8 - Cuisine and Food Culture

Among many subspecies and cultures of the Ñezyeki, food never ceases to be an important sign of one’s classiness and skill. Aside from impressing your future partner physically and with your own personality, food is a common way to garner the eye of your beloved, and as such… many Ñezyeki have physiques which reflect this, although, due to their hyper-advanced technology, does not hamper their lives in any way. In fact, in many cultures, it is a sign of wealth and enjoyment of life to have a decent amount of ‘meat on your bones’.

Food is oftentimes based off the core groups of meaty, planty, nectaric, natural, and inorganic food types. Meaty foods consist of animal meat, insects, and fungi. They are oftentimes the basis of a meal, being seasoned or added onto with many of the other groups. It is common to have free-range meat, as it has been deemed highly unethical to keep livestock or food sources locked up, since it spoils their health and well-being as a living thing. Planty foods consist of common leaves, fruits, seeds, and roots. They often work best as side dishes, seasoning, or some sort of addition to the base meal. Farming is often done in orbital hydroponics bays, where the plants are free to grow as large as they like without the force of natural gravity. Nectaric foods include nectar from plants, flowers and their petals, and pollen that is often a part of the flower. This group came from Yiphra’s lack of water, leading to the Ñezyeki having their main source of hydration be huge, nectar-bearing flowers that sprout on rock faces, often leaving their thick nectar to pool below. These are usually drinks or toppings. Natural foods often include rock salts, added minerals, and processed materials. Beyond rock salts, oftentimes, there will be inclusions of low amounts of minerals for nutrition benefits, or precious metals for those who seek to have a more fancy eating experience, much like goldleaf in foods on Earth. Lastly, inorganic food types are things such as nutrient blends, nutrient bars, and “nectar stew”. All of these are commonly used as snacks for the Ñezyeki on the go, be it exercising, or simply wishing to eat as you go on your way to your destination.

It’s not exactly hard to see why they enjoy food so much- there’s a universe full of unique things to try. Prolonged exposure to unique types of plants and foods has even sparked the development of entire subspecies, such as a planet with plants that produce absurd amounts of pollen leading to the colonists using the aforementioned pollen as a tasty topping for many of their meals, with their tongues and mouths being adapted against getting any stuck, or suffering from any of its possible abrasive effects. Another might be that a species on a less lively planet might adapt to make the most of the food they get, storing high amounts of fat on the body with every meal that is eaten, crucial to survival in these environments.

It is also a part of many religious festivals and rituals, where food may be prepared in a manner described in a holy text, or part of an annual feast, or even to honor the namesake of a god during this time. It is also common for social gatherings, be they religious-based or not, to have an “all-you-can-eat” policy, as the aspect of social welfare holds itself high in the societal norms of the Ñezyeki, and you are expected to do what you can to help out your neighbors.

Speaking of, it is also extremely common to enjoy meals, at any time of day, with those inhabiting homes near yours. It is courteous to perch yourself, and possibly your polycule, upon the railings of one’s home, and call for an invite to come in. If it is declined, simply bid them good day, and go on, but if they accept, you may enter their home. Often, there will be mutual understandings of one group making food one day, one the next, another the next- neighborly relationships are increasingly common in more populous regions inhabited by the Ñezyeki. Much like for humans, the concept of a “romantic dinner/meal” is held highly, as mentioned previously. Sometimes, these shared meals may even lead to additions to your polyamorous relationship, or the start of something new!