audio un:pnwsalex

[11calls]

[When the audio starts, it's with the warm tones of Alex's Canadian, ready for radio reporter's voice, and from the background, it sounds as if she's in the merchant dome, because she is.]

Okay, I realize this is kind of silly. [Yeah, she does know, but she's going with it anyway, so...] But I'm trying to make a point to X'rut who runs the ice cream parlor. What's your favorite ice cream flavor back home? What kind of toppings would you like with it?

What sort of thing do you think never should be made into ice cream? My current one is pure wasabi with pieces of pickled plums that definitely looks like mint chocolate chip. I really don't recommend it. If you've ever eaten the ball of wasabi on a dare when you were having sushi with friends and had a fair amount to drink...

[That is a fairly specific story, Alex. Surely that was never you in college.]

Well, anyway, it's like that only turned up to a thousand. I can't imagine anyone enjoying it and salty plums. So let's give them a good idea of what kind of ice cream we would eat.

Comments

[11calls]

Cream, sugar, vanilla, eggs. And then flavorings, like chocolate, vanilla, strawberries, cookies, mangoes, raspberries, basically almost anything you can imagine.

[of_bokthersa]

How is it made?

[11calls]

Unfortunately I am the worst person to ask this question to, being as I can't cook anything other than coffee and nanaimo bars.

[of_bokthersa]

You don't even know conceptually how?

[11calls]

I think they make a custard and freeze it in one of those slow churn machines? But the only custard I've made comes from a powder.

[of_bokthersa]

So you know if you can get them in the market?

[11calls]

The ingredients for ice cream? Yeah, you can. But you need a machine that churns it when it gets really frozen. That part I remember from being a kid. Waiting for the machine to work and then freezing what came out of it.

[of_bokthersa]

Can the machine be purchased?

[11calls]

...Probably. But it would probably just be a hell of a lot easier to just visit the ice cream parlor in the merchant dome.

[of_bokthersa]

I suppose, but you've met Alec, he likes to do things himself.

[11calls]

That's true. We've definitely come a long way since the toaster. There is another way to do it with a crank and ice and salt, but I know even less how to do it that way than the other.

I bet the library would have recipes though. And then he could custom it to the things that you guys like!

[of_bokthersa]

[There's a soft laugh at the mention of the toaster.]

Sometimes I miss the days of toast being thrown at my head. For a while, I was afraid he was going to name it.

[He'll have to go have a look in the library and see if he can get hold of one of those cranks. Hopefully, Alec wouldn't decide to take the damn thing apart before they could use it.]

[11calls]

I mean, it could have been worse. It could have been a roomba. I do know people who have named them. And who pet them during thunderstorms.

['Know'. The person she knows is her. Alex's done that at her apartment in Seattle.]

They're a robot vacuum cleaner that you just let do it's thing on it's own for the most part.

[of_bokthersa]

I could see him trying to do that.

[The fondness in his voice is thick.]

[11calls]

A lot of people do.

[There's definitely a grin there.]

[of_bokthersa]

It would be easier than cleaning, though.

[Like Seregil actually cleans.]

[11calls]

Oh, it definitely helps with that. You just set the time and let it go.

[of_bokthersa]

How convenient. How are they with clutter?

[11calls]

They avoid it. They have these sensors on them.

[of_bokthersa]

Has Alec ever shown you our room?

[11calls]

Nope! Is it that bad?

[of_bokthersa]

[He'll give her first-hand sight of the cluttered magpie nest that is their room. Including the massive amount of pillows.]

[11calls]

Okay, that's impressive. It might be a little confused if you got one.

[of_bokthersa]

Ah, then not useful.

[11calls]

I don't know, they may have one more advanced here than mine at home.