I was WONDERING if diet would come up! Looks like Selkie may be getting her menu expanded a bit, since it looks like some types of plant products are acceptable.
OMG as someone with Peanut allergies I run into this! See, peanuts close my throat up within 40 minutes. But unlike the normal allergy to the protein, I’m allergic to something else in it. Something that does not make it into peanut OIL (We suspect the paper skin stuff). I have caused many a freak out by people who thought I was about to die eating a french fry or saw me eat things with peanut oil and thought the peanut butter chocolate chip cookies they made would be fiiiiine. I can’t wait to see how this is discussed!!
I seem to recall Dave stating that Selkie can eat meat that has traces of plant-based ingredients – and tea is basically hot water with traces of plant-based ingredients. I also seem to recall that in one strip, at school lunch, she scraped the ketchup off the burger meat, but all that the remaining traces of ketchup did was taste bad to her, not give her any problem.
As with humans, it seems Sarnothi can develop a liking for foods and beverages that on first encounter “taste bad”. With us it’s usually bitterness that becomes an acquired taste: black coffee, dark chocolate, beer, for instance. And, once accepted, such a flavor can often be passionately loved!
But we tend to be extremely specific about our acquired tastes. Bitterness as such is still a danger flag for “possibly toxic.” We don’t lose that warning just because we have grown to love our morning cup of coffee. So I expect Sarnothi would be very picky about which plant-based traces they’d learn to like.
Dark chocolate and Licorice [Anise] are two of my favourite strong flavours. And I also love Hot chocolate, especially the flavoured versions.
as for tea, I’ve tried a few herbal teas, don’t like them
with the exception of Gingerbread Tea, I love that one. Too bad they only sell it at Christmas time.
It also should be noted that food allergies can be outgrown as one ages. The Sarnothi have what appears to be a carbohydrate allergy but certain vegetables have little or no carbs. Selkie could probably eat certain types of kelp too.
I am pretty sure it is not an allergy at all. That is, it’s not their immune system over-reacting to an otherwise-harmless substance. It is a natural, healthy, biological response of an obligate carnivore, rejecting substances their digestive system never evolved to process.
“Food allergies” is just how Todd’s been explaining the situation to others who aren’t privy to the secret that this is an entirely different non-human race. Calling Selkie’s intolerance of plant material a food allergy is something strangers can understand, and will pay attention to. But it is not, in fact, an accurate description.
Tea is mostly water. So it makes sense that the small traces of plant material in it wouldn’t cause any problems. Vegetables, on the other hand, are never going to be any good.
Well, a certain set of health food aficionados will sometimes use it for (*ahem!*) “internal cleansing” of a certain female reproductive organ. (The blend usually depends on personal preference, but some will use a specific tea [or blend] for a specific ailment.)
Are you old enough to remember the “Latest Fad” of the late 70s when the health nuts were getting “deep colonic flushings” with strong coffee? I’m sorry that yur comment reminded me of that, it was better forgotten.
Actually, I do indeed remember that. Oddly enough my mom, who was well into her now-decades-long health food aficionado-ism (is that even a word?), refused to go that far; preferring to consume her coffee by more conventional means.
There are some herbs which can be brewed similar to tea, and SAT in, to help lessen swelling and ease pain and discomfort after childbirth. My midwife had me to that. It was weird, but it helped with the healing. It was basically the easiest way to deliver the healing benefits of the herbs in a home-setting. Many medicines and ointments contain herbal extracts. It wasn’t used as a douche though, I just boiled and strained the herbs, put the warm “tea” in a wide, flat container (something big enough to sit in), and sat my heiney in it for a few minutes. Epsom salt was also added a few times.
And yes… Lysol… I learned about that while researching antique bottles I’ve found and collected. I have one of those old Lysol bottles.
Of course, the formula was different in the 1940s & 50s. It was more like Listerine, and was sold in corked bottles as a “disenfectant liquid”. A teaspoon or so could be mixed into the lady’s douche (which, in those days, was a rubber device consisting of what looked like a hot-water bottle, a long hose, and a nozzle.. Ms. Lady would fill the bottle, hang it from the shower-head, lay down in the tub, inset the nozzle, and release a valve to allow gravity to wash things out…typically used after sex as a contraceptive. Apparently Lysol not only kills germs, but sperms too. It was discovered to cause severe uterine and cervical irritation and even cancer, unsurprisingly.
