In which Lady Kareen gives Aelliana an idea and the Tree gives Daav a fright.
I believe this is the first time since we’ve known her that Aelliana has admitted to being hungry without external prompting.
Speaking of food, it suddenly struck me that in the last few chapters we’ve been told what Aelliana had for breakfast and for lunch, and in neither meal was there any meat. There was fish in the sandwiches in Chapter 4, but apart from fish I can’t remember the last time we saw a Liaden eat meat of any kind, and now I’m wondering if that’s significant. (I doubt it’s as simple as a lack of meat animals on Liad, because I can remember plenty of examples of Liadens eating cheese, and there’s usually an overlap between milk-giving animals and animals that are considered good to eat.)
Daav’s view of his sister has grown a bit more nuanced than when we first saw them together in Local Custom, I notice. Her view of him, on the other hand, seems as rigid as ever. (And she still hasn’t given up on her grudge about Pat Rin, nor come to any better understanding of what happened there, it seems.)
Yes, I cannot remember any time at any meal that they eat meat.
Are the Terrans eating meat from living animals either? I recently reread many of the novels including Balance of Trade. I seem to recall references to a protein in the handwiches, that appeared to be a meat substitute.
That’s an interesting question that I don’t have a ready answer to. I noted “potmeat” in Balance of Trade, and “mycomeat” (which would be a fungus-based meat substitute, presumably) in Dragon Ship, but if there were any mentions of just plain meat I didn’t bother to pay attention to them.
There are projects out there now to genetically engineer yeast to allow it to make the proteins used to create milk and cheese.
That said, there are large expanses of lawn/grass in this universe, and to maintain that, you either need lawnmowers or some sort of grazing animal. Grazing animals actually do it a bit better, and of course are self-powered.
PA: the first time since we’ve known her that Aelliana has admitted to being hungry without external prompting
Not only that, but when the Tree gives her her first pod, she says it smells not of something—like mint or spice—but rather of the idea that the food is good. I think this may be the only time we’ve read of the pods/nuts smelling of something other than mint (?)
Daav tells her I believe they may have been produced especially for this event. And if that does not frighten you, then you are bolder than I am. I notice that whatever “fright” he feels does not prevent him from eating his; however, when he does, His mouth cooled, as if he had drunk ice water, and the sensation flowed through him, informing each bone, muscle and cell, until his strength was frozen and he sat down, hard, and leaned his back against the massive trunk, eyes closed, shivering. He then speaks to the Tree: What have you done, wretch?
Of course we find out later what it had done, but meanwhile I note that both reactions seem unique in our experience, as well as in the experience of any of the people we’ve seen involved with the Tree.
I got distracted while posting yesterday (my time).
What I had also intended to comment on, regarding Daav’s reaction, was how it reminds me—or rather, while reading in order—Daav’s reaction to the pod he eats after Aelliana has been put back into Uncle’s autodoc in Alliance of Equals reminds me of this. These two are, I believe, the only instances we’ve read about in which the person who consumes a pod collapses, unable to stand. In AoE, Daav’s reaction is similarly described as An icy wave passed through him, freezing nerves, blood, brain. Fortunately at that time he is already sitting in an autodoc, prepared to collapse, and Uncle’s ‘doc reports merely an “Immune System Check.”
And in both cases, if memory serves, the purpose of the pod is at least partly related to restoring the connection between Daav and Aelliana.
Yes! That too!