We've Got the Meat!

Writers: Heather, Yvonne
Date Posted: 4th July 2024

Characters: Oselle, Saibra
Description: Oselle brings the Lower Caverns' latest food creations to Saibra for her approval.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 1, day 14 of Turn 12

Saibra

Oselle sighed before knocking on the Weyrwoman's door at the appointed
time, a covered tray in hand and strict instructions from the kitchens
to make sure that the Weyrwoman at least _tried_ the gelatinous
creation she carried. Oselle thought it looked unappetizing, but Leron
and the head Cook were adamant: moulded meat dragons were going to be
_the_ thing for the next Hatching.

And just because something wasn't to her taste, Oselle wasn't going to
quash it. Creativity should be rewarded. In theory.

"Come in," Saibra called to her Headwoman. She had been excited when
Oselle had sent word that the kitchens wanted her to perform a little
taste testing.

"Good evening, Weyrwoman." Oselle didn't know the goldrider well
enough yet for first names. "How are you today?"

"I am doing well, I hope you are, Oselle." Saibra's mouth was already
watering. Whatever was under that covered tray smelled _very_
appetizing.

"Thank you, it's been... a day." The Headwoman smiled tightly as she
set down the tray. "The Kitchens are quite excited to share this with
you. They've recently got their hands on a new sausage making device
and it's inspired all sorts of creativity."

The Weyrwoman's eyebrows arched with curiosity. "A new device? What
exactly does it do differently?"

"It provides a much finer, smoother product than we've been able to
make before." Oselle removed the silvery dome that had been covering
the tray to reveal a plate of sausages. Some were more ordinary, with
an appealing char down the middle next to a dollop of grainy mustard
and a smear of red sauce. There was also a small, pinkish flower in
the middle of the plate blooming in the middle of a pile of fresh
greens, and a leaping, pale white fish. Oselle gestured at the
artistry. "Instead of the usual sausage casing, they have been
experimenting with moulds and gelatin to create sculptures."

Saibra brought her face down to within a fingerwidth of the plate of
unusual food. "This," she pointed at the figure of a fish, "is
_meat_?" She had seen desserts in moulded shapes before, but never
_meat_. She sniffed. It didn't smell bad.

The Headwoman nodded but said nothing. The Kitchen's work could speak
for itself.

Twirling her fork through her fingers, Saibra decided to start with
the scariest dish - the moulded fish- first. Bringing a healthy
portion of the white fish to her mouth, she popped it in and chewed
thoughtfully. "Well...." she went back for another bite but dipped it
into the mustard first. "The overall taste is good but I won't lie...
It's extremely difficult to get past the presentation."

Oselle's lips twitched. "Between you and I, I would agree. But they
are very proud of the dish, and since it tastes fine..."

"Let's put it out for the Weyrfolk to enjoy, then. I don't want to
dampen the kitchens' creativity." She considered the issue settled and
slid the plate aside in favor of the sausage-like meat links. "Now,
what do we have here?" She spitted one with a fork and nibbled. "Hmm,"
this, too, she dipped through the mustard and tried again. "Oh," her
eyes lit, "now _this_ is delightful!"

The Headwoman was too experienced to lift an eyebrow, but she did
consider it. The too-soft sausages were not to her taste-- but then,
the Weyr had many palettes. "The Kitchens will be delighted to hear
you approve, Weyrwoman."

"Oh, absolutely," Saibra took another generous bite. "You know," she
pointed to the long, thin red sausage-like meat, "this would be
delicious with bread."

"The Kitchens thought so as well," Oselle said. "Try it with the red
sauce and the mustard. They also recommend a pickle with it, in the
same bite. They want to bake it all together like a meat pie but I'm
not sure that everyone will want it the same."

Doing as suggested, the Weyrwoman made a face. "Not a fan of the
pickle," she shook her head. "It's too sweet for my liking." She
considered the idea of it all being put together like a meat pie. The
pickle would ruin it for her. "I think I prefer it like it is here,
where I can choose my topics, but I mean, I'm certainly no cook, I
burn toast in my weyr all the time. Oh," her eyebrows raised with
excitement. "What if we set up taste-testing stations in the Dining
Cavern? Then people could vote on little slips of paper on their
preferred choices?"

"That's an excellent suggestion. I will pass that along to the
Kitchens. I am sure that they will enjoy thinking up sides to go with
this... sausage."

"It will need a name, I think? It's not... spicy... like a regular
sausage, and it's much softer."

A name? "I'm happy to send suggestions to the Kitchens," Oselle said.

"Let's make that a contest, too!" Saibra said around another bite. "We
can think up some prize for whomever wins."

"Shall I sign you up to adjudicate?" Oselle asked. "Or perhaps we can
do it by ballot. What do you think?"

"By ballot, for sure, then no one can claim favoritism." Saibra
decided. "You'll come up with a suitable prize?"

"Leave it to me," Oselle said - with more confidence than she felt.
What on Pern would inspire people to name a tube of meat something
other than 'sausage'?! Still, it harmed no one and kept the Weyr busy,
so she'd do her duty even though it felt ridiculous. The Kitchens
would be pleased, and when the Kitchens were happy, the Weyr was
happy.

Last updated on the July 7th 2024

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We've Got the Meat!