And yet, the further south you drive, the more common (ubiquitous? Pervasive? Insidious? epidemic?) it becomes. Growing up, they served it brewed stronger than Coke, sweeter than Pepsi, … I prefer tea’s exotic blends, Yogi tea, Ceylon Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, Silver Leaf, Lapsong-Suchong, … That stuff. But I prefer just coffee, black. No cream, no sugar, just black.
I don’t hate you! Texas girl, born and raised, here! I like some tea with my sugar. (I’m a sugar-addict, on top of being hypo-glycemic, so I typically add 6 packets of sugar to a glass of tea, if it doesnt come sweet)
I visited a friend in Nebraska. I KNEW better, but I did it anyway out of habit… We went out to eat at Olive Garden. The waitress asked what drinks we wanted, and me in my full redneck glory goes, “D’Yall have sweet tea?” [Excuse me?] “I’m sorry. Do YOU have sweet tea HERE?” [Um. We have TEA. And there is sugar and sweetner on the TABLE.]
My friend had a good laugh at my expense. I told him to shut it. He grew up in Texas, he knows the struggle!
He’s always been prone to being a little reactive (though he has a good handle on it most of the time), but really has been acting oddly this whole arc. It’s like he’s either calm or in the near state of shock over really strange things. Maybe he’s on some weird medication and/or recreational drugs? XD
I’ve been drinking tea on the theory that the caffeine in it will keep me more awake and alert—I don’t drink coffee ’cause I can’t stand the taste, and drinking caffeinated sodas is confined to my days off.
Hmmm… Maybe it’s just Selkie’s race that has issues with plants—like they have some kind of sensitivity the others don’t have.
I’m a Rooibos girl myself (once I learned how to pronounce the damn thing). We have a wonderful little tea shop nearby that makes a “Cappucino Cream” blend that I like to drink before bed. It’s supposed to have all sorts of magical properties to it (who knows what’s true vs. woo), but it’s relaxing and settles my stomach.
Well, yes. They are, but that doesn’t mean they necessarily have the same intolerances to produce that Selkie does. Even obligate carnivores have been known to consume vegetation once in a while. I have some weird potato-chip-eating cats to prove it. 😉
Another possibility? Pesticides! A friend actually had this. For a large part of her life she mistakenly believed she was allergic to produce until one of her doctors pointed out she was actually allergic to the sprays on it so she actually has been able to eat certain organics.
It’s true. I’ve developed an intolerance to artificial ingredients as well. MSG makes me feel ill, and makes my body smell TERRIBLE the next day. Artificial sweeteners and flavors make me feel like I’ve taken a drug… I feel disoriented, dizzy, and jittery. Sodium Phosphates make my guts swell to second-trimester pregnancy levels within 30 minutes of consuming treated meats or cheese-sauce products. And the potatoes at Whataburger give me delayed but severe gastrointestinal distress that I won’t detail, but is unpleasant enough that I refuse to eat there. Haven’t pinpointed what THAT is from, because I can eat other burger joints just fine.
I think tea is dried, diluted and ground up enough that it doesn’t give Sarnothi any digestive issues. Complete, unprocessed vegetable fiber, like the ones in cooked veggies, are the ones that they cannot digest. Right?
I mean it makes sense if you think about it. They’re aquatic, and water is filled with plankton.
Selkie is a small child, and vegetables make her sick.
These folks are grown. Notice he said that HE liked one type, and HIS WIFE liked a different type. Didn’t say anything about the little boy drinking it.
Maybe it has something to do with going through puberty.
But it would depend on the REASON it made her sick. If its, for example, too much plant matter that her stomache can’t break down and thus has to send back up, that won’t be an issue with a highly diluted form like tea.
On the other hand if its some sort of reaction to the very ingredients in vegetables (or at least some of them) such as an allergy or an intolerance, then even small doses might be an issue.
