Here's a random Wednesday morning question: I can understand the ENT protein resequencers not being up to snuff, but if the TNG-era replicators are so good, why to people always complain about it tasting fake?

Maybe they're not as good as we think. I also liked the idea someone put forward a while back that it's some sort of snobbery. You'll notice that most of the characters that complain about it are big advocates of having to work to make your food. So non-replicated just tastes better because of psychology.

My favorite example is the Romulan senator from "In the Pale Moonlight". He compliments Sisko on the quality of his fake Romulan drink (not Romulan Ale, but something else). But he makes it clear that he knows it's not real. I think he's just saying it to get under Sisko's skin. It's also symbolic of the fact that he's not going to accept any lies, no matter how convincing they are.

I bet in a blind taste test, very few of the characters who claim to know the difference could actually tell.

I like the snobbery theory Cleo. I think it might also be cultural. Some people just prefer cooking, like the Siskos. But here's a corollary question: are the cooking ingredients fresh or replicated? I get the feeling that The Emissary uses fresh ingredients but that Keiko uses replicated ingredients.

Keiko doesn't cook, I don't think. in one of the early DS9 episodes she seemed surprised that Miles's mother did. ("she touched real meat?!")

this leads into one of my pet peeves: if you can whip anything up using the replicator, why do the O'Briens have so many disagreements about what to eat? can't they just each get what they want instead of both having to eat the same thing?

This I don't get. If eating meat is extremely taboo, shouldn't eating fake meat be the same, or at least similar?

I always thougt Hasperat was horseradishy, something spicy and strong that would clean out your nasal passages.

Probably, but the Earth ingredients they used on the set weren't. On TV, of course, the colors make more of an impression than the taste.

I just assumed it was the killing of an animal for food that was taboo. Since replicating meat doesn't involve killing an animal, it's perfectly acceptable.

I seem to remember Sisko making some comment about growing his vegetables in a hydroponics bay (maybe an early episode where he talked about converting some space into a hydroponics bay?). In one of the last episodes, he's upset because Kasidy tried her hand at cooking, and it was a disaster, and ruined some of his peppers. I assume he wouldn't have been upset about the peppers if he'd just replicated them.

I bet he replicated any ingredients he couldn't obtain otherwise, though. Sisko seemed to enjoy the process of cooking. He wasn't making any anti-replicator statement like some of the other folks we've seen.

Eddington actually fusses at Sisko about growing his own vegetables in that one episode where he has a lucky loony.

And is it Jadzia that gets busted with the coffee plant?

The Enterprise had a huge botanic department judging by the scenes with Keiko at work. Did they have any food growing? I can't remember anyone cooking on TNG. You'd think they'd at least need citrus. I guess they've got all the pirate-y diseases like scurvy licked in the future.

That was Ivanova on Babylon 5.

Bwah! You're totally right! I knew I'd eventually get my two favorite space station shows mixed up....

Yep, and Sheridan in year 2 had a fixation with everything relating to oranges.

Recently I checked the Star Trek Cookbook out from my library. It's been a blast to read the set dressing secrets. And Neelix is pretty funny most of the time. (Although the Borg puns grow wearisome.) So I picked out a recipe to try. I went with one of the three Ratamba Stew offerings from the Sisko section. Anyone remember which episode it was mentioned in? Anyway, basically it was chili AND spaghetti sauce. Slightly odd but quite tasty. I decided that in the Bajoran/English dictionary Ratamba=Spaghili.

I'm definitely renewing this book so I can try more recipes. Any recommendations?

Just a quick ramble on "Enterprise" vs. "Voyager"...

On "Voyager", they seemed to run out of food (or very nearly) all the time, which is why they rationed replicator use and had Neelix do most of the cooking for them. On "Enterprise", however, the crew never seems to lack for any sort of food/drink (especially coffee), even after months and months in the Delphic Expanse. Can anyone explain this, or is it just the so-called "creative team" behind "Enterprise" taking a shortcut again?

Enterprise has less crew- and Voyager took on more than it expected. Also, Enterprise set out with food, while Voyager expected to survive on the replicator.

Bumping this for any possible discussion of her awesome articles keckler linked to here.

Its gotta be snobbery, or at least a little bit of the "I saw it come out of the replicator so I know its not real. Wouldn't it be nice if it were real?" thing. Perhaps its because they live in such a highly technological world that even something wholy natural like food preperation has been turned into a 'miracle' of technology.

I would love to know exactly what kava is, it is like a nutmeg or one of those strange things that Starbuck's puts on your coffee?

And I rather like properly ground coffee and old fashioned strained tea. I experimented a bit and discovered that six times the normal heaped spoonful of good quality coffee black and unsweeted and then stuck in the fridge overnight was the perfect cure for my bad sleeping habits and waking up knackered in the morning. Packs a punch, I'll tell you. I always wondered what Raktajino tasted like (I figure its somewhat like the above mentioned coffee blend.) I don't care too much for Earl Grey so why anybody would pick that as their signature drink, I don't know. I could totally go along with Janeway's fondness for coffee ice cream though.

The really weird thing is speculating whether the Bajorans genetically had asbestos mouths or something because why would anybody want extra hot Klingon coffee? That would have to be some strong coffee anyway, you know, strong enough without it being fire alert hot and she likes it like that? Huh? Its like "is it not powerful enough for you already Colonel that you want to blow your own head off?" And Odo gives it to her, he who is supposed to worship the ground she walks on goes along with such blatant mashocism? Or is that the fiery drink = fiery woman/sedate drink = sedate Picard equation?

And lets not even get on to gagh....

I've always wondered what the Ferengi drink "Black Hole" tasted like. Dax said it took an aquired taste to get used to it.

My theory on the deal with replicated food is that it gets dull after awhile because you're tasting the exact same thing. No two steaks I eat will taste the same, because of variations in the meat itself plus how it's cooked and seasoned, but every time you order the same thing out of a replicator, it's exactly the same.

Also, part of the reason is probably because the replicator food is like cafeteria food. It has to cater to a large group and so there's less room for individual flair. Plus, I'm sure a lot of what makes food tasty is lost in translation from reality to a computer program and back again.

I think the replicator could be programed to add some variation to a steak (e.g. well done v. rare), but there's probably a limit on how much variation there can be.