Start of a transcript of Gourmet An Interactive Comedy by Aaron Reed Story by Chad Barb and Aaron Reed. First time interactive fiction players type "PRIMER" First time "Gourmet" players type "ABOUT" Release 1 / Serial number 030927 / Inform v6.21 Library 6/10 Standard interpreter 1.0 (4F) / Library serial number 991113 >set dial to 50 You set the dial to 50. >push button (the toilet button) You had better catch the lobster and cook it before you serve it to Mrs. Davenport, don't you think? >u Kitchen You're starting to feel at home here in your kitchen. The fishtanks gurgle, the fridge hums, and the pneumatic tube system makes all sorts of friendly noises. The pleasing row of oven, dishwasher, sink, and cupboard is only slightly marred by the shattered glass cabinet. Yes, you could be happy here. A large iron pot and a kettle rest on the rangetop. >push button You had better catch the lobster and cook it before you serve it to Mrs. Davenport, don't you think? >[grr] That's not a verb I recognise. >e Seating Area As you glance around your dining area you take some small comfort in the fact that everything is in its proper place: chrome-buffed tables sprinkled across the room, the big band playing in the corner, period posters on the walls, the pneumatic tubes rising cheerfully out of the ground. If you can just make it through the next few days, Mack n' Geez may get a change to shine. A thin businessman relaxes at table one, Mrs. Davenport lends a quiet dignity to table two, and table three is unoccupied. >x lobster You peer inside the carrier and see the lobster, huddled up at one end motionless, probably a bit put off by his sudden fall and roller-coaster journey through the tube system. Now would be an excellent time to grab him while he's still disoriented! The band begins another round of Sentimental Journey. >get lobster Approaching the tube carrier with confidence, you bend down to examine the cowering lobster. You are about to say something witty when, without warning, the lobster drops its act and leaps straight towards your head, wrapping its legs around your head! You stagger back in surprise, suddenly blind. They didn't tell you there'd be days like this in cooking school. The fat businessman steps in from the street entrance, putting a cell phone back inside his dinner jacket as he heads to table one and sits back down. Mrs. Davenport continues to snore gently from table two. [Your score has just gone down by five points.] >w Kitchen You're starting to feel at home here in your kitchen. The fishtanks gurgle, the fridge hums, and the pneumatic tube system makes all sorts of friendly noises. The pleasing row of oven, dishwasher, sink, and cupboard is only slightly marred by the shattered glass cabinet. Yes, you could be happy here. A large iron pot and a kettle rest on the rangetop. You can also see a (lobster_attack) here. The lobster maintains its death grip on your face. >[Hey, I can see a lobster_attack ;-] Talking to things that aren't there is a sign of either genius, or madness. I'll reserve judgment for now. >take off lobster You can't see any such thing. >remove lobster (first taking the (lobster_attack)) You grab the lobster and try to pull him off, but he is gripping your face with claws of steel. One pincer seems to be digging its way into your ear. You let out a high-pitched whining noise. The lobster wriggles on your face in a most unpleasant manner. >hit lobster You make a wild attack on the lobster, but succeed only in mashing its invertebrae body against your face and barely denting its exoskeleton. The lobster wriggles on your face in a most unpleasant manner. >g You make a wild attack on the lobster, but succeed only in mashing its invertebrae body against your face and barely denting its exoskeleton. The lobster wriggles on your face in a most unpleasant manner. >get extinguisher You flail around wildly for it, but manage only to bruise your hand. The lobster wriggles on your face in a most unpleasant manner. >i You are carrying: an angry, full-grown lobster (attached to your head) some other things that are of less pressing concern just now A sudden jab from the lobster causes you to throw yourself sideways. You crash into something and careen forward. Much, much too far forward. With a slam and a bumpy series of scrapes, twists, and painful appendage-rearranging turns, you realize you've fallen down the spiral staircase. Finally and painfully, the tumble comes to an end. You blink woozily for a few moments, before realizing that you're staring at the ceiling. You lift a hand to your face. The lobster must have abandoned ship. Wine Cellar The wine cellar looks different from here on the floor. You never notice how dirty the undersides of things get, for example. The freezer and tube system hub look much more imposing from this angle, and the wines much more colorful. Or maybe that's related to the painful stars that keep whizzing through your head. The lobster is here, sitting smugly in a corner over by the freezer. >[I am laughing and laughing at 'some other things... That's not a verb I recognise. >x lobster Sprawled on the floor, the lobster seems to be recovering much quicker than you. Already he is waving his antannae and starting to move around. He is quite far away from you, over near the freezer. >open freezer That's a bit difficult to do from here on the floor. Waving its antennae furiously in your