However given Pohl and Sai Fen’s consumption of tea, I am leaning towards the former rather than the latter. Now whether or not Selkie enjoys the taste of teas or herbal infusions is another matter.
I’m wondering if it’s something along the lines of Gut Bacteria. Selkie doesn’t have a full range in her internal biome, so isn’t able to process plant matter like others. One good yogurt cocktail, and she’ll be okay. Personal preferance still leans strong, of course.
Love hibiscus tea and many fruit teas. I’m ok with some herbal teas but I cannot stand black, white, or green of any sort too bitter, maybe fermented might be a better description for black or grassy for me. But let’s hope Selkie’s diet expands to receive some much needed flavor into her diet.
Ohh, they could marinate the meat in a tea so to get the flavor rather than tossing on a coat of spices and herbal seasonings. Dammit, now I’m getting ideas.
Green tea, like the full and frothy tea-ceremony tea with all the dregs, is one of the few bitter drinks I actually like.
Most teas just aren’t my cup, but a lot of teas smell delightful to me. Constant Comment, for example, which is like a spicy orange, or lots of other fruity teas, or peppermint, etc.
The problem is that they taste nothing like they smell like. Good, strong smell, but the taste is like slightly flavored water desperately pretending that it qualifies as fruit juice.
ooooo I LOVE Bigelow’s Constant Comment! I like it hot, as a breakfast tea. It’s wonderful with something chocolate, or cinnamon. I brew it very strong though, and drink it hot… maybe you’re brewing it weaker, or icing it, and that is diluting the taste?
I also sweeten my tea (like the heathen southern American clod that I am)… I sometimes use white sugar, but I prefer turbinado, which also emparts a nice flavor to the teas.
My understanding of brewing, which is how my mom taught me to brew for her, is “pour boiling or almost-boiling water in cup, put bag in cup (or the other way around, either way), let steep for maybe two minutes, drink if it’s cool enough to manage. Letting it sit much longer makes it bitter.”
What’s your style? I think it likely that your understanding of “strong” taste and mine may be different.
Well, with all things, there’s always an exception. Their breeds vary enough to where their clans, skin tone and eye colors change, it wouldn’t be that far off to suggest that they might have different dietary habits.
There’s also the off chance that they are simply aware of themselves better then Selkie is. Food does change when it’s cooked, boiled, whatever. Then there’s the fact some people are only allergic to specific things. Some people may be allergic to any peanut based product, while others may only be allergic to peanut butter or something.
I suppose that certain plant-based things must be okay then. But I’m not sure that Selkie needs caffeine!
I love tea! My favorites include Lapsang Souchong, Shou Mei white tea, Hojicha (roasted green tea), and Pu Erh teas. I occasionally will drink Earl Grey. But I generally don’t care for the floral-scented teas.
Also, white and green tea have only small amounts of caffeine. I doubt they’d make anyone more hyper. I drink lots of tea (even black tea before bed occassionally) but have never felt more awake or hyper because of it.
He might be joking — he does have a somewhat offbeat sense of humour. Or he might be genuinely disconcerted by Todd’s strong reaction and suddenly unsure whether he’s inadvertently done something horrifying.
Dave, you need to renew your right to this domain or something. It’s making checking your comic regularly a bit of an ordeal.
I DON’T WANNA STOP READING SELKIE DON’T TAKE THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY AWAY PLEEEASE!
Guessing he’s freaking out because tea is plant based, which he thought sarnothi can’t consume?
I was WONDERING if diet would come up! Looks like Selkie may be getting her menu expanded a bit, since it looks like some types of plant products are acceptable.
OMG as someone with Peanut allergies I run into this! See, peanuts close my throat up within 40 minutes. But unlike the normal allergy to the protein, I’m allergic to something else in it. Something that does not make it into peanut OIL (We suspect the paper skin stuff). I have caused many a freak out by people who thought I was about to die eating a french fry or saw me eat things with peanut oil and thought the peanut butter chocolate chip cookies they made would be fiiiiine. I can’t wait to see how this is discussed!!
I think *refined* peanut oil is generally supposed to be safe for people with peanut allergies.
This is going to rock the “Can Selkie eat that?” world.
