" In DASS Standard it's just referred to as third course," Prima said, stirring a thin batter in a sauce pan, over low heat. " On Sturm I suppose you'd say it's similar to an unleavened bread; they make it with a starch from boiled and ground uliirth reeds. I talked to the kitchen staff of the civic center here, and the Moyar i Noahl unvyel is a hollow, crackly pastry with a fermented fish paste dip. The starch is from some kind of fruit, instead, and you have to stir it over low heat like this to activate it properly."

He turned off the heat, and took the pan off.

" I'm... kind of surprised that you know how to cook?" Kirie observed, sitting at the kitchen table.

" Well, it's a good skill for impressing girls?" Prima said, pouring his batter in a low baking dish. " It's kind of good stress relief, too."

" Is that so," Kirie said, apparently a bit taken aback by how bluntly he'd stated that.

" Anyway, like I was saying, third course is like... a palette cleanser before the last or main dish is served," Prima continued. " Or at least it's supposed to be. Apparently here it's served last instead, because it's supposed to be really sweet."

" Supposed to be?" Kirie asked

" Have you not noticed? Starka don't have the uhhh... taste buds? I think they're called? to taste sweet, sweetness," Prima replied, putting the dish in the oven. " Nova complains about this sort of thing all the time."

Kirie tipped her head back, thinking.

" Mm, I think I've heard him complain about not liking sweet stuff to William..."

" So like, on Sturm third course doesn't taste like anything to us, so that's why it's a palette cleanser," Prima said. " But when I was talking to the kitchen staff here, they said that since there's a lot of non-Starka on Noahl, it gets treated like a dessert, and the DASS generally has dessert served last."

Kirie sighed, looking over at him.

" What do you think they do for it over on Thrace?" she asked.

" Ask your girlfriend," Prima said with a shrug. " She's why you're suddenly all interested in cooking anyway, right?"

" Don't call me out like that," Kirie protested.

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