direction, the lobster crawls a few steps forward. >get up You try to rise to your feet, but even sitting up sends a stab of pain to your head. You collapse back down to the floor. The lobster freezes and scuttles backwards to the corner by the tube system, eyeing you like you're a crab making a few final twitches. >z Time, counted in rhythmic jabs of pain from your temples, marches on. >z Time marches blearily on. >bandage head You can't see any such thing. >x lobster Sprawled on the floor, the lobster seems to be recovering much quicker than you. Already he is waving his antannae and starting to move around. He is quite far away from you, over near the freezer. Waving its antennae furiously in your direction, the lobster crawls a few steps forward. >z Time, counted in rhythmic jabs of pain from your temples, marches on. The lobster crawls slowly around the floor, keeping one eye on you. >z Time, counted in rhythmic jabs of pain from your temples, marches on. As quiet as a squid, the lobster moves a little in your direction, watching you intently. >z Time marches blearily on. Moving with caution, the lobster edges a little closer to you. >z Time marches blearily on. The lobster gives you a probing prod with one claw. >get lobster You snap a hand out at the lobster and snatch him, catching him completely unprepared. Quickly pinning his sharp claws, you pull the wriggling creature towards you. A surge of victory rushes through you, which helps to clear your mind and gives you a burst of adrenaline. You think you could try standing now. [Your score has just gone up by ten points.] >stand up You rise woozily to your feet, clutching onto the struggling lobster like a piece of flotsam in a wreck. Shaking the last of the cobwebs off, you notice that somewhere in the scuffle you lost your chef's hat. You feel almost naked without it. >u Kitchen You're starting to feel at home here in your kitchen. The fishtanks gurgle, the fridge hums, and the pneumatic tube system makes all sorts of friendly noises. The pleasing row of oven, dishwasher, sink, and cupboard is only slightly marred by the shattered glass cabinet. Yes, you could be happy here. A large iron pot and a kettle rest on the rangetop. As you climb the last few steps you are hit by a blast of heat. With a gasp of horror you realize your kitchen is burning! Flaming on the rangetop like a giant marshmallow is your poor chef's hat, which must have been knocked offduring the fight with the lobster. It has caught the cupboard walls on fire and is starting to spread! The fire crackles and snaps as it licks at your countertop. >put lobster in pot Triumphantly, battling the heat from the flames, you plunge the lobster in the pot of boiling water. It has been a true battle of wits and wills; a fight between predator and prey that has been repeated countless times around the world; but, as is usually the case, the creature with the bigger brain has triumphed. You do your best not to think about the amount of time your triumph took to achieve. The fire crackles and snaps as it licks at your countertop. >get extinguisher Taken. The fire crackles and snaps as it licks at your countertop. >spray fire with fire extinguisher That's not a verb I recognise. >fire fire with fire extinguisher That's not a verb I recognise. >use extinguisher Aiming carefully, you press down on the fire extinguisher's handle. White foam shoots out all over the blaze, quickly snuffing the fire out. You breathe a sigh of relief. Your kitchen is a bit worse for the wear -- alright, a lot worse for the wear -- but this nightmarish evening seems to be coming to an end. You step up to the stove and survey the damage. Nothing a bit of paint and a few voluntary mental blocks won't fix. Time to get this meal finished up. [Your score has just gone up by ten points.] >x lobster His fighting days behind him, the lobster boils rapidly in the bubbling water, his carapace turning a beautiful shade of red. You wonder if his brothers and sisters back in the ocean would believe, or indeed, be able to comprehend, the adventures he's had. >prepare lobster Peering into the pot, you are pleased to see the lobster is cooking up quite nicely. You'll be able to serve him to Mrs. Davenport in no time. >g Peering into the pot, you are pleased to see the lobster is cooking up quite nicely. You'll be able to serve him to Mrs. Davenport in no time. >z Time, not surprisingly, continues to pass. >z Time passes. >z Time passes. >serve lobster You boil the lobster for several minutes until it reaches a delightful red hue, in the meantime whipping up a quick butter sauce. By the time you finally load it into the pneumatic tube system and send it away, it is truly an entrée you can be proud of. Mrs. Davenport finds the lobster delicious and writes a very nice review of Mack n' Geez up in Culinary Weekly. Soon the place is bustling and you're putting in an expansion to the pneumatic tube system, and can actually afford to hire reliable staff. Your career as an up-and-coming chef is looking bright. That isn't fit to be served like that! *** You have received an excellent review! *** In that game you scored 58 out of a possible, oh, let's say, 100, and in 479 turns no less. Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, UNDO your last move or QUIT? > [Oops, re: 'That isn't fit to be served'--forgot to return true from routine.] Please give one of the answers above. >