Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Dasca’s Apartment- Dinner with Kenzo

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Dasca’s Apartment- Dinner with Kenzo

Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Dasca’s Apartment- Dinner with Kenzo
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

She lifted her glass. “And I am delighted I have had the opportunity to cook for you. To home cooked meals and pleasant company.”

Eela took a sip of the wine and let him serve the fish and vegetables while she helped herself to some of the salad and passed over the bowl. “You know, this is a tradition for me. Once a week, if at all possible, I cook. Or at least I did. When Cory and I first got married, it was just something we did amongst juggling our busy schedules. And I managed to keep it going for most of my career too. Even during the war. That story about the rations was as close as I could get to it. But Haliian culture all but demands we find ways to build connection. And I never found a better way with someone I didn’t know very well than sharing a meal. That and it carried on a tradition my parents started. This is the first meal I’ve properly cooked in, oh… months, sadly. So I’m very glad for it.” In the dining room, the music was a bit more audible but still not intrusive, comprised of a mix of instrumental and traditional vocal from a multitude of cultures, including her own.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“Food is the great equalizer.” Kenzo said while serving himself some of the salad. “Without it, we are nothing. With it, we are community. And understanding cuisine breeds familiarity that can be used to put new acquaintances at ease. Before any contentious negotiations, I always insisted on a meal between all parties. No business could be conducted. They always started off awkward and quiet; but by the end the majority were very positive experiences.” and he set the salad aside. “And only twice was there bloodshed; so statistically the reasoning remains sound.” and he smiled slightly as he took a drink.

Kenzo

She laughed. “Only twice, huh? I’d take those odds as well.” In a tiny motion that was habitual but no less reverent, Eela touched two fingers to the edge of her plate and then her lips before she picked up her knife and fork.

The fish was as she remembered it, even if had been a a good three years since she had made it. The kappen was an oily fish with a hint of sweetness, and she’d always thought the herbs and kouinay balanced it nicely. And of course the root vegetables were earth and comforting. “I’m curious, if you don’t mind sharing, what sort of traditions from your father do you try to uphold?”

Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Kenzo contemplated his fish as he took a bite and chewed somewhat slowly. There was a hint of reservation as he spoke after swallowing and taking a sip of wine. “My father was a… complicated… man in many ways. But his desire to maintain his people’s traditions was always a source of great pride to him. The Japanese are rich with tradition in a myriad of settings. But at the core of those traditions are echos of long past times. Honor is very important. But unlike other cultures or species, Japanese honor is very precise. The Klingins wield honor as a weapon. For us, it is a precious gift. A gift that can be passed down from generation to generation… as can the stains that accompany it. We also hold family of high importance. In that, he and my mother agreed. I believe that helped them through the turbulent times before he was killed. As far as literal traditions go, however, there are ceremonies and such he taught me. They are, at least to me, quite beautiful. Each gesture, movement of an object, sound, word, and material has meaning. I find solace in them.”

Kenzo

She nodded as she chewed and listened, understanding that Kenzo was a private man and that anything he deemed worth sharing was important. In this she knew to listen carefully. “Solace is a good word. There is something grounding about the repetition of something that so many people have done over so many years. It was something I strived to pass along to my children as well, to ground them in a tangible of part of their heritage.”

“Is there a particular ceremony you look forward to more than others?” she asked before taking a sip of her wine.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“There are a few I find more fulfilling than others. It is regretful that I have not had the occasion to participate in them for… well… some time.” he said and took a bite. He was silent while he chewed and after swallowing he said “What about yourself? What ceremonies do you find most important to pass along?”

Kenzo

That was always an easy one for her. “Well, the joke around our household when my children were growing up was that Haliians went out of their way to find a reason to celebrate and ritualize it all. And they’re not wrong, but of all our holidays and traditional, Batarael is not only my favourite but I’ve always felt it was also our most important holiday. It’s a six-day festival celebrated with friends and family that is centred around renewal and new beginnings. While it doesn’t align with our calendar year, it is our cultural new year. It’s a time to reconcile the past with our present and invite the future in.” She laughed lightly. “It’s not at all subtle, but there are a lot of traditions within it. The Horath is sung on the first evening around a dinner with family and friends, and it’s important, but for me personally it’s the Third Day that holds the most meaning. It’s customary, if possible to take the day off work and each person engages in a private examinations of the past, not to dwell, but to reflect.”

Piercing a vegetable with the tines of her fork, Eela was reflective. “I haven’t really had the opportunity to celebrate Batarael in the last few years, but my daughter called me on my second morning here and said her and her husband were thinking of making the trip out here for it. And that would mean that I will get to spend time with my infant granddaughter too,” Dasca said, beaming. “She mentioned that her brother might come too but I know better than to count on that.” She had this grand idea in her mind about what celebrating Batarael here on Oed might look like but was almost scared to voice it aloud lest she be disappointed.

~Eela