Taste Testing

Posted on Thu Nov 30th, 2023 @ 4:00am by Lieutenant JG Jenny Goldstein & Commander Gabriel Stewart

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: https://www.uss-deliverance.starfleetuk.org/index.php/sim/missions/id/1
Location: Deliverance Science Lab
Timeline: Non-specific

LtJg Jenny Goldstein had just tasted the MielcelOvo nectar, and had responded with ""Oh my God, Gemi, that's beautiful!!" , and Gemi spoke, "Gemi would like to request for LtJg Goldstein to assist Gemi in developing definitions for various tastes."

The young human woman nodded with a wide grin "Well, Gemi, LtJG Goldstein would be very pleased to assist you." she nodded.

But then she frowned.

"I guess you can't really 'define' them as such but... we can identify the chemicals which produce what's perceived as a sour or sweet taste on the human palate. The difficulty is relating that to .Chix'alk taste buds... I assume that you, well sorry if this is me displaying my ignorance here, but I assume you guys have them, at least something analogous to human taste buds?" she asked. Come to think of it: if Gemi didn't have any taste buds, eir tenure as Chief Chef might be lamentably short.

Gemi's initial response was to initiate a familial telepathic conversation, which consisted of Eir eyes rapidly changing colors, while Eir horns remained their non-communicative state of a neutral gray. This went on for a few seconds, interspersed by moments of Eir eyes returning to a neutral gray.

After a few moments, Gemi responded, "The .Chix'alk species does not have any body part that functions in an analogous manner as the humanoid taste buds. We identify the composition of a substance by the magnitudes of the color compositions of the substances."

"Wha... really?!" Jenny tipped her head in amazement. Of course, her level of amazement should have been tempered by the fact that she didn't know just how good at identifying substances the .Chix'alk were! "That's fascinating. But, say... you must have tasted lots of different stuff when you did your chef training... or did you just look at a soufflé and say 'yep, that's the right colour, probably tastes just right!'?" Actually, despite her jokey surface attitude, Jenn was really interested in Gemi's project.

Gemi paused for several seconds, then responded with "Gemi analyses the spectral composition of each ingredient, and compares it with the documented spectral composition. When the combination of all ingredients are identical to the documented recipe, then the prepared food should taste the same as the documented food."

It took a couple of seconds for this to sink in, then Jenny gave the widest of smiles that made her eyes wrinkle up at the sides.

"Gemi... that's amazing! Can you show me your technique?" She looked serious and thoughtful for a second. "I'm wondering if the way you work with spectral analysis might help me with some experiments I'm doing with a bunch of microphages I picked up on my last mission. I can explain more later, but right now I'd love to see how you 'cook by colour', I mean, I can barely follow a simple recipe through to the end without mixing it up a little, what you do sounds astounding!"

Gemi responded, "Gemi will show you Gemi's technique." " Gemi is happy to assist LtJg Goldstein with the experiments with microphages from LtJg Goldstein's last mission." "Gemi anticipates a more in-depth explanation." "Gemi will demonstrate the .Chix'alk method of verifying the correct spectral composition of food to ensure an appropriate response." "The procedure that Gemi performs is nothing extraordinary." "It is the .Chix'alk method."

Gemi paused for a moment, then asked LtJg Goldstein, "What is one of your favorite foods?"

Jenn pretended to think for a second, but knew exactly what to say.

"Chicken Tikka Balti, Piau Rice and Naan Bread!" she declared, almost licking her lips as she said it. Not very Jewish, but hey, whatcha gonna do?

Gemi responded, "Gemi will be very pleased to prepare Chicken Tikka Balti for LtJg Goldstein." E then proceeded to show Ltjg Goldstein how E defined the documented composition of a food item. This was done using the responses from individuals that normally consumed a food item, their tasting a food item, the documenting the responses that indicated an appropriate taste. The spectral analysis of each individual ingredient was documented, then, when that food item needed to be manually produced, as opposed to being replicated, (a term that Gemi had learned, "cooked from scratch"), the overall spectral composition of the food item was compared to the documented food item.

After Gemi had prepared the Balti, E proceeded to request the same meal from a replicator. Taking the two dishes in Eir hands, with Eir back toward LtJg Goldstein, Gemi switched the plates around a few times in order to provide a somewhat random presentation, the placed the two plates on a table for LtJg Goldstein to taste.

"Gemi would like for LtJg Goldstein to inform Gemi which plate contained the replicated curry, and which plate contained the 'made from scratch' plateful."

Perhaps Jenny was just supposed to take a minute little bite from each sample, but she scoffed the lot: both plates, managing to stifle a burp at the end.

"Geez, they were both fantastic!! Oh my God, I'm so full!" she sighed "I thought the first plate was perfect, just spot on not a single flaw. The second one had a few problems, I guess, some of the rice was a little stuck together, one or two of the chicken pieces were a little kinda burnt on the side and the naan was a little klaggy in the middle but, you know what Gemi: I think I preferred that - it reminded me of the ones we used to get from the Star of India takeout back in the Bronx on Earth."

She gave a little chuckle and a shrug "I guess that's the thing with humans and food - it's not just the taste, it's the nostalgia too: remembering times when you ate that meal with other people in other places, dishes your mother made for you when you were a kid."

Gemi sat down next to LtJg Goldstein, paused for a moment, then responded, "Gemi has enjoyed demonstrating this with you, and preparing one of LtJg Goldstein's favorite foods." "Gemi understands that LtJg Goldstein is a higher rank than Gemi, and this may be inappropriate, but Gemi would like to know more about LtJg Goldstein."

Before LtJg Goldstein could respond, Gemi stood up and backed up a few steps, and responded, "Gemi apologizes for this request." E simply stood waiting for Jenny's response, all the while thinking that she was about to be reprimanded.

