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Alien analogs of Earth delicacies?

Ragitsu

Ragitsu

Commodore
Commodore
Good evening.

I'm sure this "trend" started earlier than Voyager (I can think of at least one example from The Next Generation), but VOY's writers loved randomly slipping in references to alien equivalents of Earth foods...or so it seems. Neelix mentions "Jiballian fudge"; Tom mentions "Kavarian olives" and then (much) later "Terellian pheasant". However, the more I think on this subject, the more I grow confused. Are these supposed to be foods that already existed on another planet (e.g., the Kavarians had a fruit analogous to our olive) or are they Earth exports that alien civilizations bred over many generations and/or altered via genetic engineering? Kes' favorite is obviously locally sourced in the DQ, but as for the others...
 
I remember when Neelix (who, to his credit, shows that he can go with the flow) urges the waiters at the new and improved Paxau Resort to bring out some spicy Paraka wings. Is a Paraka a bird? Or are we talking chicken wings spiced Paraka style?
 
Apparently, Vulcans care about mocha. Would the adherents of logic be all that invested in sweet and stimulating drinks?
 
Briefly, I thought "marketing", but that seems like a Ferengi consideration. It's possible that enough Vulcans experimented with growing cocoa and/or coffee beans on the home world and then those crops became a cult hit with certain gourmets (intellectually motivated, of course!). Perhaps "Vulcan" refers to a unique manner of preparation as opposed to specific exotic ingredients?
 
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It would be logical, given the number of non-Vulcans that Vulcan gets, for them to ensure the comfort of their visitors. Maybe Vulcan mocha is a part of that.
 
One possibility is that what we're hearing is just the universal translator finding a "best fit" English term for the food in question. Perhaps "Vulcan mocha" has no cocoa in it at all, but merely resembles mocha in the final analysis.
 
A Vulcan mocha, in particular, might just be a name some human came up with for the drink. Rather like in America and Great Britain we decided the French are sexy enough to name a kiss after them but no one in France calls it that. Maybe some barista invented some special mocha that helped them concentrate better on tests and thought “Vulcans, they’re super cerebral, right? I’m calling it a Vulcan mocha!”
 
Sumire said:
A Vulcan mocha, in particular, might just be a name some human came up with for the drink. Rather like in America and Great Britain we decided the French are sexy enough to name a kiss after them but no one in France calls it that.
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Reminds me of a scene from The Rundown.

"Back in the States, Brazil nuts like these go for fifteen dollars a pound."

"Well, those fell off the tree out back. And, around here, we don't call them Brazil nuts."

"What do you call them?"

"Well, we're in Brazil...so we just call them nuts."
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Taresian taffy, Iconian ice cream, Ocampan Skittles (TM), Bolian water...

The galaxy truly is our oyster.

Excuse me: Caitian oyster.
 
DonIago said:
One possibility is that what we're hearing is just the universal translator finding a "best fit" English term for the food in question. Perhaps "Vulcan mocha" has no cocoa in it at all, but merely resembles mocha in the final analysis.
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Oops! I was going to discuss the UT angle, but it slipped my mind during composition.
 
DonIago said:
One possibility is that what we're hearing is just the universal translator finding a "best fit" English term for the food in question. Perhaps "Vulcan mocha" has no cocoa in it at all, but merely resembles mocha in the final analysis.
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I was thinking the same! Interesting to think what the translator must do for words that don't have an equivalent in English. Also enjoy how Neelix must always be speaking Talaxian; would have been cool to have an episode where the translator breaks to see how they cope.
 
y89PS4R.jpeg


Poking fun at Star Trek?

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DonIago said:
That's why they pay me the big bucks...
...
...
...though I'm still waiting on my check... :klingon:
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The challenge, Mr. Donlago, is to improve yourself. To enrich yourself. Enjoy it :beer:.

Warp 10 (Pepperoni) said:
I was thinking the same! Interesting to think what the translator must do for words that don't have an equivalent in English. Also enjoy how Neelix must always be speaking Talaxian; would have been cool to have an episode where the translator breaks to see how they cope.
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I suspect his cooking would sharply improve.
 
I’d tend to believe the universal translator although if so it seems inconsistent since we hear Raktajino and not “Klingon coffee.”

Something like Jiballian fudge could be fusion cuisine. The earth fudge recipe but using Jiballian whatever as a substitute for chocolate say. One would imagine that chefs have a lot of fun with cross-cuisine.

But something like Terellian pheasant seems like it must be the universal translator or pheasant imported and raised there or perhaps just the unconscious bias of the speakers. Like “how does it relate to something earth patrons recognize.”
 
The obvious explanation is that they want to talk about alien food while still giving the audience a reference point to what it is. I doubt there's more to it than that.
 
Maybe this thread should be moved to "General Trek"

Takeru said:
The obvious explanation is that they want to talk about alien food while still giving the audience a reference point to what it is.
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Without having to explain at length what it is and thereby slow down the scene for filler exposition. Books can do this better without losing steam.

We Humans have tons of food whose foreign name is not accompanied by an English word.
 
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