Take 1: Istanbul

"And this is called what?" asked Alek, skeptically poking at a goopy substance.

"Yogurt," said Lilit tersely, liberally sprinkling raisins in the white substance.

Alek took a hesitant bite. The yogurt was slimy, and felt odd going down his throat. It wasn't unpleasant, but certainly not the best thing he'd ever tasted.

Not wishing to comment on Lilit's cooking, (she was ready to kill him), he ate the rest without complaint.

Take 2: Somewhere Over Asia

"God's wounds, what is this?" cried Alek, nearly losing what little he had in his stomach.

"Middy food. And you wonder why I steal bacon off of your breakfast tray," said Dylan dryly, swallowing what looked like a piece of sausage.

"Serves me right for missing my breakfast," said Alek, eyeing a piece of bread that had suspicious-looking white film along the edges.

"Just cut the edges off, and you'll be fine," said Dylan with his mouth full.

Alek sighed. He may have envied Dylan's freedom, but he certainly didn't envy his diet.

Take 3: Japan

Alek eyed his plate suspiciously. When the waiter, in broken English, had described Sushi, Alek had liked the sound of it. Fish wrapped up with vegetables. What could possibly go wrong?

He looked over at Deryn, slurping her noodles, and using chopsticks expertly, too hungry to tease him for not being 'adventurous'.

Adventurous or not, he had expected the dish to be a bit more… cooked.

Take 4: Los Angeles

American food was said to be a mix of all the cultures that made up the huge country, but Alek had never heard of peanut butter before.

But man, was it good. He had bought a jar in a Los Angeles store, and had been stealing spoonfuls of the stuff since they had taken off.

Deryn let herself into his cabin, not even bothering to knock (although Alek wasn't complaining), carrying four pieces of fresh bread.

"I nicked these from the kitchen. Let's make sandwiches before someone notices," she smiled, handing him two of the slices.

Take 5: Mexico City

Alek took a large bite of the dish in front of him, the leaf encasing the doughy shell becoming soggy in his mouth.

"No, sir, you unwrap the tamale before you eat it," said their guide.

Across the table, Deryn, sitting next to Dr. Barlow, sniggered. Frowning, Alek unwrapped his tamale, and took another bite.

Spicy, with several different kinds of chili peppers. Not too bad.

Take 6: New York City

"So, it's a sausage wrapped in bread?" asked Deryn, eyeing the street vendor.

"I guess. I wonder if they're any good?" replied Alek.

"Well, half the people here seem to be eating them," said Deryn, gesturing at the mass of people teeming around them, many of whom were eating the 'hot dogs' as they walked. Deryn and Alek looked at each other, and walked up to the vendor.

"It's not as good as the sausages at home."

Take 7: Glasgow

After sushi, moldy middy food, sub-standard sausages, spicy tamales, yogurt, and countless other dishes, Alek thought he could handle anything.

Anything, of course, except his mother-in-law's haggis.


I have no idea where this came from. It started out as a drabble about Alek eating sushi, and became a story about Alek's diet in various places around the world. Please review!