fandomhigh | The Philosophy of Food | Wednesday, 3rd Period

This week, Hannibal sent out e-mail ahead of time for the students to meet him at Portalocity, dressed for walking, where they were treated to the sight of Doctor Hannibal Lecter in casual clothing. Well, sturdy slacks, a linen button-up shirt, no tie, and a large (but stylish) hat.

"Last week, we emulated a bit of food economics. Today is for practical experience, as well as viewing some of the culture around producing food instead of preparing it." He gave them a tiny smile. "This week, I haven't made any food, though you will be able to have some if you like."

He smoothed a map against the wall. "We're not going far; we could have driven, but this will be faster. We'll be working with an organization called Gather Baltimore."

He rolled up the map and looked at the students. "Local farmers bring their produce to a number of markets around the area; at the end of the day, what they don't sell often gets thrown out. This group takes that food and redistributes it to shelters and societies that feed the hungry. We're going to help them, and I also expect you to speak with the farmers and learn more about how the food is grown and how they make a living."

He nodded at Mavis. "We will be going to a market which is partially indoors. If you have a question and I'm outside, please phone me." He looked over the class. "This goes for the rest of you as well; try not to wander too far, please." He checked his watch. "I expect you all to stay and help for the duration of our class. If you wish to stay longer, of course, you may. Questions?"

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Zhari came bounding up to Hannibal, hands full of greenery and grin wide. "I found some herbs that I can use," she said. "They're not perfect, but they're close. And the baby green onions are going to be perfect!"

"Wonderful." Hannibal nodded. "If you find anything that's close but not right, let me know; we can try to find a better." He pulled over a nearby empty crate. "You can put those in here, along with whatever else you find."

"Thank you," Zhari said, beaming. "I started an excellent conversation with one of the women at the booth about salt!"

=Mother's tits, you're as big a nerd as Sholeh!= Zeela sighed.

::I thought their conversation was interesting!:: Sholeh protested.

=And look! My point!=

"She suggests that I invest in a salt block (http://www.kentucky.com/2013/05/29/2657619/hot-or-cold-salt-block-cooking.html) for cooking. Or, rather, I should when I'm older. But when I told her we were here for class, she explained how you could do an entire class just on salt!"

...Of course, she was there, selling her artisinal salts, so it was possible the woman had been talking to Zhari with a slight bias.

"I could do that," he agreed. "Maybe next semester." It was a thought, although he doubted most students would have the palate to learn most different salts in an hour or two.

And Hannibal might have to get that woman's card.

Well, duh, he should! Salt!

"Would you like to see the herbs I've gotten so far?" Zhari asked, holding up the spray of greenery. "I'm going to get more to experiment with, I think."

Fresh fish might be a good thing to have out in the bouncy castles, she was thinking.

"Certainly." He found a fairly clean surface to sit on and held out his hands for the herbs. "There are a number of fish markets in the area as well; you'll have better luck there than a grocery store."

You could probably hear the disapproval in his voice at the thought of prepackaged frozen fish.

Zhari passed him what amounted to a few handfuls of basil, rosemary, thyme, and parsley. The herbs were fresh and unbruised, smelling of the earth and future meals.

"I'll probably get it wherever it's cheapest," she said, reminding him gently that not everyone could eat the finest foods the way he did--especially not when they were planning on serving hungry students, too. "But I'll make sure to get some from the fishmonger proper, when it's time for my exam."

"You should always practice with ingredients as close as possible to those you'll use. Different meats - in this case different fishes - cook at different rates, and react differently with herbs."Hannibal gave her a look of mixed reproof and conspiracy. "If you've no classes or other commitments after this one, I'd be pleased to take you to the fish market."

JUST MAKE HER WHOLE DAY, HANNIBAL, WHY DON'T YOU?

"You would?" Zhari asked, grin bright and sudden. "That would be so--"

::I have library after this,:: Sholeh reminded softly, apologetically. ::I mean, I suppose I can be a little late...::

"...Cool," Zhari finished, shoulders slumping. "It would be so cool, but I forgot. I have plans after class."

Please don't ask her what those plans are. Because that could get tricky.

Hannibal raised an eyebrow at her sudden pause and realization, but nodded. "Will they last long? I could hold my office hours early, and take you after."

He was all about encouraging a love of food!

"All day," she said, looking down and scuffing her toe against the dirt. "Wednesday are generally bad."

Sholeh worked in the library, but Zhari couldn't just out and say that. Because it would get tricky trying to explain why someone else's job made it impossible for Zhahar to accompany Hannibal anywhere. And she couldn't claim that she was working--not if he listened to the radio at all.

"Another day, though?" she asked, hopefully. "I would very much appreciate the trip. I've never been to a proper fishmonger here."

"Certainly." He looked her over, but couldn't spot one and didn't remember seeing her with one. "Do you have a cell phone? I can give you my number."

"Oh, uh, I do!" Zhari said, looking around for where she'd dropped her bag.

That was a terrible habit, Zhahar. Bags got stolen all the time.

"I don't have my cell phone on me," she admitted once she'd snagged it and come back over. "We're not used to carrying one, so we forget it a lot." She opened her bag, shoving what looked like a lot of fabric out of the way, and dug out a pen and a notebook. "If you will write down your number here, I can put it into my phone contacts list later."

Just the way she said that, like someone reminding themselves of the proper steps and terminology, just showed how rarely she even thought about it.

Given the sorts of places some of his students came from, Hannibal wasn't surprised at the lack of familiarity; he was much more interested in the "we" she seemed not to notice she'd used. He wrote down his number (http://never-dull.livejournal.com/974.html), keeping an eye on her.

"You have my e-mail address as well, if you're more comfortable with that. If I don't answer, I may be with a patient," or ~~killing someone~~ ~~indulging in his hobbies~~ indulging in his hobby of killing someone, "but if you leave a message, I'll phone you back as soon as I can."

Edited 2013-08-18 18:40 (UTC)

The a Zhahar Tryad didn't even own a computer, so the phone number would be the way to go.

"Thank you," Zhahar replied, carefully tucking the notebook back into her bag. "I'm looking forward to the trip!"

The Philosophy of Food | Wednesday, 3rd Period

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