What will they eat for lunch, the second time? There were all kinds of restaurants on Earth, only which one?
"So what would you like to eat on planet Earth?" Sapphire asked them, letting them decide what to eat. "There's Chinese, Greek food, Italian and others. Pick one."
"Ooh, They all sound so delicious I can't decide" said Red, conflicted of the cravings of tasty earth food.
"Me neither. Why can't we choose all three of them? My animal sides are filled with hunger" said Zircon, drooling.
"Well why not" said Terra. "After being turned to stone for so long I could eat more."
"Well, if you can handle eating three different meals from three different restaurants, why not then" said Sapphire, allowing it "Let's go and eat."
"Great!" said Zircon, excited. "So where do we start?"
"In a Chinese restaurant" answered Sapphire.
"Okay, well where is it then?"
"In Chinatown. It's just around the neighborhood, and after that we'll go to Astoria Queens, also known as Little Greece, to eat some Greek food, and finally we'll go to Little Italy for some Italian food. How's that."
"Yeah, sure that's a great idea. I'm fine with it." They all agreed on Sapphire's schedule meal plan.
"Then it's settled. Let's call a cab. Taxi!" Sapphire raised her hand calling for a taxi. Soon a cab arrived and they all drove to Chinatown first.
When they arrived, they wowed in astonishment. Chinatown was amazing to them, even Terra since she does not remember if she's ever been to Chinatown before. It was all a new beginning to her, so she'll just acknowledge her present time for a while. "Wow, this place really is great. It feels like the first time I've come to Chinatown, check out that Chinese dragon."
Sapphire, Zircon, and Red looked at where Terra was staring, and she was right, that Chinese dragon parade was awesome, along with all the lanterns, colorful streamers, confetti, people dressed in great traditional costumes, dancers and everything.
"This really is great" said Red. "But where do we eat?"
"In that restaurant over there called 'Shanghai 21'" Zircon pointed them the perfect eating place. "I can smell all different kinds of food in there."
"I trust Zirc's great sense of smell."
"Me too."
"Then let's get inside."
Once they've entered Shanghai 21 restaurant, they gazed around it like a museum. Once they've taken there table and searched the menu for interesting cuisine to eat, they talked for a bit about this place.
"This place looks great. But why it's bamboo green colored, shouldn't it be painted traditionally red? I noticed their flag is red with yellow stars. The Chinese have great taste" said Red.
"Well I think it's a good color choice, because bamboo green matches perfect with the earth animal called 'Panda' painting on the other side of the street" said Zircon. She respects anyone who thinks of the animals needs.
"Your right Zirc, it does go well with those pan-das, is what you humans call them. Those black and white Ursidae" he turned to Terra for a correction.
"Why yes, of course" Terra corrected him. "It's popularly known that the black and white panda loves to eat green bamboo. I remember that information well."
"Everybody stop talking, the waiter is coming to take our order" Sapphire informed them.
The waiter arrived at their table and asked "How may I take your order?"
"Yes well, we'll just order everything on the menu. Sound good to you guys?"
Red and Zircon nodded in agreement, Terra just nodded with 'I'm okay with it'. She hasn't decided what to order, and since they've ordered everything she'll just eat whatever she likes.
"Really, everything?" The waiter asked in a shock tone. No one has ever ordered or eaten everything on the menu.
"Yes" Sapphire answered him collected. "It's our first time trying this Chinese food, and we can't decide so we'll take everything."
"Yes, please" Zircon agreed with Sapphire on the order.
"Can you do it right away" said Red.
"I'm fine with it, I guess" said Terra, who is curious on how they will eat the whole menu. Then again they are aliens, so it's not a surprise that they have big appetites. She's not gonna eat much Chinese food, to save some room for the rest of the upcoming new meals.
"Well the customer is always right, we'll take your order right away" said the waiter, confused.
After waiting for a while for the food to be served, it has finally arrived. They can smell the aroma so well that they can taste it already. And it's already served at the table. An entire dish of the most popular Chinese cuisine: Chow Mein, Hot Pot, Dumplings, Kung Pao Chicken, Ma Po Tofu, Fried Rice, Spring Rolls, and for dessert Dragon's Beard Candy with Grass Jelly.
"Wow, this meal looks so exotic" said Red, staring at the food with his mouth wide open. "It's similar to our planet's foods, only much softer and easy to chew."
"I know. And these vegetable spring rolls and fried rice are so filling, not to mention the delicious sweet taste of this Grass Jelly dessert" said Zircon, as she stuffed her mouth with rice and rolls.
