"James White - SG 09 - Galactic Gourmet" - читать интересную книгу автора (White James)

food selection and delivery is standard. Just key in your physiological classification
and the menu display will list the food available. We have a lot of Tralthans here so
there is a good selection, even though the quality and taste are matters for argument."
Gurronsevas did not reply. He was modifying his earlier opinion regarding this
impolite Orligian. The being had tried to be helpful. It was still trying.
"With newcomers like yourself," it went on, "it sometimes happens that the meals
being consumed by your fellow diners, perhaps even the diners themselves, are
visually distressing to the point where the appetite is affected. If such is the case with
you, just keep one eye on your platter and close the others. Nobody here will be
offended. And if you really are the person who is to be responsible for the quality, or
lack of it, of hospital catering, life would be easier for you if you kept that knowledge
to yourself for as long as possible."
"My deepest thanks for the information and good advice," said Gurronsevas.
"Regrettably, I may not be able to take all of it."
"You are being too polite again," said the Orligian, and returned its attention to
its platter.
As he moved closer to the table, being careful to straddle and not risk deforming
the Melfan chair by allowing his underside to rest on it, the trilling, clicking speech of
Prilicla came again.
"I feel your hunger as well as your curiosity about my method of eating," it said,
"so please assuage one while I satisfy the other..."
Prilicla might not be telepathic, Gurronsevas thought as he keyed in his choice,
but with an empathic faculty of such sensitivity the difference was negligible.
"...I find that eating while in flight aids the digestion," it went on, answering the
first unasked question, "and, should it be too hot for fast consumption, the wing
downdraft helps cool the soup of my Earth-human friends. The stringy material that I
am weaving and eating is, of course, the Earth staple called spaghetti, which is very
popular with the DBDGs on the maintenance staff. It is produced synthetically, as you
know, and has a bland taste that is offset by a sauce which, when present in too large
a quantity, sometimes splashes my features or those persons seated too close to me. Is
there anything else you would like to know, friend Gurronsevas?"
"Professionally, I find this most interesting," he said, forgetting in his excitement
to use the mouth not engaged in eating. "Do you eat any other varieties of non-
Cinrusskin food? Or do you know of anyone else in the hospital who eats other-
species food? Is there anyone at this table who does?"
Yaroch-Kar put down its eating tools and said, "Diagnosticians do it sometimes,
when they have a particularly strong other-species Educator tape riding them and they
aren't sure who they are. Apart from that a few have done it as a dare, or for a covert
departmental initiation. I mean, imagine an Orligian like me eating, say, a helping of
Melfan greeps and having to chase them around the bowl. I, personally, am very glad
the practice isn't widespread."
Gurronsevas could not believe what he was hearing. "You mean live food is
served here?"
"I exaggerate, but only a little," said Yaroch-Kar. "The greep dish is mobile
rather than alive; otherwise it is the same near-tasteless synthesized stodge we all eat.
The material is treated with nontoxic chemicals which allow each piece of food to be
given a small electrical charge. Half of them are charged positively and the other half
negatively, then the pieces are mixed just inside the serving outlet. For the few
moments before the charges neutralize each other, the effect is visually realistic and
quite disgusting."