"Uh? What you talking about? Come and sit here, underling, I'll tell you everything that's interesting about me, it won't take more than a second." she joked, not knowing if Gemi would get the irony of the comment. She patted the seat beside her invitingly.

"OK, what d'ya wanna know?"

Gemi hesitated a few seconds, then sat down by Jenny and replied, "Gemi would like to understand more about humans, nostalgia, taboo, sweet, so many questions." E paused for a moment, then continued, "Gemi does not understand relationships outside of a family unit."

Wow, when it came down to it, it was something of an awesome, almost frightening responsibility to have to explain 'humanity' to a member of an alien race. Jenny decided to gather herself first, then realized that she didn't actually know what that meant. Then just thought Oh well, here goes:

"Humans are a mass of contradictions" she started, a trite phrase, but an apt one for the subject under examination "We want the stability and safety of our family units like yours, but we also want the freedom to make new relationships outside of those units: relationships that sometimes break up those very same families; we want what we don't have and we don't appreciate what we do have; we wish to return to an ideal past that we know never really existed: that's nostalgia. We often fail to plan for the future, even though we don't really like the present." The slightly plump young woman frowned "Gee, Gemi, we're a mess!! How the heck did we actually make it into space?!! I guess that was the wanting. The hunger. If it's out there, we want it, and we'll work hard to get it, whatever it is!"

She looked at the calm face of the Chix'alk posento and found herself adding.

"... and one of our worst habits: we find ourselves falling in love with people who we know we can never be with... some of us. Maybe that's the worst part of the human condition... and the best. I think think someone once called it the 'sweet torture'." For some reason her heart was thumping like mad, she was sweating all over and her pupils were dilated to their max. Anyone who knew her would assume that she was thinking about Drew, but no-one could be further from her mind right now.

Gemi was listening to Jenny as she talked, and the embedded UT was doing it's best to translate the human language to .Chix'alk, when E noticed Jenny's physical condition was changing. E blinked twice, rapidly, then spoke several rapid phrases, which were then translated. "Gemi is concerned with the changes Jenny is experiencing."

"Changes?" Jenny repeated, dumbly. She felt odd, but nice odd. Maybe she should be scientifically analysing what she was feeling, but it was so exciting, so nice, she didn't want to over-think it: that might spoil it.

"The .Chix'alk Inestado experiences something similar when it is time ..." Pausing for a moment, Gemi reached out with Eir left hand and touched Jenny's face.

She heard herself half-gasp, half-groan at the touch. This was mad: she wasn't one of those weirdos who got a kick out of getting it on with alien species; she was just a normal girl who liked men.. human men! But this was so right, so nice, so magical...

"Gemi would like to embrace Jenny." E slowly moved closer to Jenny, keeping Eir hand on Jenny's face.

The human woman was panting now, shoving the thought of how odd this would appear to anyone walking in to the back of her mind, just breathlessly living the moment, only a quiet "Oh God!" escaping her trembling lips as she found herself entwining her arms around Gemi, her fingertips feeling for the first time the touch of a Chix'alk body beneath them, her lips, bereft of example and precedent, finding themselves instinctively pressing against Gemi's neck. Was this affection? Was this sexual? She felt such an unexpected and mixed-up combination of emotions and physical urges right now, it was difficult to separate them in her head - so she forgot her head, and just let her body do the thinking.

Gemi heard Jenny's expression, "Oh God!", which was interpreted as [Light Brown]"Oh"[Dark Green] [Light Brown]"Deity"[Dark Green], which Gemi interpreted as an expression of an increase of intensity of whatever she was experiencing. E responded by pulling Jenny closer to Eir body.

One pang of guilt did hit her: not about Drew, he was forgotten, a relic of the past sexual and emotional outlook she had once been trapped in; no, she was concerned about Gemi. She whispered: "Is this... allowed?" her hands were running over Gemi's face as Gemi's stroked hers. "I don't want to get you into trouble or hurt you or your family." she asked, praying to God that her words wouldn't somehow end this wonderful moment.

Not quite understanding Jenny's interrogative remark, "Is this allowed?", Gemi responded separately to each sentence or phrase, "Gemi has no knowledge of any rules or laws that would not allow this to transpire."

"Good! I mean..." was that good? Hell, this might be easier if they were breaking some terrible taboo, punishable by death.

Feeling Jenny's hesitation that followed, Gemi responded, "Gemi will not incur any repercussions from our actions." "Gemi does not believe that Jenny would harm Gemi."

"I wouldn't" the human confirmed "I... I couldn't!"

"Gemi has not communicated with the family unit. E does not have any reason to communicate with the family unit."

"No, right" E didn't? Was that because what she wanted to do right now was a deadly secret, or because it didn't even matter to the tall alien. Neither was a completely happy prospect.

Pausing for a moment, E responded with one more statement, "Gemi is interested in expanding Eir knowledge and experiences with Lt. Jenny."

"Well, believe me, Lt. Jenny is more than interested in expanding Eir knowledge and experiences with Gemi." the woman echoed, gazing up into those fascinating eyes "But not here... we should go to my quarters, we don't want to be disturbed, anyone coming in here, they... they wouldn't understand" she reasoned, stroking Gemi's beautiful face. Hell, she didn't really understand herself - but her feeling were just that: urgent, undeniable feelings: logic didn't enter into it.

Gemi's response was an unusually prolonged visual response, with Eir Left Eye changing to black, and Eir right eye changing to an intensely dark, deep green, which the UT translated as "Extremely Happy." E then moved toward the door, Eir hand dropping from Lt. Jenny's face and touching her hand. The door opened, and they stepped into the corridor.

 

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