one 🎨 text + photo;

[truthspeaker]

Type: text + photo
Sender ID: truthspeaker
To: everyone
Subject: Hey quick question
Warnings: just food crimes

[you can't stop her now that she's figured out how to use her shellphone with video and photo capabilities, and that means... she's going to be causing problems on purpose (and not on purpose)]

What in Storms name are THESE on my food??? Are they BUGS? Are they actually putting bugs on my food??

(not actually bugs, just shrimp, she doesn't know that)

I've eaten some questionable food, but never.... BUGS.

[Are shrimps bugs???? discuss.]

Comments

[ricebird]

[Siiigh.]

They're not bugs. They're a good source of protein with a flavor that's a lot like a sweet chicken. I'd say to at least try it first, but I think you ate a few in the bouillabaisse you had when we first met.

[truthspeaker]

You said, and I quote, "they're related to insects."

A relation would make them at least somewhat bug-like, therefore, a bug. They look incredibly like cremlings, and I certainly don't want to be putting those in my mouth.

[In fact, Kotori gets an image of one. She can draw this from memory, at the very least, very quickly.]

[truthspeaker]

--THOUGH SHE REALIZES THE LAST PART OF THAT...]

You're only saying that to get under my skin or get back at me for refusing to eat most of it. And wasn't it that squid thing that made up the dish??

1/2

[ricebird]

Okay, THOSE don't look very friendly. They're not poisonous, are they?

[She means poisonous and/or venomous, but the zoologist mun will forgive her.]

And true, but it's a distant relationship. [One quick Gullgle search later...] Got it! Okay, so shrimp and insects are both arthropods, but they're separate branches of the same tree.

[Here, have an encyclopedia link.]

2/2

[ricebird]

And no, I'm serious. (You helped me a lot, so why would I try to get back at you?) Here, this is a shrimp without the shell.

[Behold, a picture of a nice plate of shrimp scampi. Any of those floating in the bouillabaisse Shallan ordered while Kotori took on the stir-fry?]

[truthspeaker]

[...oh. Oh no.]

Storms, I'm gonna hurl.

[PLEASE WAIT A MOMENT.]

...and yes, cremlings can be. They also eat rotting and dead things, people included. I would... probably rather eat bugs like these... over eating cremlings.

[ricebird]

[Okay, now she feels bad.]

Okay, take a second to breathe and calm down, alright? Let's walk through this.

First, that was months ago. You were able to eat it okay, and you didn't get sick afterwards, did you? That means you aren't allergic, and the cooks prepared it properly. It's their job to make sure their food doesn't make people sick, including avoiding allergies. You even liked it before you learned what it was, right?

[truthspeaker]

I suppose so. I didn't know they looked like THAT. If I can avoid them in the future, perhaps, it won't be so bad. I'll know what they look like now.

[ricebird]

Ah... well... that might be a bit difficult here... Shrimp can be cut really small, and sometimes for seafood stock, the shells will be boiled to add a deeper flavor. It's not impossible, but... just fair warning.