“Very well. T’Vara, do you trust me? I promise to cook next time. For now, let me get us something from the replicator. You won’t be disappointed.”
Avery stepped to the replicator and tapped in commands, concentrating deeply as he did so.
He returned to the table with two steaming bowls and two plates.
T'Vara watched him return from the replicator and looked at what he set on the table with the focused attention she brought to most new things, assessing before engaging. Two steaming bowls of what appeared to be a dark broth based soup with vegetables and what looked like a grain she did not immediately recognize, and two plates with a generous portion of sliced meat alongside a flatbread, warm enough that steam was still rising from both.
She looked up at him. "This is not Romulan" she said, which was an observation rather than a complaint. She had spent enough of her life eating whatever was available to have no strong opinions about cuisine beyond whether it was edible and sufficient, and this smelled considerably better than either of those minimum requirements.
"Earth" she said after a moment, reading the ingredients more carefully. "Something Earth based." She looked at the meat on the plate and then at the bowl and then at him with the direct quality she brought to most assessments. "I have not had much experience with Earth food. On Verath IV the replicator database was limited to eleven approved Romulan dishes and whatever the garrison soldiers had loaded into the system before they arrived, which was four items and none of them were particularly good."
She picked up the utensil and cut a piece of the meat and took a measured first bite and ran the automatic assessment she ran on most new things. It was well seasoned and the texture was something she had no prior reference for and both of those things were interesting rather than concerning. "This is good" she said, which for T'Vara was an unqualified endorsement. "What is it called?"
“I’ve enjoyed this cuisine for as long as I can remember. Definitely not Romulan, it’s from the Asian continent on Earth, specifically the nation of India,” Avery continued and pointed out each item on the plate. “This is spiced lamb, hopefully tender enough to cut with a spoon, let alone a fork. Then we lentils, saffron rice, and vegetables. Very fragrant, very flavorful. The heat level can be adjusted, but I don’t like it too hot. Takes away from tasting the actual food. Glad you like it.”
T'Vara looked at the plate with the focused attention she brought to new information and then took a second bite of the lamb, this time more deliberate, working through the spice profile. The saffron in the rice was identifiable. The spice combination on the lamb was layered in a way she had not encountered before, each element distinct but contributing to something that did not resolve into any single flavor she could name individually.
"The heat is present but not dominant" she said. "I understand what you mean about it taking away from the food. Heat for its own sake is not interesting. Heat as a component of something more complex is a different thing." She tried the lentils and was quiet for a moment. "These are better than I expected. There is a depth to them that suggests a long preparation time even in a replicator." She looked at him. "You gave the replicator detailed instructions."
It was not a question.
Avery nodded. “I was familiar with the ingredients and the interface of the replicator was intuitive.”
She took another piece of the lamb and considered it. "India" she said. "I know very little about Earth's regional distinctions. On Verath IV our access to Federation cultural information was limited to what the garrison soldiers brought with them and what arrived occasionally in the supply runs. Neither source was particularly comprehensive." She looked at the plate again. "What I know of Earth is primarily its institutional output. Starfleet. The Federation Charter. A limited amount of historical data." She picked up her glass of ale and looked at him across the table. "This is more informative than any of that."
“I guess I’m doing my job, then. Although I do not consider this work,” Morgan joked.
She took another sip of ale before holding up the glass to look at it for a moment. "We certainly are from two different worlds, aren't we?" It certainly was an observation, tied within a question.
“Not so different, T’Vara. We both agreed to have dinner together. At the same time, what are the chances a guy from San Francisco would meet a Romulan woman like yourself? I find strength in our differences. We can learn from each other.”
She considered his response for a moment and then provided her own "I'm sure the odds are quite low, the Federation typically steers clear of Romulans and we don't typically travel out much farther beyond our quadrant in large groups. You could say each side has their reasons for limited interactions. We are two crewmembers new to one another, I suppose there are things we could learn albeit we have much different fields of study and likely different hobbies, as you have mentioned the dogs and cars so far. I can think of many differences that exist. This lamb is quite good however. I never understood the Vulcan desire to be vegetarian. A waste."
T'Vara took another sip of ale and gave another thought "It is nice to be sharing in off duty time with one of the other crewmembers, I have not had dinner with anyone ese yet, but it is good to learn about those one works with in such settings. I do appreciate the ale as well. It has been some time since I was able to have any."
“I am happy to accommodate you. I’m also just very happy and appreciative to spend time with you, to be honest. As far as the food goes, there’s more for you to try. Human cultures are vast and diverse. That applies to their cuisine as well. It would be my pleasure to be your guide. It wouldn’t be the same as visiting the nations of origin, but our replicator comes pretty. I’d like to spend more time with you, T’Vara. If you couldn’t tell, I was attracted to you the first time I saw you.”