Reconcili-con-carne

Posted on Thu May 20, 2021 @ 9:00pm by Lieutenant Nicole Anderson & Lieutenant AJ Taggart

2,183 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Archangel
Location: Taggart's Quarters
Timeline: Evening before arriving at DQ

After the unfortunate run-in on the holodeck, AJ had elected to call it an early shift and retreated to his quarters for a shower and a nap. Before he collapsed into his bed, he opened his desk terminal and tapped out a quick message to Nicole- 'DINNER- MY QUARTERS- 1900?'. Sending off the message, he walked slowly to his bed and was asleep before his head hit the pillows.

Being awakened by an alarm from his wrist chronometer at 1800, AJ rolled out of bed. "Computer, up lights." he said as he sat on the edge of the mattress. The computer beeped it's acknowledgement and the room brightened to a soft beige. Rising with a slight stretch, he walked into the kitchen and opened his food storage unit, pulling out containers of Zironian Black Beans, fresh onions, celery, carrots, seasonings, and a cut of lean pork that he had managed to 'tactically acquire' from the Chef's stores along with a lemon, some fresh peppers, a cup of dark red wine, and a solitary bottle of dark beer. AJ could tolerate replicated food but he made it a point not to cook it for company, especially company he happened to like.

Removing a small bottle of olive oil from the cabinet above his stove, he poured a small amount into a ceramic pot and watched it expand. As it heated, he pulled palmful of garlic cloves from the cabinet and smashed the papery skin and deftly removed it, tossing it aside. With a few quick strokes of a sharp chef's knife, he sliced the garlic paper thin and tossed it in, repeating the same process with the onions, ,carrots, and a red bell pepper he had sitting on his counter. Picking up his cutting board, he slid the onions and garlic into the hot oil, letting the kitchen fill with the fragrance and sound of sizzling garlic. Slicing the meat into thin medallions, he quickly tossed the pieces into the oil and stirred. As the meat browned, he tossed in some diced tomatoes, juice from a fresh lemon, the wine, and the contents of the bottle of beer, stirring as he went. Tossing in a bit of coriander, salt, chili powder, and dill, he watched the chili turn from an orange to a dark red. Reaching for a small bottle of cumin, AJ squeezed the container slightly harder than intended, causing the orange-yellow seasoning to explode in his face. Taking a wet towel, he dabbed what he could from his face, taking care to avoid his eyes.

Turning on another burner, he took the peppers and ran the skin over the open flame, watching the skin bubble and darken as the flame brought out the flavors. Tossing them into a bag, he set them aside as he stirred in the carrots and beans. Taking the peppers, AJ slid the edge of the blade along the skin, causing the darkened pieces to effortlessly slide off. Slicing them into small rings, he cut the pith out and let the seeds fall into the pot. Seasoning the mixture again, he covered the pot to let the peppers sink in for a few more minutes before turning down the flame to let the dish simmer. Giving himself a sniff, he noticed that he smelled rather pungent from all of the ingredients and decided it was time for another shower- an actual shower. Checking his chronometer- 1830, he decided that he had time and went off into his restroom. Allowing the water to cascade over him, applied the soap and tried to scrub the smell and tinge of cumin from his very pores.

At 1859, Nicole was in front of his doors, scrubbed and dressed in one of her more simpler dresses from home. She had a bottle of brandy in hand and rang the chime without hesitation. She paused, proud of herself, and gave a genuine smile as the doors opened.

When he heard the doorchime, AJ was in the middle of buttoning a dark gray long sleeved shirt over some dark jeans- his version of casual. Slipping into his shoes, he walked over to the door and watched the doors slide open to reveal Nicole, looking as beautiful as ever. Letting a slight smile cross his lips, he motioned for her to come in. "Right on time- come on in and have a seat." he said before walking into the kitchen and sliding the apron back on. Taking a loaf of bread, he turned on the heat of the stove to maximum and sliced the bread into sections. Spreading some butter on each one, he tossed them face down onto the skillet as he ladled the steaming chili into the bowls. Flipping the bread, he heated the crusty side and reached down into the refrigeration unit, pulling out a container of sour cream. Placing the bowls along with the sections of bread onto a tray he walked over to the table and set one in front of Nicole's place and then one on his own. "You're going to like this. It's an old family recipe from Earth." he said, removing his apron and tossing it over the back of his chair.

Nicole smiled and took a sniff. The effect was immediate. Her eyes watered, she coughed, her face flushed to almost normal human shade and she sat back out of reflex. "Smells...[cough]...great," she said, blinking away tears. "Certainly has enough kick to it." She took a spoonful and hefted it, eyeing it warily. "How old of a recipe?" she said, blowing on it to stall a bit.

AJ fought the urge to chuckle at Nicole as she tried to humor him. "It's a few hundred years old- from when my family lived in the Southwestern part of North America." he said, his composure finally breaking as he laughed slightly. "You know, I can't tell whether you think my cooking is that bad or if your 'super senses' just make that taste like the devil kicked you in the mouth." he said, taking a spoonful of his own chili and tasting it thoughtfully. To him, it wasn't bad, although it was slightly heavy on the cumin. "If you'd like, I'd be happy to make you a grilled cheese or a PB and J." he said, trying to make a concession.