"Hmmm, delicious. Does this Asian cuisine tastes familiar to you, Terra?" Sapphire asked her while chewing the food. She hoped that by tasting different kinds of foods it could trigger something in her mind to remember.
Terra tasted and chewed every different food on the table slowly. She savored the food while trying to remember if this Chinese cuisine brings back anything to her, but nothing, it doesn't ring a bell. "Nothing. It brings back nothing."
"It's okay, we'll try the next cuisine" Zircon assured her, as she covered her mouth and let out a small burp. "Finished. What about you guys?"
"I'm done. You sis?"
"My plate is completely empty."
The table is completely empty, no left overs at all, just a clean table, and they still want to try Greek food.
"Now to pay for the meal. Waiter! Check please!" Sapphire called out to the waiter for the bill.
The price is 800 dollars. Which is no concern for Sapphire as long as she has real gold which is worth a thousand. She paid the waiter 1 ounce of gold. The waiter was surprised at this, he bite it to make sure it was real gold, and it is real, he couldn't believe it, but he also couldn't believe that they were able to finish the whole thing, there's nothing left. "Thank you. I hope you enjoyed" he said.
Oh, they enjoyed alright. And they'll enjoy the next batch at Astoria Queens, aka Little Greece.
At the next ride to Astoria Queens they went to a Greek restaurant called Amylos Taverna. Once they've entered they saw the place lit up by dozens of lights and a chandelier, the light made the restaurant's vision colored MU gold, Sunglow, with a touch of Harvest gold.
They sat down at the elegant wooden table and they talked about this place.
"Nice. Talk about Greek chic" said Red, admiring the decorations. "I especially like the construction on how all this place is held together on sticks, like the ones over there holding up the tiny lights, very inventive."
"Uh Red, I don't think those sticks are part of construction, they're part of decoration" Sapphire enlightened her brother.
"Oh, right."
"This place is fine I guess" said Zircon. "So what are we having, the usual, everything on the menu?"
"Not this time Zirc. I don't think Terra can handle another 'all you can eat' buffet. Let's just order one of Greece's popular dishes, okay" answered Sapphire.
"I'm fine with it. Gotta save some room for the Italian buffet next" said Terra.
"Sure. I'm just gonna order a few salads. This place is filled with meat and seafood, and I don't like how they decorate the fish meat in the seafood section over there" replied Zircon, pointing at the decorated seafood of salmon, octopus, and lobster. Those poor fish, she thought.
"And I'm just gonna have some of Greece's finest pies, they have all kinds of different pies on the menu" said Red.
Their negotiation was settled. The waiter came and took their order. After an hour the waiter served them their dishes: Stifado, Tzatziki, Kolokithokeftedes, Horta, Briam, Fasolada, Bougatsa, Tiropita, Spanakopita, along with dessert like Rizogalo, Baklava, Karithopita and Vasilopita.
"The taste of these pies are so warm, and filling. I always thought pies were only filled with something sweet not something else" said Red. He gives his compliments to the earthling chef.
"And these vegetable salads are so easy to chew and swallow. Earth foods are soft. The Fasolada's Phaseolus vulgaris are different than my planets jumping beans" said Zircon, while chewing a mouthful of beans.
"Jumping beans? We have that on Earth too" said Terra, excited that Earth has something in common to their worlds.
"Uh, Terra the jumping beans on Zirc's Jungle planet are actual beans that jump, they're not like Mexican beans with moth larvae in them. And they are edible to eat, just difficult to catch" Sapphire enlightened her.
"Oh right, yours is better."
"So, what about this Greek food? Does it remind you of anything?"
Once again Terra tasted the most popular foods in Greece, but still nothing. It doesn't bring back anything. "No."
"Then we'll just have to keep on looking, tasting, smelling, hearing and feeling until we at least find something that could help. The slightest detail could be important. Is everybody done now?"
"We're finished and ready for the final main course" replied Zircon, while wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"Check please!" Sapphire called the waiter for the bill.
They paid and went to their final destination, Little Italy.
When they arrived at a welcoming sign saying "Welcome to Little Italy" they were amazed at the establishments paint job. The places were painted red, orange, some are green and white with creamy colors.
"Now this is colorful. They should paint the whole city like this" said Zircon, admiring the paint job.
"These Italians know how to add color" said Red, who is mostly admiring the red paintings.
"Alright so which restaurant are we dining to today? Terra this time you decide" Sapphire insisted on Terra to choose.
