voidseeing | Appointments Post

Whatever you want. Unfortunately we don't make much use of tomatoes in our cooking, so I'm afraid that's the one thing I couldn't find a way to work in.

[But there's pasta and chicken there, yes. Probably unlike any sort of pasta or chicken she's ever had before, but hey, tonight is a night of firsts!]

[And now Elizabeth sees what Gai did with her boring list of foods and she smiles. Incredibly thoughtful, though Elizabeth didn't expect Gai to not have a clever trick up his sleeve.]

It all looks delicious. [She picks up her fork and reaches for one of the gyoza.] I don't know how we're going to finish it all.

Anything we don't finish, we can just take back to my apartment for lunch tomorrow.

[He's already going for the takoyaki-- okay, so it's not the fresh-from-a-street-vendor kind, but it's close enough for him.]

That thing you just picked up is a gyoza-- it's a type of dumpling. And this is takoyaki, which is sort of like a pastry with octopus in it.

[Yes, he said octopus.]

Octopus... [Yes, that's something she's only read about and seen pictures of.] I never knew people ate octopus!

[She takes a bite of the gyoza, chews thoughtfully, and clearly likes the result.]

We do in Japan. Fish and seafood are easy to come by when you live on an island.

[He pauses, takoyaki still grasped in his chopsticks.]

Do you want to try one?

I suppose so. That must be why fish and chips is so popular in England. [...maybe...? She finishes the other half of the gyoza, which as luck would have it is just as delicious as the first half.]

First time for everything, right? [She reaches for one with her fork.]

[But Gai is already holding that one out to her with a smile. No cooties, he hasn't put his chopsticks in his mouth yet.]

I hear fish and chips and a beer in an English pub is on the list of required life experiences, not that I've had personal experience to be able to judge.

[She raises her eyebrows, unfamiliar with the gesture. Her first thought is to get it with the fork, but clearly that's not happening. So apparently he wants her to...]

[She leans forward and takes it with her teeth first. Then she has a bit of trouble getting the whole thing into her mouth and wow that's hot. But it's probably pretty funny to watch her try to eat it. She's laughing silently at least, there are images of her with squirrel cheeks in her mind.]

I haven't heard it's required, but it does sound fun.

[If she looks at Gai's face at any point during this process, it will be clear that he is both amused and finds that whole thing to be sort of adorable (though there's a brief moment of concern where he worries that it might've been too hot to eat). Yes, that was definitely a good choice. And from the looks of things, she liked it, too.]

Maybe one day we can see if we can get them to make some for us here. It won't be quite the same, but we can pretend.

Next time, let's do that. [Elizabeth looks around at the spread again.] But I think I should try some fish that's not out of a can first... Which one?

[Well, this fish is most assuredly not from a can... in fact, it's still raw, as he's pointing to the sushi plate right now.]

The darker one is tuna, that's salmon next to it, and then yellowtail and mackerel. I can guarantee you that none of them have ever seen a can in their life. Or their afterlife.

[Elizabeth has heard of tuna and salmon, so of course the one she goes for is the yellowtail. even if the tuna looks very pretty...]

[She looks at the sushi from all angles, wondering how best to do this.]

Should I just....? [She makes a scooping motion with her fork. It doesn't seem right to stab it...]

[It's just now occurring to Gai that of course she wouldn't know how to use chopsticks; in fact, she might not even have seen them outside of illustrations in a book. As fun as lessons in the proper use of chopsticks might be, he's not quite sure a romantic date is the time or place for that.]

Unless you want to try your hand at the chopsticks.

[Elizabeth looks at Gai's hand holding the chopsticks, bites her lip nervously and finally shakes her head.] I think you're having enough fun watching me try to eat with something I'm used to. Don't need to throw something else in the mix.

[Fortunately he doesn't seem disappointed by this decision at all-- the lessons can wait for another time.]

Especially not when you're wearing such a beautiful dress. I'd hate to be responsible for getting it stained or ruined.

How do you eat rice with two sticks anyway? [Elizabeth awkwardly uses her fingers to slide the yellowtail sushi onto her fork, making a face as though trying to concentrate on getting each grain on her fork.]

[He's not watching her attempt this... okay yes he is, he can't help himself. That face is extremely cute.]

With practice, and a considerable amount of trial and error. Mostly error in the beginning.

I'm too hungry for error right now. Another thing to add to the list. [She puts the sushi in her mouth, again pulling a squirrel impression. That is something she certainly hasn't tasted before. And it's cold.]

Is this even cooked? The fish part?

No.

[... he's probably a horrible person for wanting to see how she's going to react to this, isn't he?]

Edited 2013-07-27 06:48 (UTC)

[Strangely enough, she doesn't look at all bothered. She's eaten vegetables raw, after all.] No wonder it tastes so different... [Now she's going for the tuna.]

[Add this to the list of reasons why he likes her. He's seen far too many people get horribly squeamish over the mere thought of sushi.]

If you ask me, it's the best way to enjoy the taste.

[He'll steal some of the mackerel and salmon for himself.]

I would have to agree, but consider the source. [She grins as she downs the tuna. Yes, that really does taste much different from what she's had from a can. Probably because no one on Columbia would dream of eating something that hadn't been cooked.]

Yes, I think I'll enjoy fish and chips.

Then it's another date.

[He pauses to eat a couple of pieces of sushi and grab a gyoza and more takoyaki... okay, and some yakisoba too. What can he say? He's hungry, and he wants to make sure he has plenty of energy for later.]

We seem to be setting up quite a list of those.

[Gai certainly does look hungry, and Elizabeth takes a moment to look impressed with how much he can pack away so quickly.]

Is that a bad thing? [Elizabeth looks mildly unsure for a moment.]

[Seeing that hesitation, Gai's eyes soften slightly, and he reaches out his free hand to cup her cheek with a smile.]

Not in the slightest.

[It's a wonderful thing, in his opinion. He's actually somewhat pleased that he can come up with all of these ideas despite his lack of practical experience.]

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