Marron, flustered and laughing—actually laughing—let herself be shepherded to the photo area. The dwarf handed her a new, perfectly intact pancake for the picture, and someone in the crowd snapped the shot with a magical photo crystal.
When she finally bit into the pancake, the cheese was perfect: creamy, salty, rich. The pancake itself was good but not extraordinary. Standard recipe, well-executed.
But the experience...
The game, the crowd, the photo, the celebration...had made it memorable. Had made it matter in a way that went beyond taste.
This was presentation too, Marron realized. Not just how food looked, but how it made people feel. The story around it. The moment it created.
"Forty-seven centimeters!" Lucy was practically vibrating with excitement. "That was amazing!"
"I got lucky," Marron said, but she was smiling as she said it.
"No such thing as luck with cheese," the dwarf said, winking. "That was pure skill. You work with food?"
"Trying to," Marron admitted.
