Food From Another World

"I..."
I really don't know what to say. I didn't remember a single place from that map, nooo!
Marina looked at Camellia, waiting for a hint.
"She is from here." The fairy quickly replied.
"Aha, from Little Falcon." Finn's mother was still not fully convinced.
"Come on, Mom, don't surround her with questions now. Marina is still tired from everything. I mean, who wouldn't be after all that swimming... Aaa..." 
"Swimming?!" The mother raised an eyebrow.
"I—in the pool." Camellia tried to hide her nervousness.
"Yes, that's right." Marina played along.
"We were doing a swimming challenge," she added.
I hope that made sense.
Marina thought.
"Ah, I should have known. Finn, you made this poor girl go along with your crazy ideas, didn't you? I'm sorry my son annoyed you." Finn's mother said to Marina.
"Not at all, I actually had fun."
I mean, it's not completely a lie. I had fun swimming before all of this happened.
"You are so kind and polite. Ahh, I need to make it up to you. I know, you kids must be hungry. How about I take you out for dinner?"
"Huh?" Finn reacted out loud.
"It's okay; you really don't have to." Marina replied.
Finn nodded in agreement.
"Oh, but I insist!" The boy's mother was persistent.
"I didn't have a chance yet to try food in Little Falcon, so it would be a great opportunity too."
"Well, in that case, we must go, right?" Camellia looked at Finn.
"Ahh, fine." He wasn't happy about that decision in the slightest.
I'm actually kind of curious to see how this island looks.
"Thank you in advance." Marina said.
"Oh, really, no problem. It's great to see Finn found another friend."
"Mom!" Finn's face was red from embarrassment.
"What? I'm just telling the truth. Ignore him; he is just shy." The mother made a hand gesture like she was whispering, while in reality she spoke every part of the last sentence out loud.
I wish the sea would swallow me.
Finn thought in his head.
"And Marina, right?"
"Yes."
"I was hoping you could recommend us a nice restaurant since you are from here." The mother suggested.
Upon hearing those words, both Camellia and Finn panicked.
"Umm, of course... Do you prefer more continental or Mediterranean food?"
Marina improvised.
"What's Mediterranean? Never heard of it. Is that local cuisine?" Mother was curious.
Aghh, I totally forgot! Mediterranean, really? In another world. Great job, me. While I am at it, I should have said fish on the griddle! I'm sure that's the first dish they prepare in a world where no one goes near the sea!
Marina was being sarcastic while panicking.
"Aha, yes. It's not called like that actually; that's just how I call it. I... I like to make up names for the things I'm passionate about." Marina tried to figure out an explanation.
"You are a funny girl. Now I see how you are a friend of my son. He never wanted to be friends with ordinary people. Oh, he would even say how they're boring to their faces. I think the same way, but of course I had to lecture him to keep that to himself. After all, you can't go around telling people they're boring."
Fair. I also can't judge since I despise boredom.
Marina found that part of Finn relatable.
"Oookay, let's go already." Finn wanted to stop this conversation from continuing.
"Alright, we're going. Oh, look at him; he can't handle a simple girls' talk." Mother was teasing Finn. Camelia giggled in the corner.
"Have those talks when I'm not here, but leave me out of the topics." Finn complained while they were leaving the house.
It was a short walk to the town's center. Camellia was walking in front alongside Marina, while Finn and his mother were behind them.
Sorry, Finn, but Marina doesn't actually know where restaurants are in Little Falcon, so I had to help her.
Camellia thought.
"We will be in the restaurant area any minute. I'll tell you a few places, and you can choose from them. Don't worry, Finn's mom is not very familiar with this town, so no matter which restaurant you pick, she won't get suspicious." Camellia whispered to Marina.
"Okay, thanks." Marina replied.
However, as soon as they reached the crowded restaurant area, Marina got distracted by various new smells of food she had never seen or tasted before.
This all smells so good. I was so caught up in making my story believable that I forgot how we're about to try a dish from another world, and that sounds so exciting! Of course I'm a little scared of how it'll taste, but it's going to be new and definitely something I haven't tried before!
Marina was truly what people would call a gourmand.
I shall remain hopeful! The tea I had at Camellia's place was nice. True, I never actually tried those muffins, but they smelled good. Ahm, okay, let's focus on finding a place now. Hmmm...