I seem to recall Dave stating that Selkie can eat meat that has traces of plant-based ingredients – and tea is basically hot water with traces of plant-based ingredients. I also seem to recall that in one strip, at school lunch, she scraped the ketchup off the burger meat, but all that the remaining traces of ketchup did was taste bad to her, not give her any problem.
As with humans, it seems Sarnothi can develop a liking for foods and beverages that on first encounter “taste bad”. With us it’s usually bitterness that becomes an acquired taste: black coffee, dark chocolate, beer, for instance. And, once accepted, such a flavor can often be passionately loved!
But we tend to be extremely specific about our acquired tastes. Bitterness as such is still a danger flag for “possibly toxic.” We don’t lose that warning just because we have grown to love our morning cup of coffee. So I expect Sarnothi would be very picky about which plant-based traces they’d learn to like.
Dark chocolate and Licorice [Anise] are two of my favourite strong flavours. And I also love Hot chocolate, especially the flavoured versions.
as for tea, I’ve tried a few herbal teas, don’t like them
with the exception of Gingerbread Tea, I love that one. Too bad they only sell it at Christmas time.
It also should be noted that food allergies can be outgrown as one ages. The Sarnothi have what appears to be a carbohydrate allergy but certain vegetables have little or no carbs. Selkie could probably eat certain types of kelp too.
I am pretty sure it is not an allergy at all. That is, it’s not their immune system over-reacting to an otherwise-harmless substance. It is a natural, healthy, biological response of an obligate carnivore, rejecting substances their digestive system never evolved to process.
“Food allergies” is just how Todd’s been explaining the situation to others who aren’t privy to the secret that this is an entirely different non-human race. Calling Selkie’s intolerance of plant material a food allergy is something strangers can understand, and will pay attention to. But it is not, in fact, an accurate description.
Tea is mostly water. So it makes sense that the small traces of plant material in it wouldn’t cause any problems. Vegetables, on the other hand, are never going to be any good.
“Please don’t tell me it’s a suppository…”
Well, a certain set of health food aficionados will sometimes use it for (*ahem!*) “internal cleansing” of a certain female reproductive organ. (The blend usually depends on personal preference, but some will use a specific tea [or blend] for a specific ailment.)
Are you old enough to remember the “Latest Fad” of the late 70s when the health nuts were getting “deep colonic flushings” with strong coffee? I’m sorry that yur comment reminded me of that, it was better forgotten.
People still do that. I only found out about that because people still do that. It’s horrifyingly stupid.
Actually, I do indeed remember that. Oddly enough my mom, who was well into her now-decades-long health food aficionado-ism (is that even a word?), refused to go that far; preferring to consume her coffee by more conventional means.
At least they stopped using Lysol…
There are some herbs which can be brewed similar to tea, and SAT in, to help lessen swelling and ease pain and discomfort after childbirth. My midwife had me to that. It was weird, but it helped with the healing. It was basically the easiest way to deliver the healing benefits of the herbs in a home-setting. Many medicines and ointments contain herbal extracts. It wasn’t used as a douche though, I just boiled and strained the herbs, put the warm “tea” in a wide, flat container (something big enough to sit in), and sat my heiney in it for a few minutes. Epsom salt was also added a few times.
And yes… Lysol… I learned about that while researching antique bottles I’ve found and collected. I have one of those old Lysol bottles.
Of course, the formula was different in the 1940s & 50s. It was more like Listerine, and was sold in corked bottles as a “disenfectant liquid”. A teaspoon or so could be mixed into the lady’s douche (which, in those days, was a rubber device consisting of what looked like a hot-water bottle, a long hose, and a nozzle.. Ms. Lady would fill the bottle, hang it from the shower-head, lay down in the tub, inset the nozzle, and release a valve to allow gravity to wash things out…typically used after sex as a contraceptive. Apparently Lysol not only kills germs, but sperms too. It was discovered to cause severe uterine and cervical irritation and even cancer, unsurprisingly.
I like genmaicha, hojicha, and barley tea 🙂
For me, it’s half-strength, half-sweet decaf iced tea. And I think I just made everyone ever hate me.
