Closer to towns, actually. [ He laughs, and shakes his head. ] Most of them aren't on our level of technology, so they're pretty... rustic.

[ That's the most inoffensive way to say "medieval" he can think of, and it'll have to do. But then his eyes start to light up a bit. ]

But the weird thing is that since aliens can have totally different biochemical structures, there are things from Earth they probably couldn't eat, and things from their homes that we couldn't eat.

[ He starts to giggle, which is odd, considering: ] That means that if I'm not bringing my A-game, people could die. [ A beat of silence. ]

Which would be bad, clearly. But it's a great challenge for a Gourmand like me!

[ Lucky for them both it's just before they can start getting asterisks. ]