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 Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 9:28 am
 "Did the shopkeep not say what it is? It is called soup," he exasperatedly explained, regrettably putting down his own spoon for the moment so he could focus his attention on the Andalite and somehow sort out this mess. "Table manners are how you are supposed to behave when partaking a meal, Andalite..." And of course her people had no concept of such things. Of course. Because they literally ate just by walking around. "For starters," he pointed at one of the broth splatters nearby, "you are supposed to avoid making a mess."Glaucon picked the spoon back up, ready to use it in a short explanation on silverware, but -- oh, no. Now Exalla's hands were reaching for something not on the menu. This was humilating. She had been introduced as his guest. This was really humiliating. "Exalla! Please. Practice. Some temperance. While you eat." An apologetic look was offered to the shopkeep as he took in a breath, and attempted to motion the Andalite to take her hands off those poor defenseless plants. "If you enjoy the food, compliment the one who prepared it for you. If you want something else, ask permission before taking it -- in the marketplace, you may have to give something in exchange. And... shopkeep, sir, if you could possibly provide a fork... and some napkins..."Maybe that would encourage her to stop eating with her fingers.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 6:31 pm
David port used with permission "Shoup." She echoed with a mouthful and coughed, trying to speak and inhale at the same time. Exalla let go of the plant to place a hand at her throat and try to sort herself out so she avoided choking entirely.
His description sounded like a Ritual to her, which was more familiar to the Andalite who had several small rituals she performed daily. "Is this an... Eating Ritual? Do your people have Rituals too?" Her interest had been piqued well enough she'd paused in her taste-exploration to look at Glaucon with interest. "How does it work?" She asked, as if she wondered if her observations were somehow incorrect.
The shopkeep rescued his plant when Exalla released it and, looking skeptical, provided the pair with a fork and napkins. "You sure your.... friend can handle this?" He gingerly set the fork down and frowned, "Don't stab yourself now..."
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 7:12 pm
Well, at least Exalla had slowed down a bit. It looked like she was mostly back to being herself again as well, which meant Glaucon could do a bit more to explain... after enjoying a mouthful or two of his own soup. "Some cultures do have rituals that involve food... but going into that this early on would be a bit distracting," he began. He blew on another spoonful, and slowly chewed through it, hoping to demonstrate proper etiquette alongside filling his belly. "For the most part, I would not call it an Eating Ritual. It is more of... a code of conduct, for how you eat. I am sure your people have customs about what is or is not polite when going about your daily lives. For humans and other races who feed like this, there are rules for how to eat politely."This was starting to look like it would take a bit more time, and more than just one meal, to explain properly. Honestly, he was just as worried about the fork as the shopkeep was. "We can go over more details throughout the course of your visit. Just focus on eating a little more carefully for now, please?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 7:27 pm
David port used with permission "This culture does not?" She queried, tilting her head as she dipped a hand into her bowl once more, watching him with the spoon for a moment and copied the open-close-suck motions of his mouth. She did that a few times then found her discarded spoon. "What is this fork for? It is exceptionally inefficient at holding liquid." She dismissed it entirely based on its lack of merit and attempted to consume the soup with the spoon.
Which she found entirely too slow... more carefully meant less 'mess'? She could do that. And in so doing, she made a game of eating with her fingers (having discarded it once more) without splashing anything out of the bowl. Failing a few times, she nonetheless minimized the mess, and when she finished the bowl she looked at Glaucon expectantly. "What is the rest of the ritual?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 7:52 pm
"None I readily know of. The people here have backgrounds consisting of many cultures, though, so it may be possible to find something." If not, then there was bound to be a book on it. And possibly books on food etiquette in general. That might end up being overall a better approach... The dismissal of the fork make him frown a bit, but he went on to explain it nonetheless. "The fork is a poor choice for liquids, yes, but it would work better to for the noodles and pieces of fish. It is made to pierce and thread through things."Things were improving a little bit, thankfully. It was still far from ideal, but Glaucon felt it was good enough that he could pay more attention to his own food again. For several minutes they both ate in silence, both with their own brands of clumsiness -- the god's hand trembled around the spoon one or two times, but he managed to avoid dropping it -- and he was glad to have his bowl empty when Exalla provided her next question. It was an easy one. "This is where you pay for your meal, and offer thanks to whoever provided it. For today, though, you do not need to worry about the paying part."He grabbed his cane and picked himself up out of the chair, intending to lead by example. Pushing the bowl forward to signify he was finished, he gave the shopkeep a small bow. "Complications aside... I have decided upon a verdict, mortal," he began, a bit of a smirk showing on his face. "You know your craft well. It is indeed food worthy of the gods. You have my thanks for serving us such an exceptional meal, and I wish you the prosperity you deserve."
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 8:04 pm
David port used with permission "Fingers work better. the noodles do not slip out." She answered, mostly ignoring his correction as her attention was focused solely on the meal before her.
"How would one pay? With what?" She turned her attention from Glaucon to the shopkeep then and he smiled.
"With coin, usually, but the market's full of so many odds and ends, I'm just as open to bartering as well. You know what bartering is?" His brow arched.
"Oh yes. It is a match of minds to manipulate the other into giving up more then they are willing to do through logic, harassment, and other psychological tricks. I have heard it is employed at a variety of spaceports my cousin has described. Barbaric and a poor game for individuals like myself." Her answer was earnest even if it was more then a little insulting.
"Uh huh." The Shopkeep looked to Glaucon as the god paid his respects and bowed in kind. "A pleasure, Lord. Remember this place, you're welcome any time... just be careful about company, hey?" He made a gestured at Exalla.
But she'd disappeared from sight and he blinked. In actuality, she'd seen Glaucon bow and did the same - though, out of reflex, she bowed as an andalite would and was on her knees, one hand over her chest, "Your liquid and noodle sustenance was more incredible, alien. It is the first meal I have ever eaten and I hope that all things I consume and process in this form are of equal if not greater value to my experience. May you run long and well."
Clambering back up to her feet, she regarded Glaucon evenly for a moment as if challenging him to decry her thanks, and then turned as the smell of something else caught her attention and set her mouth to watering. There must be other edible things... if they smelled good, did that mean it was edible?
The Shopkeep merely leaned over the counter as Exalla made her thanks and shook his head as she left, "You might just want to put a leash.... and a muzzle, on that one, Lord."
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 8:23 pm
Exalla's expression of gratitude was not what he had in mind, but it served its purpose. It was quite telling, actually, of how valuable the Andalite had found the experience, and even after her outburst of excitement Glaucon was pleasantly surprised. After all that arrogance and skepticism, she had found something of the Pantheon and the marketplace to appreciate. The seriousness with which she took the gesture was... actually sort of charming. Not that he would ever admit that. "I will be sure to visit again... and... I may keep that suggestion in mind..." he said as a farewell to the shopkeep, his eyes following with a bit of cautious dread what his companion might decide to get herself into next. With renewed energy he followed after her, relegating himself to the role of Andalite-sitter for the next hour. The next stall she approached with a little more self-control, but there was still much work to be done on curbing her enthusiasm... as well as the dire need to teach her what was and was not edible. He was very grateful, however, that the incense sticks she had decided to shove into her mouth weren't lit.
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