Posted by Commander Shedda Mal’athar (Executive Officer) in side sim - Dinner with the Songz’s

Posted by Civilian Sair Songz (Counselor) in side sim - Dinner with the Songz’s

Posted by Commander Shedda Mal’athar (Executive Officer) in side sim - Dinner with the Songz’s
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“It’ll be an experience,” Sair said with a smile. Moving dishes to the replicator. She didn’t have actual cooking appliances but with the replicator’s help she could get help with some of the steps and still make the drink herself.

She passed a bowl with a fine mesh metal strainer resting on top to Shedda and a fine mesh cloth. “So if you can line the strainer with the cloth, I’ll get started on the nut,” Sair said moving to grab a container of roasted nuts that she had chopped and sprinkled on the yualra earlier. She also grabbed a a deep stone vessel and a short blunt club-shaped object that nestled easily into her palm.

Shedda took both and unfolding the cloth she placed it over the strainer so that it was covered, and just a bit was folded under so when the strainer was set on top of the bowel the cloth was secure and wouldn’t slip when…whatever it was for, was poured into the strainer.

“You know this drink has not changed much in over six hundred years. Originally it comes from Mornee near the polar region as was traditionally made to keep people warm on colder nights. But the nuts came from an arid region in Kaidlo. There is so much about our society that shifted after the war with the Amrayans and Kobliad is define set in its ways but one of the things I always thought was beautiful was the adherence to traditions. Ekal is made the same way as it was back then, if we exclude my use of the replicator to help with steps,” Sair explained with a grin.

~Sair Songz, CNS

“Well the only way to probably make it that way is to borrow the kitchen in the officer’s mess and a tyrant lives there and doesn’t know how to share,” Shedda grinned. She thought about the book and the oven in the kitchen. “In all honesty though, Chef Harv would probably enjoy learning about your traditional meals. My understanding is that he is quite skilled at preparing traditional dishes from many species. I don’t know if he would give over his kitchen, but…” she shrugged. It was always worth asking, and according to the tyrant himself he enjoyed cooking for others and it was all he had left. Sair was feeling out of place as well. “I do know that most of the food is replicated and then prepared. I’ve seen the inventory requests. We don’t have that much fresh food on board.”

Shedda

“It has to be hard to maintain any sort of supply, even if we’re in and out of Event Horizon. They can only manage so much supply in addition to taking care of the residential population there, plus whatever other ships come in,” Sair said as she poured a bunch of the nuts into the vessel. “As for Harv… we’ll see. I’m hardly the model of culinary prowess and this is one of the few things I can actually make,” she said with a chuckle.

“But anything you can share helps spread your culture. Even if it is only one dish.” Shedda nodded, “Supply is an issue, even with Event Horizon right at the wormhole. That’s why Mrs McKenzie’s work for Ambassador S’tek is so important. It opens up new avenues of trade for us. Allows us access to resources. It’s also why I love Faye’s garden. It allows us to grow some things for ourselves.”

“I don’t know how to grow things, but I love being in there, seeing people working their plots,” Sair said with a smile.

Songz grabbed dried dark purple pod and carefully opened it, shaking some tiny black seeds into the nuts. Then Sair simply went about smashing the lot with the stone pestle, working to grind them down. “This is a good recipe for days when you’re stressed though. Good for working out your aggression,” the Kobliad said with a grin and offered Shedda the pestle.

A shriek was followed by the stomping of little feet as a bathed and dressed for bed little boy reappeared with Kel right behind him. Koro immediately went back to his blocks.

~The Songz Family

Shedda took the pestle and began to grind and work the seeds. She was very careful at first, not wanting to accidently crack the pestle or the bowl, then as she got a feel for how much pressure was needed the seeds began to crack and grind up. “My dad said that’s why Ch’otok baked bread. Kneading the dough helped control his aggression.” Shedda grinned as Koro came tearing out of the other room and started building again. Koro was a couple of years older than Maava, but she wondered if they would be friends. The only two children on board of such unique cultures. She hoped so.

Shedda

Sair leaned over to peek in the vessel. “The nuts need to be a bit finer, but not so far ground that they turn to paste and then we’ll ready,” she said.

“How long till ekal?” Kel asked with a gleam.

“Maybe fifteen minutes?” Sair said as she moved over to the replicator to get the boiled water they’d need.

“Do you have any hot drinks from where you were raised that are nostalgic?” Kel asked Shedda.

~The Songz Family