Please let Bluesky become the home for Star Trek discourse. I want to argue about who is the better chef, Sisko or Pike and why people who might pick Pike are wrong but could have a point.
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It's been awhile since I last watched DS9 and Sisko cooking... but yeah, I agree with a lot of your points about how Sisko would cook with a lot of love inhereted from his dad.
I think Pike would do a great job. Look at what he did with those Vulcan dishes, and it would be nice, no dobt about it.
If the decision is between Sisko and Pike, I'd choose Sisko.
Hell, if it was between Neelix and Pike, I'd still choose Sisko, but at least Neelix would be a moderately close second...
...also, Tuvok is a surprisingly good patissier. Definitely would go to him for pastries and other baked desserts.
Trek fans have disagreed for so long, it feels like the only sci-fandom that knows how to verbally joust without the penultimate melt down move to threaten my dog or trying to drive a leading actress to suicide.
This phrase was an exercise in respect, consent, and restraint and it probably reinforced these values of fans or was one of the many values that repelled potential hate watchers from the fandom.
knowing very little about Trek, are there Vulcan chefs? have they scienced taste to perfection, or does flavour lead to emotion and thus all Vulcan food is gray tasteless slop that gives you all your daily vitamins and such?
Vulcans have very fine cuisine and a refined palate! It was a whole thing in Strange New Worlds where Pike had helped recreate very difficult dishes and Neelix on Voyager never quite got the meals right for Tuvok though Tuvok seemed to prefer milder flavors like you said.
Sisko is a dictator in the kitchen. There are two things he is inflexible about - the oath of a Starfleet officer and control of the kitchen. The latter he got from his dad.
With Pike, the cooking is a party - everybody that wants to will help make the food and it'll taste better because of it.
If we’re talking about in the lore of the show, Sisko. If we’re talking about what we see them do on screen, Pike 100%. I don’t think we ever saw anyone in the TNG/DS9 era do anything that looked like real cooking.
I think the trick is that one might think Pike, being from the generation where they barely had anything you might call a replicator, would actually have to know how to cook whereas Sisko could have gone his entire life without needing to know anything culinary; many might not know the backstories.
I’m digging the debate over the best chefs of Trek, but I think we can probably all agree on the worst…how do you burn a pot roast in the REPLICATOR?! 😩
I was thinking about this the other day: maybe there’s different settings on the replicators? A spectrum from “materialize an entire meal” on the low end to “cook this dish I prepared” on the high end? She tried cooking it and that’s how she burned the roast?
mariner would reference a legacy character who enjoys a certain meal. boimler would be disgusted. rutherford would be all 'yeah, i understand the curiosity, but it's not for me'. tendi would make an ambiguous reference about orion survival training
haven't seen ds9 much, but sisko learned from his professional chef father, correct?
so this may be a technical vs. hobbyist divide. sisko is very competent with his recipes, pike will try new things that swing from alright to surprisingly good.
He was raised in a family-owned Louisiana kitchen. I'm sorry, you just aren't beating that, Pike. I might try Neelix's cooking once in a while when I'm feeling adventurous, but there's just no substitute. Sisko clears every single Trek character in the kitchen and it's not even close.
Pike is not the better chef but he probably *is* the better host. Sisko evidently didn't want to follow in his father's business, meanwhile Pike could easily end up a loanword in alien languages for food diplomacy
Right, Sisko would do excellent vegan dishes for T'Pring's family in "Charades" based on his own recipes, but he wouldn't try to do duplicate Vulcan nibbles like Pike did.
I think they’re both probably pretty mediocre by today’s standards. They’re defined by their eccentricity in cooking at all in an age of food synthesizers and replicators. It’s just down to whose company you’d prefer to keep and whether you like a bit of spice.
Then there's Keiko "I saw this healthy recipe trending online!" with Miles struggling to eat literal tree moss for his wife. (image of the kelp buds with plankton loaf)
You see Sisko absolutely cooks with love and reverence to his father’s cooking, and probably knows exactly how to make the perfect roux. But Pike strikes me as the kind of guy to watch binging with babish like it’s a recipe show and uses incredibly impressive foodie meals as social entertainment.
