Fandom High School

Class today had been informed to meet not at Portalocity, but at Hannibal's house. He greeted them all in the foyer before leading them into the dining room, which was more than large enough for them all and decorated in dark blue and red with plants - herbs - in a tower by the doorway.

"I thought today we would stay close to home and eat a meal I can truly vouch for," he said, smiling. Once they sat, he would bring out water, homemade soda, or wine, and then the menu:


Gougeres
Strawberry bruschetta
Lamb chops with balsamic reduction
Gnocchi with sage butter sauce
Cauliflower pomegranate apple salad
Roasted summer vegetables

And then to follow, excellent coffee or tea and:
Elderflower, champagne, and berry jellies (Sorry, Summer)
Chocolate liqueur souffles

If you left hungry, it wasn't his fault. He might even send you home with food.

Before the students headed to Portalocity today, they would all handwavily get email or voicemail messages:

My apologies, but I have run into difficulties; today's class will be cancelled.




[Sorry, folks; day got away from me.

"Welcome back," Hannibal greeted them. "I hope you've been enjoying our culinary tour. Today we will take ourselves to South America. As Fandom is in North America, that is the continent directly south of us.

"Brazil, as the US, is a country of immigrants mixed with the native residents. Brazilian immigrants are predominantly from Portugal, Spain, and Italy in southwest Europe. The cuisine of each area depends on its history and geography as well as which immigrants and local residents are most prominent; we will be experiencing southern Brazilian food."

He waved them through the portal and onto a street in a large city. The restaurant had a concrete front with large windows and was nicely appointed.

"Fogo de Chão is one of the restaurants that grew out of churrasco, the local equivalent of barbeque. They feature a lavish bar of side foods, which includes a number of dishes for those of you who may not be interested in meat. There are also some lovely desserts."

He spoke to the host, who led them to a table. "However, the main attraction is the meat, or rather meats, which they will bring to you at the table." He nodded toward one of the gaucho-dressed staff walking from table to table with a large skewer of meat. "There are a number of different meats with different spices, and I encourage you to try as many as you like. The local language is predominantly Portuguese, but many here will also speak Spanish and some will know English."

Class had been handwavily instructed to meet at Portalocity, and Hannibal waited until everyone was there before he nodded, smiled, and began.

"Welcome, everybody. We will be meeting here for each class unless I inform you otherwise, and then we will be heading out to eat somewhere, a different place every week, so that you will hopefully get a good idea of the breadth of culinary styles Earth has to offer."

He waved them through the portal and waited until they were all there before resuming. "Today we will be eating in New York. It's a large city in the country Fandom is attached to, and has a long history of immigration, and thus a large variety of cuisines. We will be eating at Upland, which features enough of a selection that everybody should be able to find something to eat. The local language is English, or whatever it is you call the language we're currently speaking, so if you have any questions, you can ask the staff directly."

He led the way in and they were shown to a table. "While we wait for our food, please introduce yourselves. In addition to your name, I would like to know if there are any foods you would like to try, and I will also need to know if you have any allergies, food aversions, or religious or philosophical restrictions on your diet."

He smiled. "I am Doctor Hannibal Lecter, I am from a version of modern Earth, and there is very little I won't eat, though I do prefer my food without too many processed chemicals in it." He nodded at the person next to him.

"Good afternoon again." Hannibal smiled. "Today we will be visiting a restaurant I'm particularly fond of. You may have noticed I enjoy locally sourced food and a calming atmosphere." He waved them through the portal.

A wide-smiling being with too many eyes greeted them. "Welcome to Milliway's! The restaurant at the end of the universe!"

Hannibal blinked. "This is not it." He turned, but the portal was already closing behind the last of them. He sighed. "Well, at least the floor show is interesting. And perhaps we'll enjoy the dish of the day."

"Wonderful!" The maitre-d clasped their hands together. "Your table is right through here, gentlebeings! I'll send the dish over to you as soon as they've prepared themselves."

"Good afternoon." Hannibal today was dressed for a sunny climate, complete with a very fashionable hat. "Today we will be heading south of our previous location, to Morocco. Moroccan food is mainly north African and Mediterranean, with some European and southern African influences.

"Our destination today is Darori Resto, in the city of Fez. They have several set menus which will allow you to experience a selection of the local foods, including a vegetarian option if you're tired of meat." Hannibal was never tired of meat.

