A Taste of Bison

<table><tbody><tr><td><div style="padding:15px;"><div><div><div style="border:8px solid #ffffff;width:125px;height:125px;margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;float:left;"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/1AxolxT.png" style="height:125px;"></div></div><div style="text-align:justify;">He nodded, making a gesture out. "You can't see them, but there's fences up at the edges. All my neighbours are the sort of people who appreciate their own privacy, so beyond the occasional community barbeque, we don't see much of each other." He wasn't the kind of man who wanted to go join a country club, but it would do him no good to become a complete recluse. No, better to be just social enough to attract no attention for it. "And the property has security, of course, to keep people out." more than once he'd had someone try and burgle the house, but it always ended poorly. After all, the house was never completely empty. There was always someone in the house, whether it was him, his parents, or a member of the staff.

"The house is the family house - it's been with us for generations. Which means it's a family house. My grandfather had four children that lived with him, and more than one lived in the house after they got married. It's fairly empty now, but eventually I'll have children of my own running around filling it up. I'm unfortunate enough to have no siblings, but I still have plenty of extended relatives who stop by and visit every so often." He'd have to remember to make a point to invite Aloysius back. If nothing else, he'd love to give his dog free reign in the yard. "I prefer to think of it not as my house, but as my families house. I suppose you live in the city?"
</div>[/thoth] @"Critical" </div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table>​

<table><tbody><tr><td><div style="padding:15px;"><div><div><div style="border:8px solid #ffffff;width:125px;height:125px;margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;float:left;"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/1r3hMmE.png" style="height:125px;"></div></div><div style="text-align:justify;">While a lot of questions he'd been asked were personal to a certain extent, this one went a bit past the line in Ignatius's opinion. Perhaps he'd invited it by mentioning future children, but there wasn't much he could do with that. "Whenever I get married." He said, brushing the question off quickly. Better to just move on, and not bring attention to it.

He nodded politely, although he had no real intention of invading a small apartment. Small was... well, small. He was not a small man, and had no real desire to impose on someone when he had a literal mansion at his disposal. He preferred to host - then it was on his terms.

"I'm sure the bison will be out soon, shall we grab a seat?" It was obviously a rhetorical question, because he immediately stood, gesturing over to the table before he moved over, grabbing one of the seats for himself, leaving Lelei opposite for him on a rather unusual looking chair. It stood out from the place setting - but it was also the only one without a back, which would allow Lelei to sit in it without causing too much discomfort for his tail.
</div>[/thoth] @"Critical" </div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table>​

<table><tbody><tr><td><div style="padding:15px;"><div><div><div style="border:8px solid #ffffff;width:125px;height:125px;margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;float:left;"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/1AxolxT.png" style="height:125px;"></div></div><div style="text-align:justify;">"It's not a problem." Ignatius said confidently. "It's nice to share a meal with someone who can appreciate it." He said, and not a moment too soon, as a man who was very clearly the chef appeared, carrying two plates that were both steaming into the night air. He set one in front of Ignatius, and then one in front of Lelei, before explaining the meal.

"Your appetizer. Smoked Bison with melted fennel and leeks, hearts of palm salad, and a blood orange-tangerine vinaigrette." It was all rather elaborately prepared, and with a small bow, he excused himself back to the kitchen to prepare the main course. The portion sizes were sizeable compared to the average appetizer, but still fairly dainty - but it was really only an interesting alternative to the main course, something to whet their appetite. The buffalo was set into three small slices, topped with the fennel-leek mixture, and then the salad was placed on top.

Ignatius grinned, fetching his fork and wasting no time in popping the first slice into his mouth, savoring the flavor of it. He didn't eat much on the vegetable side of things, but it added an interesting taste and texture to it.
</div>[/thoth] @"Critical" - appetizer</div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table>​

<table><tbody><tr><td><div style="padding:15px;"><div><div><div style="border:8px solid #ffffff;width:125px;height:125px;margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;float:left;"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/1AxolxT.png" style="height:125px;"></div></div><div style="text-align:justify;">Boastful indeed, but it also made perfect sense. Carnivores were more likely to eat meat, so they would have to have a pallet better suited to tasting meat. Omnivores were more diverse, so the whole thing was just far more spread out. They might be able to appreciate plant matter more, but they couldn't taste the finer flavors in meat.

He found it hard not to stare as Lelei ate. It was just so... so unwieldy. It had never occurred to him that Lelei didn't have lips, but... well, he didn't. He had no lips, and even as dainty as he was, there was still a bit of mess.

"Bison is lower in calories, and has slightly more protein. It's also leaner - less fat. It makes for a different texture, which is the main draw of it." It was something different and unique, and wasn't that what everyone wanted? Something different.

They didn't have long to wait. Ignatius had only just polished off the next two slices of the appetizer when the chef appeared again, this time carrying the main course. The steaks themselves were nicely sized and prepared rare, laid out on a plate without added garnish.

"A T-bone steak with a bit of herb butter." Far simpler than the appetizer, but also far larger. It took more effort to keep a bison cooked evenly when they were larger than usual, and he laid out a plate in front of each of them before bowing once more and retreating.

Ignatius helped himself to a bit of his drink before he collected his knife. "Enjoy." He said simply, starting to cut his steak.
</div>[/thoth] @"Critical" </div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table>​

<table><tbody><tr><td><div style="padding:15px;"><div><div><div style="border:8px solid #ffffff;width:125px;height:125px;margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;float:left;"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/1AxolxT.png" style="height:125px;"></div></div><div style="text-align:justify;">It was not the best dinner Ignatius had experienced. He'd had plenty of dinners that surpassed this one, but he did have a place in his heart for bison. It was like beef... only better. Well, better than most beef. Wagyu - proper, real wagyu - was a class of it's own. Matsusaka was by far the best, but if he could get it, any real Japanese wagyu would do.

"Oh, only rarely. It's a massive pain to import to the islands. I have to find someone willing to sell, and is willing to do so while a shipment is coming in." Lining up those two events could be difficult. "It's really not worth the effort for business. The majority of people wouldn't really appreciate the difference anyway." People simply didn't have a good taste for that kind of thing. "The human palate really isn't meant for the finer details. That sort of money would be better spent on a different preparation. The difference in steaks for omnivores matters less than the preparation, I've been told." Well, minor differences - anyone could tell the difference between a high end and a low end steak, but a high end and a very high end steak would go right over their heads.
</div>[/thoth] @"Critical" </div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table>​