Hello, I work with numerous humans. Navigating their emotionality is quite haphazardous at times, and today I have seemingly transgressed on my colleague “Mike”.
I have observed for numerous months that Mike appeared to be attempting a science experiment of sorts. It was a lacto-bacilli fermentation but I was unsure to what end. Mike had repurposed many parts of his meals and placed them into a sealed container to make something called “Kombucha”. I am familiar with many fermented human foods, however I was unsure that Mike would achieve a favorable result. When asked why he didn’t use the replicator for his “kombucha”, he said it’s not the same. I am still attempting to understand his logic as it quite literally would be the same.
Nevertheless, I have kept a careful eye on the fermentation, and as it’s entered it’s third month I noticed signs of bacterial and fungal contamination. Believing the dish to be clearly compromised, I safely discarded of it with the proper biohazard precautions. However, Mike is now irate, saying I ruined his lunch and that he likes it, “chunky but soft”. I do not follow his logic. AIBI?
Edit: I see now I was being illogical. I should have thrown away both the “kombucha” and Mike.
Yes. Kombucha is a actively fermenting beverage. It has microorganisms in it that contribute to its flavor. When you consume kombucha, you also consume the microorganisms. This cannot be replicated because as you know there are strict rules about using the replicators to create living organisms.
This was their project. You should have assumed that they had knowledge of what was happening and asked them about it as opposed to putting it in the matter reclamator.