Nicole looked at him and defiantly put the spoonful in her mouth, chewed and swallowed. She immediately poured herself a glass of her brandy and slugged it back. "I will have you know," she said, drying her eyes, "I have never said your cooking is bad. Providence knows, I'm not one to talk in that regard."

She inhaled deeply and held her composure, then took another bite, chewed and swallowed. "Truth be told, on Rigel we have some pretty strong dishes, although we tend to prefer savory over spice. This, however, is something else."

AJ took another spoonful of chili and chewed for a moment before he swallowed. Taking a small piece of the toasted bread, he dipped it and then took a bite, savoring the taste. Reaching for the sour cream, he held it out for Nicole. "This might help- try it."

Nicole put a dollop in her bowl and stirred in the creamy topping, then took another bite, relief on her face. "Better, thank you." She chewed thoughtfully. "I'd imagine you don't have much opportunity to cook when you're away on assignment. I've tried getting better with a replicator. Real cooking, I think, may take a while longer. My mother never could understand how, with my training in chemistry and science, how I couldn't cook. Not that she did much."

AJ shook his head. "Not typically, it's usually a matter of finding quarters that have an actual kitchen and access to fresh supplies." He motioned to the bowls. "Most of the items you see here, I had to creatively acquire from our friendly Cheffo. The rest are ingredients I managed to scrounge up from the hydroponics bays." he said. "Honestly, replicated food is all fine and good if you want nutrients but if you want the taste, aim for the real stuff. It just takes a fair bit of practice- good recipes do help though." he said, ripping a piece of bread with his teeth and chewing thoughtfully.

"Agreed," Nicole said. "I got spoiled on Rigel. My apartment has a fully-stocked replicator, but I almost never used it. I'd visit any restaurant in town first, or drop in on one of the clans and join them for dinner as often as I could. Even the hospital used real food more than replicated. We believed it healed the body better, even if it wasn't as 'nutrient dense.'" She chewed thoughtfully as well. "Do you ever wonder if we're drifting too far away from the natural world? I mean, I love my sonic shower and holodecks are a blessing, but even back when I was on the Nazareth, just sitting in Cassandra's garden, or back home on Rigel, seeing the stars through the blanket of an atmosphere was something so much more...well...natural."

AJ thought for a minute over another spoonful of chili. "Yeah, sometimes I do. The Federation seems to not want to acknowledge a lot of the ugly truths or avoid them entirely. Take meat for example- most of it is grown in a lab, even though we solved the problem of planetary climate change over a hundred years ago with cloud seeding and nanite experiments. It just seems like it causes more problems than it solves- imagine how many planets along the outer edge of the Federation we could feed." he said, setting his spoon down in the now empty bowl and pushing it away.

"Or how vulnerable it makes us," Nicole said, thoughtfully. She shook her head. "Sometimes I miss having my vision narrowed down to one mere planet."

AJ smiled ruefully. "Don't we all?" he said. Looking over, he could see that Nicole's bowl was almost empty. "If you've got room for desert, I've got some ice cream in the freezer that might go well with that brandy." he suggested.

Nicole's smile reappeared. "Sounds lovely," she said. "I was talking with Cami about how some Earth foods are such shining beacons of human ingenuity. I'd never experienced ice cream till I went to the Academy. Cream, salt, sugar, a pinch of this and that for flavor, and someone realized if you freeze all that and stir it forever, it becomes a dessert. Things like cheese, beer, those multiple cultures found, even mine. But a complicated creation like ice cream? Magnificent."

AJ chuckled. "You'd be surprised what scientific advancements we come up with as a species when we want to satisfy a sweet tooth," he said, getting up and taking his and Nicole's bowls to the sink. After washing his hands, he opened the freezer to reveal four clear containers of ice cream. Quickly removing each one, he set them on the counter. "We've got a few options- I've got Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Vanilla, and something that's only labeled as 'Death By Chocolate'. Take your pick." he said, flashing a slight smile in Nicole's direction.

"Well, I think I would like to remain alive, and relatively sober, so I will go for vanilla, thank you," Nicole said. She unstoppered her bottle and poured another two glasses. She sat back down and crossed her legs, stretching slightly. "You know, I keep meaning to have you over to our place for dinner, and I keep being busy. Then again, the best we can offer is something replicated."

Bringing the container of vanilla ice cream and the cookie dough for himself with two small spoons. He set one down in front of Nicole and the other in front of his place. "Don't worry about it. We all get busy." he said, popping the top off of the sealed container and taking a small spoonful of the ice cream. "As far as the replicated food goes, I don't mind. Not everyone has the space, inclination, or patience to cook. I just don't tend to serve it too often," he said with a small smile.

Nicole smiled. "I like to fib that I tried cooking when Camille and I went camping back on Rigel," Nicole said. "Truth be told, I managed to reheat things prepared by my best friend without burning them. And even then, I had to follow instructions to the letter." She took a spoonful and ate it thoughtfully. "But I'm flattered to be a test taster." She looked at him a moment and smiled. "Hey, we did it. A whole meal without an awkward pause or me making a snarky remark. This is progress."

AJ smirked slightly. "To be honest, I miss our snark."

"Try not to miss it too much," Nicole said, smirking back. "When it interferes with our jobs, it's a liability, not an asset." She raised her brandy. "That said, here's to communication and understanding. May we continue to gain both."

Their glasses clinked and they finished their meal.

 

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