A Matter of Taste (G)
This 400-word ficlet is for ivorygates, who asked for Teal'c: Earth food. Set just after COTG, and rated G.
A Matter of Taste
The first time Teal'c ate processed food from Earth, his symbiote became so agitated that he wondered if his SGC captors were attempting to poison him.
He had only been on the planet for a short period at that point - eighteen hours, O'Neill had announced as he followed the tray-bearing soldier into the holding cell, although Teal'c had no way of knowing how "eighteen hours" translated into the horns and marks that the Jaffa used to mark time. He was not hungry, but a wise warrior knew to eat whenever food was proffered against the risk of a starving future. He gave a courteous nod of thanks to the nervous-looking soldier and a second nod of acknowledgment to O'Neill, who promised to return as soon as he could.
As the two humans exited the room, Teal'c ignored the snick of the lock and inspected the tray and its contents with grave interest. The tray itself was manufactured from a strange material; not as sturdy as metal or the solid mortar of the walls, but a stiff, lightweight substance. He prodded it, wondering how it was manufactured. Then there was the food, positioned neatly on the tray: a fruit with a pleasing red skin, a container of water that crinkled yet did not leak, and a wrapped item that proved to be two sponge-like pieces of white pastry, held together by a thick brown paste.
He tasted this first and nearly spat it out. Blandly sweet, it offered little resistance to his teeth. Was this old men's food, an insult to a warrior? The water and the fruit were more palatable, but the pastry left his symbiote uneasy. He left more than half of it untouched.
"Don't like peanut butter sandwiches, Teal'c?" O'Neill asked when he returned.
Teal'c considered, then said merely, "I do not."
Later, Captain Carter explained additives and preservatives and the odd human obsession for refining foods. Daniel Jackson introduced him to Middle Eastern cuisine, and the flatbreads, spices, and sauces were familiar enough to give Teal'c a strange feeling of loss. But it was O'Neill who showed him the unexpected delights of Tauri food: desserts such as ice cream and chocolate, doughnuts and other pastries, exotic fruits, carbonated beverages, marshmallows, and more. Most was of little nutritional value, but it gave pleasure... and what, after all, symbolized freedom more than excessive and unnecessary feasting?
A Matter of Taste
The first time Teal'c ate processed food from Earth, his symbiote became so agitated that he wondered if his SGC captors were attempting to poison him.
He had only been on the planet for a short period at that point - eighteen hours, O'Neill had announced as he followed the tray-bearing soldier into the holding cell, although Teal'c had no way of knowing how "eighteen hours" translated into the horns and marks that the Jaffa used to mark time. He was not hungry, but a wise warrior knew to eat whenever food was proffered against the risk of a starving future. He gave a courteous nod of thanks to the nervous-looking soldier and a second nod of acknowledgment to O'Neill, who promised to return as soon as he could.
As the two humans exited the room, Teal'c ignored the snick of the lock and inspected the tray and its contents with grave interest. The tray itself was manufactured from a strange material; not as sturdy as metal or the solid mortar of the walls, but a stiff, lightweight substance. He prodded it, wondering how it was manufactured. Then there was the food, positioned neatly on the tray: a fruit with a pleasing red skin, a container of water that crinkled yet did not leak, and a wrapped item that proved to be two sponge-like pieces of white pastry, held together by a thick brown paste.
He tasted this first and nearly spat it out. Blandly sweet, it offered little resistance to his teeth. Was this old men's food, an insult to a warrior? The water and the fruit were more palatable, but the pastry left his symbiote uneasy. He left more than half of it untouched.
"Don't like peanut butter sandwiches, Teal'c?" O'Neill asked when he returned.
Teal'c considered, then said merely, "I do not."
Later, Captain Carter explained additives and preservatives and the odd human obsession for refining foods. Daniel Jackson introduced him to Middle Eastern cuisine, and the flatbreads, spices, and sauces were familiar enough to give Teal'c a strange feeling of loss. But it was O'Neill who showed him the unexpected delights of Tauri food: desserts such as ice cream and chocolate, doughnuts and other pastries, exotic fruits, carbonated beverages, marshmallows, and more. Most was of little nutritional value, but it gave pleasure... and what, after all, symbolized freedom more than excessive and unnecessary feasting?