fandomhigh | International Cuisine

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cuisine

International Cuisine | Friday, 3rd period

Class had been alerted that they would be meeting at Portalocity unless otherwise specified, and that their destination this week would be somewhat cooler than Baltimore currently.

When they all showed up, Hannibal nodded to them. "Welcome. The idea of this class is that each week we will experience a different cuisine of the world. Those of you who are not from Earth may not be aware, but this world is home to thousands of different cultures and cuisines. Even those of you that are from Earth may not be familiar with many of the sorts of foods available to you."

He waved them through the portal that appeared, where they ended up on a street in front of a building with a tree growing through it.

"Welcome to São Paulo, Brazil. Brazil is the largest country on the continent of South America; São Paulo is its most populous city. There are influences of both the indigenous peoples and the Portuguese empire in its culture and food. This restaurant is Figueira Rubaiyat, so named because of the tree it is built around. Some of the food is raised and grown locally. They employ a number of meats, from beef to octopus; they also take particular pride in their desserts. The local language is Brazilian Portuguese, but they should also speak English here, or Spanish if you prefer."

He led them in and they were shown to their table. "Please enjoy, and let me know if you have any questions."

[OOC: Anybody that wants to drop by Portalocity and catch them will be welcomed on the field trip, this week or any week! Auditors encouraged. :) ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

With a tree?

Peridot

Summer Smith

Kaylin Neya

Wonder what you're in for.

Peridot... had no idea what she was doing in this class, really. It was on her schedule. She was definitely meant to be here, at least on paper. But...

She eyed the tree.

Okay, at least that part was nice.

Once everybody was seated, Hannibal spoke up again. "The first week is traditionally for introductions. Let's go around the table, and everybody please say your name, where you're from, and any dietary restrictions or allergies you may have. I am Doctor Hannibal Lecter, I'm originally from Lithuania and have lived in the United States for many years - both of which are countries on Earth - and I have no dietary restrictions or allergies that I'm aware of."

He looked toward the student on his right.

"I'm Peridot, from Homeworld," Peridot said, because... look, that was what it was called. Humans named their planet after dirt. It happened. "And I'm physically incapable of eating."

So.

Whee.

Hannibal frowned slightly. "Did you decide to take this course to help determine what human eating involves, or were you put into it without your knowledge?"

Or he supposed she could be masochistic, really.

There was nothing masochistic about sitting around watching people do something she found to be disgusting. Mostly it just gave her a reaffirmed sense of superiority.

"It was on the paperwork," Peridot muttered, wrinkling her nose. "But I suppose anything that might help me better understand human customs would be useful."

Since food in general was still something of a mystery to her.

Hannibal nodded. "Well, I'll try to make it a bit more interesting for you than simply watching us eat. What do you know of it so far?"

"Well..." Peridot tilted her head in thought for a second. "I understand the biology involved in eating and digesting food."

...

"And that's about it."

Did he want her to explain it? She could do that! Right here! While people ate!

That was fine; Hannibal understood that part himself.

He nodded. "Let's start with this - humans eat for sustenance, yes, but there is more to it than that. If we only needed to fuel our bodies, we could find the best food for that, and everybody eat the same thing; that would be best. But we also eat for taste, for enjoyment, and for the experience."

"I... kind of knew... some of that," Peridot hedged. She remembered her early days on Earth, demanding why people were so obsessed with the way things tasted and driving people up a wall in doing so. "Experience?"

"Eating itself can be pleasurable," Hannibal explained. "The texture of it, the smell and the taste. Also, many traditions have grown up around food - mealtimes may involve meeting with others, conversing, or even rituals. And memories involving it may lead to feelings of nostalgia or comfort."

Really, Peridot, you should have taken his last class.

Sign in!

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Eat the food!

Talk to Hannibal!

OOC!