Orzo Hate and Obligatory FE12 Update

[mark_asphodel]

 I don't like orzo.  Orzo, for those of you not exposed to it yet, is a macaroni product that masquerades as long-grain rice.  It looks like a cross between long-grain rice and slivered blanched almonds and it tastes like Nothing Much.  It's an Uncanny Valley food for me-- I first encountered it at university, was puzzled and dismayed by it, and have never managed to get over the "wtf not rice!" reaction.  And I like other itty-bitty pasta shapes, though I firmly believe that shape and taste are linked by texture so that no two pasta types ever really taste the same.

Anyway, I made a batch of it yesterday, all gussied up with fresh mint and peas and white wine and sea scallops, and all the fixings were good but underneath it the orzo was blah.  With all the work that went into that dish (not to mention the cost of the scallops and wine) I would rather have made a good arborio rice risotto.  Also managed to score some fresh Michigan strawberries, tiny deep-red gems that actually taste like something.  I love other red fruits (cherries, raspberries, redcurrants) but strawberries and I have a see-saw relationship marred by memories of chocolate-dipped monstrosities the size of a golf ball that everyone Back Home swears by and I can't stand.  A ripe strawberry should NOT be larger than a greengage plum, I'm sorry!  But these little locally-sourced babies are good, especially with some ricotta cheese and a dusting of lavender sugar.  Or a good thick sour cream and some demerara sugar, which I'm about to attempt.  

Oh, yes.  More FE12 promo scans hit the 'Net today.  Here is Adult!Marth hanging out with Mary Sue My Unit.  Here are the two elder Peg Knight Sisters having a chat.  And here is the cutest little archer in the world.  There's more of this on the FE12 section of Serenes Forest, under Media.

penandpaper71 , you sure are quick on the draw!

Comments

[samuraiter.livejournal.com]

Orzo sounds like it might carb-y enough to make my 'no' list for the diet, but I am curious as to what sauces might bring out what little flavor it has.

And the FE12 news keeps whetting my appetite! After it hits Japan in July, I look forward to what the early adopters have to say. :-) (Extra chapters? Gaiden chapters? Additions to the story? I want it all!)

[hooves.livejournal.com]

FE12 news makes me laugh SO MUCH deep down inside. Mary Su-- I mean, "My Unit" is going to be the new tactician of the FE fandom...and I can't wait.

But here's a question, since I'm not super familiar with FE1/3 in any way...

Do you think the 'my unit' thing will be more interesting to players than the FE7 tactician in terms of playability and story?

[penandpaper71.livejournal.com]

penandpaper71 , you sure are quick on the draw!

:P I've just been keeping an eye on Serenes Forest for updates. On that note, the main site has been updated again.

I've never tasted orzo before. I should probably try it some time, just in case. One never knows what they like until they try it.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Well, funnily enough, in this new character "Katarina" we finally have a "canonical" female tactician, which is kind of interesting. I don't think that's been done before unless it was in FE5. But yes, My Unit, whose default name seems to be "Chris," should lead to...interesting... things in fandom.

Do you think the 'my unit' thing will be more interesting to players than the FE7 tactician in terms of playability and story?

Chris is fully playable and interacts with the canonical characters, apparently recruiting some, interacts with Katarina, and will be starring in some all-new chapters. I don't know what these chapters DO to the FE3 story, which is convoluted enough as it is, but it does look as though the degree of player involvement is intended to be exponentially higher than with FE7!Tactician. It really could be a lot of fun if Chris has intelligent dialogue and if the chapters help flesh out the world-building.

I think FE3 has one of the better plots in the game series. I am still ambivalent about the nature of the endgame, but the main line of the plot is very good, IMO. FE8, to me, is a very watered-down version of FE3 in terms of basic story.

It remains to be seen as to whether Chris gets to pick the name for Marth and Caeda's firstborn child. I rather hope not.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

If you're going to spend carb credits on little macaroni things, go with couscous. It tastes better.

I can't wait to get my hands on this game. I was afraid FE11 would be a big let-down, and all in all I truly enjoy that game and am mostly satisfied with the changes made/changes not made. But this looks like it's going to be REALLY GOOD, and packed full of tasty supplementary content.