>>My main SF universe has aliens that are perfectly okay with that kind of stuff. Hence the big red sign in the cafeteria, "DO NOT FEED AGED MEAT PRODUCTS TO HUMANS."<<
I was thinking of space rebels and pirates, with all the dignity and tact of their procfession: "Okay you f******, I'm getting tired of this b******* song and dance. Y'all know what safe for folks to eat by now. If you don't, learn cuz the next time this happens, Imma beat your a** with my throwin knives and stabbin sword."
Between my allergies and the cultral propensity of certain folks to adulterate beverages, I've got no patience for deliberate food and drink tampering, and very little for accidental issues caused by carelessness.
A funnier example - the Animorphs learned to be careful giving Andalites any food - because they have a... hyper ...response to the sense of taste. (They eventualy had to give their Andalite ROTC friend a list of things he wasnt allowed to eat...including engine oil, lint and cigarette butts. He did learn to NOT eat food off the floor or grab it from people...)
>>...some cultured meat products that require getting used to but do generally boost the body's resistance to other food-borne pathogens.<< Most humans, as a rule /only/ like fermented floods if exposed to them in childhood. (So I like cheese, but will refuse pickled eggs, for example). Also, preference for a number of other foods (like chilled water) is strongly culturally influenced. (I suspect these, along with babies tendancy to eat off their parents plates, are hardwired defences against accidental poisoning.)
A lot of fermented foods were originally preserved that way.
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I have seen exactly one published scifi work that plans for different foods being edible and toxic to different species. They solved the problem by illustrating the walls of the communal kitchen with safe/not safe groups for each species. (Freedom's Landing quartet.)
ER docs see an ... interesting crosscut of society, with a slight overrepresentation of the various lower class groups that can't go to fancy doctors (or in some cases, afford a sandwich and bed for the night). They will likely see more primal soups and odd superpower incidents that anyone else, possibly excluding veteran soups.
My last visit to the fairly-small ER by our house (as uninjured driver) included a partially severed finger, some guy (with police officer) who I think was not in shape to walk and in some sort of legal trouble, an ill lady and her daughter (dizziness?), and someone quite literally sobbing/howling in despair for something like an hour (audible from several rooms away).
If you get that in 4hrs in a five-bed ER, imagine what T-America New Orleans gets during Mardi Gras!
Ok, put the hypothermic crocodile guy under the heatlamp. Kid what were you drinking? Why do people need booze that turns their throat blue? Whaddya mean the dead guy we sent to the mourge is undead? Does anyone know how to take vitals on a zombie? Why are all these people in bikinis and beads standing around in here? CLEAR THE HALLWAY FOLKS! Marie, can you help the six-limbed Ant Queen find some clean clothes that fit? Scuse me, officers. No, I don't know how to reboot a cyborg - why dont we call Tech, and see if they have any ideas? Be careful with that bucket -the blue-and orange dude is spitting up acid...someone call SPAZMAT and find out what to do with that stuff...
I've heard of ERs calling in the maintenence crew for brainstorming and tools when traditional knowledge fails, so a tech crew for a hybrot-brain reboot is not unreasonable. Also, bonus if you catch my Easter Egg(s)! :)
Re: Thoughts
I was thinking of space rebels and pirates, with all the dignity and tact of their procfession: "Okay you f******, I'm getting tired of this b******* song and dance. Y'all know what safe for folks to eat by now. If you don't, learn cuz the next time this happens, Imma beat your a** with my throwin knives and stabbin sword."
Between my allergies and the cultral propensity of certain folks to adulterate beverages, I've got no patience for deliberate food and drink tampering, and very little for accidental issues caused by carelessness.
A funnier example - the Animorphs learned to be careful giving Andalites any food - because they have a... hyper ...response to the sense of taste. (They eventualy had to give their Andalite ROTC friend a list of things he wasnt allowed to eat...including engine oil, lint and cigarette butts. He did learn to NOT eat food off the floor or grab it from people...)
>>...some cultured meat products that require getting used to but do generally boost the body's resistance to other food-borne pathogens.<<
Most humans, as a rule /only/ like fermented floods if exposed to them in childhood. (So I like cheese, but will refuse pickled eggs, for example). Also, preference for a number of other foods (like chilled water) is strongly culturally influenced. (I suspect these, along with babies tendancy to eat off their parents plates, are hardwired defences against accidental poisoning.)
A lot of fermented foods were originally preserved that way.
- - - - -
I have seen exactly one published scifi work that plans for different foods being edible and toxic to different species. They solved the problem by illustrating the walls of the communal kitchen with safe/not safe groups for each species. (Freedom's Landing quartet.)
ER docs see an ... interesting crosscut of society, with a slight overrepresentation of the various lower class groups that can't go to fancy doctors (or in some cases, afford a sandwich and bed for the night). They will likely see more primal soups and odd superpower incidents that anyone else, possibly excluding veteran soups.
My last visit to the fairly-small ER by our house (as uninjured driver) included a partially severed finger, some guy (with police officer) who I think was not in shape to walk and in some sort of legal trouble, an ill lady and her daughter (dizziness?), and someone quite literally sobbing/howling in despair for something like an hour (audible from several rooms away).
If you get that in 4hrs in a five-bed ER, imagine what T-America New Orleans gets during Mardi Gras!
Ok, put the hypothermic crocodile guy under the heatlamp. Kid what were you drinking? Why do people need booze that turns their throat blue? Whaddya mean the dead guy we sent to the mourge is undead? Does anyone know how to take vitals on a zombie? Why are all these people in bikinis and beads standing around in here? CLEAR THE HALLWAY FOLKS! Marie, can you help the six-limbed Ant Queen find some clean clothes that fit? Scuse me, officers. No, I don't know how to reboot a cyborg - why dont we call Tech, and see if they have any ideas? Be careful with that bucket -the blue-and orange dude is spitting up acid...someone call SPAZMAT and find out what to do with that stuff...
I've heard of ERs calling in the maintenence crew for brainstorming and tools when traditional knowledge fails, so a tech crew for a hybrot-brain reboot is not unreasonable. Also, bonus if you catch my Easter Egg(s)! :)