Return Engagement

** "Return Engagement" by Margaret St. Clair is a science fiction story that follows Joseph McBream’s account of an unusual event involving Denis Farquarson, a famous chef on a space journey. The story looks at cultural differences, the results of not paying attention, and strange alien relationships. It all starts with Farquarson’s unfortunate choice to try an alien food, which then puts him in danger with the Talipygians, a strange species from the moon Iapetus. He accidentally cooks foods that are very important to the Talipygians, so McBream has to rescue him. The story is both funny and exciting, and it ends with Farquarson having to entertain the Talipygians every year, which annoys McBream because saving Farquarson meant nothing. In general, the story blends humor with real thoughts about how humans and aliens can get along in a made-up world. **