I'll just let my nose be the judge.
Marina was walking in front of everyone, looking around the area for the restaurant.
After a minute of searching, she stopped in front of one small restaurant with wooden tables and benches.
Why does this smell familiar?
Wait, it can't be... That's olive oil!
Marina was pleasantly surprised to recognize something from Earth.
Okay, this place! Maybe the food won't be exactly Mediterranean, but if they use olive oil, that's enough to use as an argument for our cover story. They don't know anything about it anyways, but still I need something to convince myself, or else my bad lying will be figured out immediately.
"I recommend this place." Marina pointed at the restaurant.
"Ahh, rustic style." Finn's mom commented. Camellia was worried about how Miss Cherry will respond to that choice; Finn, not so much though.
"How lovely." She added.
Phew
Both Camellia and Marina thought.
The four of them picked a table outside.
Hmm, I see; they have a menu in two languages.
Marina noticed while observing the pages. 
What's pasta dust'a?
She was curious about the dish's name.
"Hello, what can I get you?" The waitress came to their table.
"One dandelion risotto, please." Camellia said.
"Umm..." Finn was looking through the menu.
"Oh, roasted blue peppers with mashed carrot potatoes, please." He finally decided.
"With or without the red sauce?" The waitress asked.
"With," Finn replied.
"I'll have the mushroom queen." The mother said.
"Ohh, great choice! I recommend a glass of fairy's violet wine with it." The waitress suggested.
"Is the wine local?"
"Not all of them, but this one is."
"Then I'll take it. I'm not driving tonight after all." The mother laughed.
"Okay, and what can I get for you, young lady?" The waitress looked at Marina.
"One pasta dust'a, please."
I'm really curious what I will get.
Marina was wondering.
"Ahh, that's our specialty!" The waitress said happily.
"That's the gourmand for you." Finn's mother commented.
"Aha." Marina awkwardly nodded.
"Alright, is that all? Anything for drinks?"
"Give the kids water; they had enough of those sugar drinks unless you have a fresh juice."
"We do actually. Fresh rose juice has been popular this month."
"Then, three glasses, please, and that's it for the order." Said Miss Cherry.
"Alright, thank you." The waitress said as she was leaving.
"Now, you said you were swimming all day, huh?" Finn's mother started the conversation.
"I wouldn't exactly say the whole day, more like half an hour, or maybe it was an hour after all." Marina tried to recall for how long she actually swam.
"Impressive, most people can't last for more than ten minutes. You must be an excellent swimmer then." Finn's mother sounded interested.
"Aha, not really." Marina sounded nervous.
"Don't be modest; that's amazing." The mother complimented her.
"Thank you, Miss Cherry," Marina replied.
Huh? Now I'm confused. I thought swimming was seen as bad in this world. Then why does Finn's mother act this way? I don't want to ask and accidentally say something out of place that would expose me.
Marina looked at Camellia and Finn, but neither of them had a worried expression on their faces. Finn actually looked bored and slightly irritated, like he had heard his mother speak about it countless times before.
I don't get it. If Finn is so passionate about going to the sea and his mom seems to be alright with swimming, then I don't see the problem.
Marina was confused.
"Ahh, at first it was hard for me to accept Finn's interest in swimming since he is always so reckless, and as a kid... well, I know kids say anything; after all, they are kids, but he wanted to swim in the sea, and as any sane mother, of course I was worried." Miss Cherry continued to talk.
Ohhh... that's the catch. So the main issue really is about the sea.
Marina thought.
"However, I still wanted to support my son, so I allowed him swimming lessons. I thought it would be hard to find a swimming coach, but to my surprise, in recent years, pool parties became popular among the young people, so everyone suddenly wanted to learn." The mother explained.
"Phhh, learn." Finn muttered.
They only care about impressing others and who showed up at which party.
The boy knew the other side of that story.
"Oh, I have a great idea!" Finn's mother sounded like she remembered something she wanted to say.
"Oh no," Finn commented.
"There will be a pool party on one of our albatrosses in three days. That will also be the first pool on albatross, so it would be great if you kids, since you love swimming and all, go to the promotional party. You can try the new pool but in the air. Sounds fun, right?" Miss Cherry tried to impress them with her offer.
"Albatross party?" Marina asked out loud.

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