Posted May 2, 2021, 8:40 p.m. by Captain Johann Dvorak (CO) (Joe P)
Posted by Lieutenant Siennadye Nox (Counselor) in Holodeck 2- Cooking with the CNS
Posted by Lieutenant Siennadye Nox (Counselor) in Holodeck 2- Cooking with the CNS
Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Vora Zorell (Scientist) in Holodeck 2- Cooking with the CNS
Posted by… suppressed (11) by the Post Ghost! 👻
SNIP
She smiled warmly at Jerrin. “It is a simple green salad. Romaine, green leaf lettuce, and spinach leaves mixed with some cherry tomatoes sliced in half, a little red onion, simple baby bell mushrooms -sliced, and yellow bell peppers. Croutons are off to the side. I made them earlier before Jerrin arrived. I promise nothing about our dinner is very exotic for humans but surely Captain, you should have a more robust sense of adventure.” She winked at Jerrin and took a bit of warm bread and began slathering it in butter.
Nox, CNS
He looked at Siennadye head on for a moment, as if he was about to say something deadly serious. It could have fooled everyone at the table, if they didn’t know better. Everybody but her, that is.
“You know, honestly, it’s because of the uniform,” he said simply a moment later. “I don’t care how good the replicators are, it’s still a pain to get salad dressing stains out. Plus sitting there with a big glob of dried ranch on your shirt always looks bad. Or whatever the equivalent of ranch dressing is on whatever planet it is the food is from.”
– Johann Dvorak, CO
She closed her eyes and and shook her head, smiling with chagrin. Only Johann could reduce everything to a glob of Ranch on the uniform.
Vora laughed. “Someone should invent a better program I should think,” she said as she carefully lifted a pice of the hot lasagna and passed the dish on.
“You know, that’s something I’ve never looked up but am curious about. Whose job is it to make those replicator programs anyway? It has to be a tough job and you can never make everyone happy. All their favourite dishes are never just right and while you can tweak it to you own tastes, someone will always be unhappy. Thankless work, that,” Vora said.
Lt. (j.g) Zorell, Sciences
“I think its a healthy challenge for people. On the one hand, you have to live with disappointment and that is something everyone should learn. On such a small scale as replicated food options, I can say that is probably one of the easiest ways for that simple lesson to fulfill itself. On the other hand, if someone truly wants something done exactly how they would do it, then they should do it themselves or teach someone how rather than impatiently waiting for something that might never come.”
“I would agree, it must be a thankless job. Are they a chef, a programmer, a professional food taster, an engineer? Are they Klingon, Vulcan, Human, Betazoid, Bajoran or something else? What region are they from? Do they take seasons into account for taste of spices?” She shrugs. “Perhaps it is more complex than even being a doctor.”
Nox, CNS
Probably not, Johann thought briefly. He didn’t get to verbalize it before Vora continued.
“It’s certainly an interesting concept. It can be hard though, when there are so many options to choose from but all you want is something nostalgic from your childhood and it’s not available. It was definitely a challenge when I first started at the Academy, though I have the advantage that my sponsor, Deacon, was a starship captain who had been stationed at Tenra, so he could get things like produce analyzed so they could be replicated, so I didn’t have to have an entirely unfamiliar diet.” Vora cast a glance her son’s way and smiled at the expression on his face. She recognized it well from her own pondering.
Lt. (j.g) Zorell, Sciences
As they had been talking, Jerrin’s brow furrowed and he cut absentmindedly at his lasagna. “I wonder if it’s an adaptive matrix that allows you to add or tweak something or if individual files need to be added for every single variety.” He popped the pasta into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.
~Jerrin
If it isn’t it should be, Johann thought. Maybe I should read up on that…
“That is a good question, one in which I am highly unqualified to answer I am afraid. The human body, the human mind? Those I understand. Programming and engineering? Complete mystery to me. I know the basics I need to know in order to be able to be assigned to a ship, but that is about all. I really struggled with it in school too. I had a tutor and everything. My mind just doesn’t function very well that way. It meant I had to work harder to understand what I was looking at and studying. I griped probably more than my fair share, but I got through it in the end with nary a hair missing from my head.”
Nox, CNS
Johann looked briefly at Nox as she said these things with some disbelief. For some reason he couldn’t put a finger on, he struggled to imagine her needing tutoring in anything.
“For me it was the opposite,” Vora commented. “Because I memorize everything without having to really work at it, I have the info in my head, but knowing what to do with it and when it’s useful to could sometimes be a challenge. Just because you know something and can do something, doesn’t mean you should. It doesn’t make me an expert with anything,” she said with a laugh. “Except rocks. Those I got down,” she added with a grin.
Lt. (j.g) Zorell, Sciences
“Yes, you do,” Johann said simply. “Has anything happened with that paper? I mean, I know you’ve been focused on other things…”
He remembered that day on the Holodeck, the one where she had invited all of them to celebrate her achievement. The same one where The Captain’s Better Judgement failed him utterly, and every path forward could only lead to peril.
Peril turned out pretty decently, actually… he thought.
– Johann Dvorak, CO
Vora adopted something of a mischievous smile as she gazed at Johann. Maybe she should pull out the pith hat again sometime. “Well, I do know my paper had been referenced in more recent work and I had set up some alerts if that was the case so I know there is a terraforming team that is actively trying to apply what I learned. It could be a long time before we see if there any results form that but it makes me hopeful,” she said, a flush of pride flooding her body. So many hours of tedious work had gone into her the work that she based her Masters thesis off of and it was wonderful to know that it was not wasted.
Lt. (j.g) Zorell, Sciences
Johann did take note of Vora’s smile, but decided it would be unwise to confirm his suspicion that it probably wasn’t actually about her paper, but the day she told everyone about it. Or, the day after.
Sienna had dedicated herself to eating as conversation flowed. Despite the heartache she felt every moment of every day, there was still good around her and she tried to soak that in even if it meant constantly reminding herself that Johann here was not her husband. She was mentally exhausted by it though and wondered if there would ever be an outlet for her. Looking around the table, she wondered if there would ever be a family for her again.
Feeling the heat sting her eyes, she stood and went to pour herself something from the refrigerator to give herself some time to get herself back under control without the scrutiny on her face. Tonight wasn’t about her anyway, even if she was inclined. Jerrin was her focus. Sienna took in a deep breath and turned with a polite smile and set her glass back on the table before sitting once more. “It is always rewarding to know that your work is being used and helping others. The ultimate in job satisfaction for a scientist I think?”
Nox, CNS
Probably, he thought with a bit of minor envy. He didn’t verbalize the thought, because he wanted to give Vora the opportunity to answer that particular question herself as someone who got to enjoy that out of her career in science. Then again, Vora had been smarter than he was, in that she never made the mistake of volunteering for a ground assignment…
– Johann Dvorak, CO
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