Sweet tea is an abomination before God and man. You should be fed to Tai Li for that 😉
And yet, the further south you drive, the more common (ubiquitous? Pervasive? Insidious? epidemic?) it becomes. Growing up, they served it brewed stronger than Coke, sweeter than Pepsi, … I prefer tea’s exotic blends, Yogi tea, Ceylon Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, Silver Leaf, Lapsong-Suchong, … That stuff. But I prefer just coffee, black. No cream, no sugar, just black.
I don’t hate you! Texas girl, born and raised, here! I like some tea with my sugar. (I’m a sugar-addict, on top of being hypo-glycemic, so I typically add 6 packets of sugar to a glass of tea, if it doesnt come sweet)
I visited a friend in Nebraska. I KNEW better, but I did it anyway out of habit… We went out to eat at Olive Garden. The waitress asked what drinks we wanted, and me in my full redneck glory goes, “D’Yall have sweet tea?” [Excuse me?] “I’m sorry. Do YOU have sweet tea HERE?” [Um. We have TEA. And there is sugar and sweetner on the TABLE.]
My friend had a good laugh at my expense. I told him to shut it. He grew up in Texas, he knows the struggle!
Todd,honey,deep breaths. You might faint from your own silliness.
He’s always been prone to being a little reactive (though he has a good handle on it most of the time), but really has been acting oddly this whole arc. It’s like he’s either calm or in the near state of shock over really strange things. Maybe he’s on some weird medication and/or recreational drugs? XD
I’ve been drinking tea on the theory that the caffeine in it will keep me more awake and alert—I don’t drink coffee ’cause I can’t stand the taste, and drinking caffeinated sodas is confined to my days off.
“Please don’t tell me it’s a suppository.” Well, maybe in France…
Hmmm… Maybe it’s just Selkie’s race that has issues with plants—like they have some kind of sensitivity the others don’t have.
I’m a Rooibos girl myself (once I learned how to pronounce the damn thing). We have a wonderful little tea shop nearby that makes a “Cappucino Cream” blend that I like to drink before bed. It’s supposed to have all sorts of magical properties to it (who knows what’s true vs. woo), but it’s relaxing and settles my stomach.
Nah they are definitely all carnivorous, shown during the Smith’s first visit where Sai Fen had no idea how salad works.
Well, yes. They are, but that doesn’t mean they necessarily have the same intolerances to produce that Selkie does. Even obligate carnivores have been known to consume vegetation once in a while. I have some weird potato-chip-eating cats to prove it. 😉
Another possibility? Pesticides! A friend actually had this. For a large part of her life she mistakenly believed she was allergic to produce until one of her doctors pointed out she was actually allergic to the sprays on it so she actually has been able to eat certain organics.
It’s true. I’ve developed an intolerance to artificial ingredients as well. MSG makes me feel ill, and makes my body smell TERRIBLE the next day. Artificial sweeteners and flavors make me feel like I’ve taken a drug… I feel disoriented, dizzy, and jittery. Sodium Phosphates make my guts swell to second-trimester pregnancy levels within 30 minutes of consuming treated meats or cheese-sauce products. And the potatoes at Whataburger give me delayed but severe gastrointestinal distress that I won’t detail, but is unpleasant enough that I refuse to eat there. Haven’t pinpointed what THAT is from, because I can eat other burger joints just fine.
I had to google this topic, and it does appear there are several tea eneams out there. Green tea enema anyone? lol! 😀
See my comment, above, for history lesson on the stupid 1970s.
I think tea is dried, diluted and ground up enough that it doesn’t give Sarnothi any digestive issues. Complete, unprocessed vegetable fiber, like the ones in cooked veggies, are the ones that they cannot digest. Right?
I mean it makes sense if you think about it. They’re aquatic, and water is filled with plankton.
Selkie is a small child, and vegetables make her sick.
These folks are grown. Notice he said that HE liked one type, and HIS WIFE liked a different type. Didn’t say anything about the little boy drinking it.
Maybe it has something to do with going through puberty.
But it would depend on the REASON it made her sick. If its, for example, too much plant matter that her stomache can’t break down and thus has to send back up, that won’t be an issue with a highly diluted form like tea.