"You'll also get to experience some of Morocco's lovely architecture and decoration."

He led them through the portal and into a narrow but sunny alleyway, then headed for the restaurant. "The local language is Arabic, but fortunately they are used to tourists. You will probably be better off with French than English, if you speak it." If not, there was always "point and smile".

"Welcome back," Hannibal greeted them. "I'm pleased to see you all again. Today we will be journeying to South America - we are currently in North America, so as you can imagine, this involves going south significantly.

"Brazil, as the US, is a country of immigrants mixed with the native residents. Predominantly those immigrants were from Portugal, Spain, and Italy in southwest Europe. There are different cuisines in different areas, depending upon its history and geography; we will be experiencing ( southern Brazilian food. )

Hannibal greeted the students at Portalocity with a slightly pained look. If you thought the buildings looked odd, you should have seen his fish this morning. At least the cats were more or less safely in New York.

"Good afternoon. We'll be taking a portal through a bit of time as well as space today, as the place we're going is both in a different time zone and better experienced last week." He waved them through the portal to a small dock on a tropical island. "Today we are visiting the village of Alofi South on the island of Niue in the Pacific ocean. Villages there have traditional showdays yearly, and today is theirs. Rather than eating and then shopping, you will be wandering the show as you like, and eating as you go. Many of the villagers will be selling their food and wares. The local cuisine involves quite a bit of fish and seafood, as well as a number of vegetables such as taro, yam, coconut, and breadfruit. You will find that presentation is also important." Hannibal approved.

"So, wander the show, meet the locals - English is one of the official languages here, so you should have no difficulty, sample the foods, and do your shopping."

"Today we'll be going to Lithuania," Hannibal said, smiling at them. "For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's a country in the north of Europe, formerly occupied by the Soviet Union, but its own country once again for many years now. Its cuisine has been influenced by other Baltic and nearby countries, but is uniquely its own."

He waved them through the portal and onto a mostly residential street, in front of an adorable house with a tiny fence and well-manicured lawn. "Welcome to Vilnius, the capital city. We'll be dining at Senoji Trobelė, a restaurant known for its local food, mead, and craft beers. The local drinking age, incidentally, is eighteen, so if you are - or can convince the staff you are - old enough, feel free. The local language is Lithuanian, which I speak fluently, but most of the staff should also know English."

He led them in and spoke with the hostess, and they were led to a table. "Please, enjoy your meal."

Class had handwavily been asked to dress slightly more nicely today, and Hannibal looked them over, nodded, and smiled.

"Today we are heading to Papua New Guinea," he announced. If anybody thought he was choosing these places by playing darts with a map...they were probably right. "It is an island country north of Australia, for those of you that know where that is. It is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, in no small part due to its position as a crossroads and years of colonial rule. It is also extremely rural, with most people not living in cities. Its cuisine is similarly diverse, with many strong influences from other cultures."

He led them through the portal and out onto a street in front of a large, luxurious hotel. It was early evening. "Today we are here less for the local cuisine, and more for the local foods. Both the produce and the seafood are incredibly fresh, and while I hesitate to ever endorse a buffet dinner, I understand this one is exemplary. We will be eating at the Grand Brasserie of the Grand Papua hotel. English is spoken by most here, but if you have any questions, please let me know."

"Welcome, everybody," Hannibal said, nodding at them as they gathered at Portalocity. He was wearing a burgundy suit today with a fairly sedate dark paisley pocket square, all of which offset nicely what was wrapped around his neck.

Which was not a tie, but a bright, flame-colored snake. Hannibal saw some of the glances that was getting, and gestured at it. "This is my husband Jono, courtesy of the island. Please try not to annoy him, as he is highly venomous."

The snake stuck its tongue out at them.

"Today, we are going to Romania. This is a country in the eastern portion of the continent of Europe. Because of its location as a bit of a crossroads, its cuisine has been heavily influenced by many of its neighbors, though it does maintain a character of its own.

"We will be going to Bucharest, the capital city, to a restaurant called Caru' cu Bere." They stepped through the portal onto a cobblestone street lined with old buildings (please ignore the chain coffee shop down the road). "It is a brewery and bar as well as a restaurant, and they may also have music playing. I recommend trying both the stew and the cabbage rolls, as they are traditional. I will, as usual, be purchasing several items for the table."

He led them into the restaurant and to their seats.