What if the TOS Enterprise's food slots were indeed micro-transporters, but of a 'hard-wired' variety? Here's what I'm thinking: (1) you stick your menu disc in the slot at the food slot near you, (2) your food is assembled in the central nutrient processor or whatever wherever it is on the ship, (3) converted to energy, (or maybe these two steps are concurrent?) (4) runs along wires to the food slot you requested it from, and (5) voila is reassembled as your order.
That negates the whole intraship-beaming-as-problem thing as presented in 'Day of the Dove' and makes the technology involved need to be less sophisticated.