On the other hand if its some sort of reaction to the very ingredients in vegetables (or at least some of them) such as an allergy or an intolerance, then even small doses might be an issue.
However given Pohl and Sai Fen’s consumption of tea, I am leaning towards the former rather than the latter. Now whether or not Selkie enjoys the taste of teas or herbal infusions is another matter.
Oh man, that last part rhyming was entirely unintentional.
I’m wondering if it’s something along the lines of Gut Bacteria. Selkie doesn’t have a full range in her internal biome, so isn’t able to process plant matter like others. One good yogurt cocktail, and she’ll be okay. Personal preferance still leans strong, of course.
Love hibiscus tea and many fruit teas. I’m ok with some herbal teas but I cannot stand black, white, or green of any sort too bitter, maybe fermented might be a better description for black or grassy for me. But let’s hope Selkie’s diet expands to receive some much needed flavor into her diet.
Ohh, they could marinate the meat in a tea so to get the flavor rather than tossing on a coat of spices and herbal seasonings. Dammit, now I’m getting ideas.
Green tea, like the full and frothy tea-ceremony tea with all the dregs, is one of the few bitter drinks I actually like.
Most teas just aren’t my cup, but a lot of teas smell delightful to me. Constant Comment, for example, which is like a spicy orange, or lots of other fruity teas, or peppermint, etc.
The problem is that they taste nothing like they smell like. Good, strong smell, but the taste is like slightly flavored water desperately pretending that it qualifies as fruit juice.
ooooo I LOVE Bigelow’s Constant Comment! I like it hot, as a breakfast tea. It’s wonderful with something chocolate, or cinnamon. I brew it very strong though, and drink it hot… maybe you’re brewing it weaker, or icing it, and that is diluting the taste?
I also sweeten my tea (like the heathen southern American clod that I am)… I sometimes use white sugar, but I prefer turbinado, which also emparts a nice flavor to the teas.
My understanding of brewing, which is how my mom taught me to brew for her, is “pour boiling or almost-boiling water in cup, put bag in cup (or the other way around, either way), let steep for maybe two minutes, drink if it’s cool enough to manage. Letting it sit much longer makes it bitter.”
What’s your style? I think it likely that your understanding of “strong” taste and mine may be different.
My favorite is Chai Tea, followed closely by Mint, then the fruity and berry teas.
I’m going to go with the theory that tea has such trace amounts of veggies that they just pass right through.
Well, with all things, there’s always an exception. Their breeds vary enough to where their clans, skin tone and eye colors change, it wouldn’t be that far off to suggest that they might have different dietary habits.
There’s also the off chance that they are simply aware of themselves better then Selkie is. Food does change when it’s cooked, boiled, whatever. Then there’s the fact some people are only allergic to specific things. Some people may be allergic to any peanut based product, while others may only be allergic to peanut butter or something.
I suppose that certain plant-based things must be okay then. But I’m not sure that Selkie needs caffeine!
I love tea! My favorites include Lapsang Souchong, Shou Mei white tea, Hojicha (roasted green tea), and Pu Erh teas. I occasionally will drink Earl Grey. But I generally don’t care for the floral-scented teas.
Only true tea will contain caffeine, herbal blends would be entirely caffeine free.
Also, white and green tea have only small amounts of caffeine. I doubt they’d make anyone more hyper. I drink lots of tea (even black tea before bed occassionally) but have never felt more awake or hyper because of it.
Mint tea! Awesome for when you’re not feeling well.
Is Pohl an idiot? Why would he not know that? He works with humans.
He might be joking — he does have a somewhat offbeat sense of humour. Or he might be genuinely disconcerted by Todd’s strong reaction and suddenly unsure whether he’s inadvertently done something horrifying.
Or, you know… a bit of both.
Dave, you need to renew your right to this domain or something. It’s making checking your comic regularly a bit of an ordeal.
I DON’T WANNA STOP READING SELKIE DON’T TAKE THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY AWAY PLEEEASE!
I’ll get back n touch with my hosting, I thought this was resolved already. >_<
According to my browser, your certificate has expired. That’s all I know. Could just be my browser being unnecessarily suspicious…