Interstellar MegaChef

Saraswati Kaveri and Serenity Ko have a chance encounter in a flying cab. Saras is newly arrived on Primus from backwater Earth and is hoping to use her entry in the Interstellar Megachef reality competition show to get revenge on her doubting family back home for destroying her career as a chef. Serenity Ko is fleeing a riot she caused by being a rich asshole trying to get a bunch of poor strangers to celebrate her achievements as an "aesthete savant" in anticipation of a big promotion at her job as a producer of sims (simulated immersive reality). Both of their plans go to hell within short order. Lavanya Lakshminarayan thus sets the stage for them to reunite, gradually, as they look for ways to get back on their feet. Their eventual professional collaboration, combining Saras' mastery of flavor and art and Ko's knowledge of technology and culture, provides a unique window into the ways food shapes culture and culture creates food. On Primus, Ko's homeworld, which is considered the center of human civilization, nothing is fried or grilled or broiled - Primians disdain the "violence" of cooking over an open flame and chopping up whole plants in favor of extracted flavor essences and vat-grown proteins in the form of gelled layers and refined soups. On Earth and elsewhere, people deride the Primians' high-falutin' obsession with distancing themselves from the concept of consuming anything from the natural world. There's even a religious sect on Primus whose ultimate goal is to transform themselves into beings who can sustain themselves entirely on starlight. For now they settle for photovoltaic skin mods and eating less.

There is so much fizzy fun, witty banter, colorful characters, and mouth-watering descriptions of luscious food, that you could almost miss the fact that there are serious topics being discussed too--cultural imperialism, environmental exploitation, corruption, and humanity's eternal struggle between convenience and doing the right thing. The stakes seem low for the most part, but we are talking about food! The thing everyone needs to survive.

I loved every minute of this and was sad when I finished it so quickly. There is a sequel, "Interstellar Feast," whose description offers many spoilers that I have avoided. I am eager to read it, even if I have to abandon the audiobook format that is my favorite because no audio version exists as of yet.