"Me? You want me to choose?"
"Yes. We've dined whatever we liked now it's your turn."
"Just pick whatever."
Terra looked around, she calmly and wisely thought it over and decided to eat at a place that serves Italy's most popular and traditional foodstuffs. After a few moments of searching she finally found it, a restaurant that says "Pranzo Tradizionale" in Italian it means 'Traditional Dining'. This is it, she thought, this is the place where we'll eat. "Guys this is it, this is where we'll eat."
Sapphire reached for her necklace to translate the restaurant's sign, it was on small screen so no one would suspect the holographic technology. "According to my translator is says "Traditional Dining"."
"Yeah, and we get to eat one of Italy's famous traditional foods" Terra explained.
"Wait, how did you know that sign has the word "tradition" on it?" Zircon questioned her.
Terra was clueless all of a sudden, she didn't know how to respond. "I... I don't know? It just came to me."
All their eyes stared at that sign and restaurant. Could it be, could they finally found something that could jog Terra's memory? Only one way to find out.
"Guys, let's get in and order some famous Italian" Sapphire declared.
They went in and saw the restaurant from the inside. They saw the whole place decorated in Italian style, they saw wooden chairs and tables, tablecloths that are stitched colored red, white, and green, banners, ribbons, streamers with the same Italian flag color. The walls are Mink colored hollow concrete block, wooden ceiling was syrup colored, there were old black and white pictures of this restaurant and other things in Italy, the bar was European style, along with the counter.
"When the sign has the word "tradition" in it I guess they really mean it" said Red, looking around at the establishment, and he's right, the place does look like they're in Italy.
"There's an empty table over there, come on" said Sapphire, pointing at the free table. They all sat down there, and read the menu. "We'll just order the traditional meals on the menu."
"Agreed" said Terra, her eyes on the menu.
"I'm glad they have their most famous salad like truffles" said Zircon "I heard it's the most delicious agaricus bisporus in their country."
A waitress came and took their order. "How may I take your order?" she asked, getting her pen and paper ready.
"Yes, we'll just have 10 of your traditional Italian cuisines" answered Sapphire. "And may I ask who owns this establishment?"
"Oh, sorry. The owners of this restaurant aren't here right now, nor they'll be back for a while, they're still working out some issues. We're just filling in for them till they get better" the waitress explained, sadly.
"I see."
"We'll take your order right away."
While they waited for their final meal, they talked to Terra if this place brings back any memory of her life.
"Well Terra, does this restaurant ring a bell to you?" asked Red, hoping for her.
Terra looked around, she tried to collect her thoughts, she tried really hard to remember. But still nothing. Maybe when I eat Italian food it will help, she thought.
When the food was served they dug in. There was pizza, pasta, arancini, focaccia, Italian cheese, lasagna, ossobuco, risotto, truffles, and for dessert gelato.
Terra took a bite of the pizza first. She chewed slowly, savoring the taste, and the taste tasted familiar like she ate here before but couldn't put her finger on it, her mind was all foggy. "I... can't remember. This pizza, these foods all smell and taste familiar but I still can't remember anything. I'm sorry guys, I know you tried hard to help, and this place was our last ray of hope, I really thought this was the place."
"It's okay Terra" Zircon comforted her "At least we found something here."
"Like what?"
"You who understood that sign above the restaurant. Somehow you figured out what it says" Zircon answered.
"Maybe you speak Italian. Wait, can you speak Italian?" Red asked to make sure.
Terra wasn't sure at all, she opened her mouth waiting for some Italian words to come out, but nothing. "Sorry no, I have no idea what to say in Italian?"
"Well it was worth a shot."
"Once we get back, we're gonna rest and tomorrow, in our galaxy's timeline of course, we're gonna start your training. Maybe by properly controlling your powers will give you hints or at least something that can help" said Sapphire. "By the way did everyone enjoyed their meals?"
"Yup, Earth's foods are delicious" said Red as he let out a burp "But now I'm finally full."
"I loved their vegetational salad dressings. I could take some with me to try it on my worlds aliments" said Zircon.
"You do that then" said Terra "I also enjoyed the foods of 3 different neighborhood towns, and now I'm really full, after who knows how long I was turned to stone my stomach is full-filled. Get it."
"Ha, ha real funny. I hope you weren't a comedian back then" Sapphire said it with sarcasm. She didn't think she was funny. "Let's pay up and go home."
And so they paid for their meal and returned home to rest, so to be well and rested for tomorrow, for Terra's first day of training.