Fans of DS9 will fondly recall that Capt. Benjamin Sisko, son of restauranteur Joseph Sisko, proprieter of Sisko's Creole Kitchen, was raised to be a chef before his illustrious career in Starfleet and as a Bajorian demigod. Between those events, however, we would frequently see him cooking for friends and family.
Similarly, in SNW, we see Captain Christpher Pike cooking in his suspiciously well-equipped quarters, often serving intimate dinners, friendly gatherings, and diplomats alike with culinary delights and delicacies from across the (known) galaxy.
Between the two, who would you rather be served by? Whose cuisine would win out? Which of these legendary captains would best the other in a competition if you had to choose?
Edit: for the sake of discussion, let’s assume that both Pike and Sisko are cooking with real ingredients, nothing replicated/synthesized.
Let us know in the comments below!
- Live Long and Prosper! 🖖
Pike loves it, but he has no natural instinct for it and has to compensate by using fancy equipment and techniques. It's performative for him, and it's part of his captain persona - see the pristine apron he makes sure you notice. His food wins for presentation, but is rarely any better than what the mess hall would whip up.
Sisko was born into a family of natural chefs, and he couldn't be bothered with the frooferah of plating and fussy atmospherics. He chops his vegetables big and messy, because he knows exactly how to cook and season them so they disintegrate deliciously when they hit your tongue.
Sisko's restaurant is the place all the locals go and dream about when they leave. Pike's is the pricey tourist restaurant that charges a ton and though everything looks great you leave underwhelmed, thinking you could probably do just as good in your own kitchen.
I don’t think the canon supports this analysis but god if it isn’t fun anyway.