in the predawn chill...  Tellin' stories in the dark till the sun comes up, then watch first light turn the smoke pink as it drifts up to the waning sickle rings... the Sooav leaves a blaze of pale yellow and red climbin' up the mountains from the valley floor...  The first birdsongs of mornin' as the valley wakes up...

A moment of hush fell between the two of them.

Dewitt: Response

Semara: In the final few hours before, folks would start to show up, we'd put vegetables in to get smoked, and start in on all the accoutrements and fixin's.  Only problem is you wanna be awake for the party in the evening.  But it's nothin' a nap won't solve.  It used to be just about the whole valley would gather, and my family would always host.  It was really something.

Dewitt: Response

Semara: :: Nodding :: We were kinda the family in the valley's middle park, but... that's another story.  We always had a live band playin' under the fairy lights by the pond...  Everyone'd come together dressed up in their finest to eat, drink, gossip, and dance late into the night.  :: A sneaky grin :: It can be pretty romantic.  My mama and I would always make bets on who'd end up as couples by the next mornin'...

Dewitt: Response

Amelia blushed a little.  She'd been talking for at least five minutes about barbeque back home.  She hadn't meant to, but the Commander had asked.

Semara: Sorry if I got a bit carried away.  It's a passion of mine.  :: A bit of light laughter. :: Speakin' a couples, I've been dyin' to know how you and Lieutenant Jacin came to be promised to each other, if you don't mind?

Dewitt: Response

Tag/TBC...

Ensign Amelia Magnolia Semara

Science Officer

USS Khitomer - NCC-62400

A239710MA0