Everyone Must Cook Day [26 Chirreb 4026]

[sythyry]

For the last several days, I have been lazy about making food, spending amber for it rather than cooking more cheaply. The stack of takeout chub-beetle cages and sandwich boxes by the water basin fell over this morning, so Havune declared that, first, we must clean up the kitchen, and, second, today is Everyone Must Cook Day. Havune has affan in matters of food, it seems, and even though none of the rest of us are Cani, we all seem to give it to him.

So here's what we did.

Thery: Thery boiled up a mass of ving-beans and onions and garlics and green herbs in a big leather pot, and zapped it with a -Feed the Toothless Honored Elder- (Mu De Hr 5) to turn it into a puree sort of soup. She plans to eat this four meals a day for the next three days. Rassimel resist boredom the way Zi Ri resist fire; it is a mighty file.

Havune: Havune simmered a guntry's mid-leg with whole hosh and chopped carrots and fourty-three spices. It smells good, even to me. He has a great deal of reading to do by tomorrow, so he didn't want to spent too much time cooking.

Dustweed: Dustweed scooped a bowl of water from the boilypot, and threw a handful of crushed hosh into it, and chopped up a cabbage and a bitter lettuce, and had the dullest plue and terrissy I could imagine. Zie was particularly desparsome today, I suppose. Thery gave zir a cup of pureed bean soup, which was, I guess the nicest thing anyone did for zir since dawn. (I didn't ask more.)

Me: I bought a half-pound of dried salted fish, planning to make stew, but Thery and Havune were ahead of me for that burner. I flew back to the smaller market and bought a big box of chub-beetles, and a small bottle of vinegar, and had time to get home before the others were done. Havune teased me somewhat, but, well, at least I bought the beetles at the market, and got enough for a couple days. After they are done, I will make salted fish stew.

Comments

[verse.livejournal.com]

Sythyry, I was wondering if you could tell me what chub-beetles taste like.. and well, what they look like. I've never been to keen on .. well, insects as a meal. Are insects a normal addition to Zi Ri meals?

[shardangeli.livejournal.com]

I don't know much about the chub-beetles, but that salted fish stew sounds mighty nice...
How about inviting me over for a bowl of it when you make it? ;)

Cheers,
Xyzeqsrhiona
(Sponting makes the tree go round and round and round til you fall down and giggle...)

Chub-beetles

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Chub-beetles have a nice lemony taste to the shell, and butter-smooth salty-sweet flesh, tasting like crabmeat, smooth as raw tuna. They're the size of two large peas, making a convenient mouthful for a Zi Ri. Their shells are bright green and iridescent, and fairly soft as insect shells go, and they have little frilly crimson antennae with a strong lemon flavor. The ones I buy from the deli have been fed on spice-leaves for the last couple days, so they've got a strong flavor of basil or rhastly or sage or whatever. The ones I got from the market have just been fed sweet lettuce, so they don't taste of much of anything extra; I dipped them in some honey+garlic+butter. Yum!

Most Zi Ri -- and everyone else but Herethroy -- like meat: insects, fish, birds, mammals, shellfish, whatever. Orren prefer fish of course. Rassimel and Zi Ri prefer insects. Cani and Gormoror prefer mammals. Sleeth prefer people 8>. Khtsoyis can't tell the difference between one kind and another 8> 8>.

Hope that helps!

Invite...

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Um ... I only got enough for a Zi Ri size appetite... Maybe after I get my next month's allowance?

I'm magically delicious!

[beetiger.livejournal.com]

For those of more terrestrial tastes, here's some information on delicious insects.

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

Dear Sythyry,

Copies of your journal are spreading far and wide, young Zi Ri. For which I'm grateful; you are a charming ambassador and a credit for your family and Vhesrame!

To help you save lozens (good beetles can be expensive!), are eggs (from non-sapients) available? If you mix them with milk (I hope that your world has non-sapient mammals!), onions, a few cut up beetles, and spices (borrowed from Thery and Havune), then bake the mixture until it's solid, you can have quite a few good, inexpensive meals.

Yours,
Chip

Eggs and milk

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

There are a half-dozen kinds of eggs in the market, none of them from sentients. There are two kinds of milk for sale in bottles (both from nonsentients), and presumably three kinds from sentients available for rich folk who want or need to hire a wet-nurse, but that's not me.
This seems like a good recipe to know for when amber gets scarce... many thanks!

-- Sythyry

Re: Chub-beetles

[esory.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, chub-beetles. Maybe I'll take a break from reading and get something to eat.