There was also that one time that Riker made some weird eggs that Worf really liked! The Chefs of Star Trek is always a fun thread to watch through the shows...
I feel like there is room for Picard to be the Sommelier that comes up with best pairings for both Sisko and Pike, and those successful pairings serve to draw out and underscore the differences in Sisko and Pikes cooking
I feel like Picard is classy enough not to ever suggest Picard vineyards and mostly because of tact and not just personal reasons. He would bring the best wine.
Ortegas being into Gunpla makes so much sense. She probably doesn't leave them out on display in her quarters cause of all the times the ship gets knocked about.
I think both are valid, Sisko is maybe the better cook. But Pike could be the better entertainer. And either one of those could tip the scale for Guest Experience.
Pike clearly better because he is doomed by the narrative. He has open flame on a starship and sources his spicy heat from the medical stores of a guilt-ridden killer. Sisko famously thinks making soufflé is largely a matter of luck
Okay so I am over here to say that like, you can’t compare apples and oranges. Different historical food ways, different availability of ingredients would give vastly different outcomes. Both bring their crews and families to the table happily and that’s pretty amazing.
Putting this into the universe once more: Pike and Sisko chatting and cooking together in a Short Trek. Hqndwave the details, Pike accidentally touches an orb that got stolen, a pah wraith artifact and Sisko saves him, the setup is immaterial. Just two captains chatting and cooking.
Sisko would be better at picking spices and bringing out the most flavor in a dish. Pike would prepare more intricate meals and be a better dinner host.
imo, Sisko is the chef you'd pay a lot of money and wait in line to experience, but Pike is the host that always makes every friend or family gathering amazing
Sisko introduced me to cajun/creole food. I cooked jambalaya at home because of him making it, having NO IDEA what it was beforehand. Now I'm obsessed with cajun and creole cuisine.
So, Sisko.
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I think Pike would do a great job. Look at what he did with those Vulcan dishes, and it would be nice, no dobt about it.
Hell, if it was between Neelix and Pike, I'd still choose Sisko, but at least Neelix would be a moderately close second...
...also, Tuvok is a surprisingly good patissier. Definitely would go to him for pastries and other baked desserts.
I wish more fan spaces had such restraint.
This phrase was an exercise in respect, consent, and restraint and it probably reinforced these values of fans or was one of the many values that repelled potential hate watchers from the fandom.
With Pike, the cooking is a party - everybody that wants to will help make the food and it'll taste better because of it.
How is it even a contest.
Meanwhile, in the mess hall, Tom’s still trying to get his hot, plain tomato soup…
mariner would reference a legacy character who enjoys a certain meal. boimler would be disgusted. rutherford would be all 'yeah, i understand the curiosity, but it's not for me'. tendi would make an ambiguous reference about orion survival training
after boimler freaks out and leaves, then t'lyn reveals it's a tofu variant, as a control sample.
"i was under the impression distressing lt boimler was a vital part of our group's dynamic."
"how's the spice balance, science bestie?"
'hm... i usually go heavier on the paprika.'
"noted."
klingons probably have a code of cannibalism they haven't actually invoked in generations.
the ferengi haven't settled if it's sufficiently profitable.
so this may be a technical vs. hobbyist divide. sisko is very competent with his recipes, pike will try new things that swing from alright to surprisingly good.
Next you’re gonna claim Riker is the best chef.
Listen.
Star Trek Meshi.
The Klowahkans are the *backers* of the expedition, but they won't go in themselves.
Pike is the more adventurous chef. The show clearly shows he has a willingness to integrate alien ingredients and play with flavors.
Sisko is a greasy spoon chef. He’s gonna give you some of the best food you’ve ever tasted but it’ll be the same array of recipes.
Sisko's about to give you a new favourite dish
Riker probably has the best edible underwear.
That said, a meal from either one is gonna be a good time.
So, Sisko.