memezilla | Denny's Meme

Oh! It doesn't look anything like milk! Well, milk gone bad, maybe... [Still. If they're serving it and no one's died, then maybe it's good? She gives it a try and--] Oh it's cold! And it tastes... nothing like milk! It's so sweet. Like a dessert!

[She's drinking more oops.]

[He laughs gently, and just lets her have the entire milkshake. Enjoy, Merrill.] Yes, that sounds like what they mean it to be. A dessert treat. Although, many of these dishes are much sweeter than I'm accustomed to. Maybe it's actually just supposed to be a normal drink?

[He's not used to the "ADD SUGAR TO ALL THE THINGS" of modernity.]

Everything looks so big! [She stopped drinking because her head is freezing up. It's like being dunked into a lake in the middle of winter.] The portions are like feast dishes. But according to the menu, these things are very cheap... Do you think they're trying to help feed the poor?

[He smiles softly. Are they trying to help feed the poor? When has a business ever been so altruistic? Without knowing the company, he still doesn't doubt that their intentions are in profit.]

Whether or not they mean to, they do. Looking at other menus, it seems there is a range of restaurants who operate with similar prices for similar amounts of food.

I see... [What a nice idea. Cheap, filling food and treats! Oh Lowtown could really benefit from a place like this. Though a thought occurs to her.]

But if there's so many places like this, what about other people who make food? Are they still doing business? There's a very nice man in the alienage who bakes bread with some meat or vegetables and it's very good.

From what I understand, individual bakers are rare these days. They have to market to customers who can afford to buy personally made food.

[when did you learn the economy soo-won]

[Wow he's smart.]

That's a shame. I'm sure he'd sell this place his meat bread though.

Likely, they wouldn't purchase it from him. They might be willing to buy the rights to the recipe, but they need to mass-produce the same product across all of their stores. [He gives her a little smile.] One of the appeals of chain restaurants like this is that they offer the same product everywhere. It's comforting to people who are away from home.

[It still seems sad but at the same time, if every alienage could taste the same food they grew up with, wouldn't that be nice?]

Oh, that would be nice, I think. I haven't had food from my clan in a long time. I try to make the recipes but I'm not a very good cook. All Dalish clans have their own quirks and differences but we still use a lot of the same ingredients. I'm sure a Dalish... chain? Would be very popular. It'd rally the elves together and remind them of their heritage, I think.

If you have the recipes, you could use them as the base for a chain. The restaurants are cooked at by others, so the quality of your own cooking wouldn't be too important.

[Just. Casually giving economic advice.

Again.]

[Merrill claps her hands together as an idea strikes.]

I could hire elves from the alienage, too! They'd be able to cook their home foods and get paid well for it. Oh but, marketing it to humans might be a bit difficult... Do you... have any ideas? It's a bit difficult, you know, when prejudices get involved.

Mm, that is difficult. [He takes a sip from the milkshake. Yummy!]

Will you tell me a little more about how humans think about elves?

Oh, certainly! Well, it's a very long story, but I suppose the easiest way to say it is the Elven used to be very powerful. We had great cities, amazing knowledge, magic, prosperity... [She sighs.] Of course, humans weren't entirely happy with that. There was a war. A few wars. We lost. That's why were travel in clans now, wandering from place to place. Humans look down on elves now. They think we're... dirty. Like dog droppings on your shoe. But they'll hire us as servants and labour in a heartbeat. City elves, the ones who don't live in clans, live in the poor places. We call them alienages, little places where elves live separate from humans.

[He listens gently, respectfully. When she finishes, he bows his head.] I'm sorry to hear that, Merrill.

[When he raises his head, however, he isn't pitying her. He is thinking about the way to approach this best.] How do humans treat elven culture? For example, do they think of your food as dirty?

Oh! Well, I don't think so. They'd have to know our culture beyond, "those pointy ears and weird tattoos and a silly amount of gods" to look down on it more.

I see. And finally... how closed off are the alienages? Do humans often come to them?

Oh, they're walled off. Sometimes a few bandits like to come in and pick our pockets or try to sell us something strange.

Then it isn't likely that most humans would go to an elvish restaurant in an alienage, correct?

No, no they wouldn't. [She really should have thought of that.] They'd rather not come around at all actually.

[With utmost gentleness, he reaches across the table to touch her hand.] Focus on looking after your own people first. Then, we'll discuss how to bring this to humans.

[His smile is just as gentle and just as kind.] Prejudice is not enough to stop people from eating good food, if it is brought to them in the right ways.

[Oh, how kind. He really isn't like most humans.]

I could... open it outside the alienage. But you're right. It's important to preserve my people, first. We could do little food stalls, maybe, first. Just because an elf is running it doesn't mean it's elven made, does it? Oh, but that's lying.

[Nah he just doesn't have their prejudices about elves—

He gives a little shake of his head. She doesn't need to lie.] How would you convince a human to eat elvish food?

Oh, well, not telling them? I mean, it's food. Just... the way we make things. Well, the way some of us make things. Different clans will--

[She stops.] Sorry, rambling. But my point was... oh, my point was they'd be fine not knowing, exactly, until later maybe.

Denny's Meme

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject