Gourmet

"Gourmet" by Allen Kim Lang is a science fiction story that throws us into the daily grind aboard the spaceship "Charles Partlow Sale" on its way to Mars. Life in space depends a lot on the ship's cook, Robert Bailey, and how he creatively uses food to keep the crew happy, all while dealing with a limited algae-based menu. The story mainly revolves around Bailey's hard work to keep the ship’s captain, Willy Winkelmann, satisfied. Winkelmann's constant, critical feedback pushes Bailey to his limits, but it also forces him to find new ways to cook using recycled ingredients on the ship. In the end, even though the Captain is hard to please, his demanding nature, mixed with the cook’s genius, highlights the unspoken cooperation needed for everyone to survive the trip.