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Filigliders
Filiglider
Image from Steve Bowers
Novelty genetically engineered edible organisms: Small, about 5-8 cm long with a nervous system only slightly above that of a flatworm. In appearance they vaguely resemble moths or hummingbirds, with a slightly elongated neck and a 1.2 cm bulb of various primary colors where a head would be.

Prior to use Filigliders are programmed with a simple tropism toward the pheromones of local omnivores. They are often released at parties and allowed to circulate around the heads of the guests allowing guests grab a snack from mid air. The head bulb usually contains a cream filling or fruity gel of various flavors, but custom flavors are easily available. Removing the head bulb causes the remaining organism to cease muscular activity.

Filigliders bodies and wings, though traditionally an animal based protein, quickly harden after head-bulb removal and take on a taste and consistency similar to that of the Old Earth "fortune cookie". Of course due to the social and nutritional demands of various clades and cultures, strongly plant based or animal tasting filigliders are also produced in many areas.

Unfortunately the energy storage medium of a typical Filiglider body only lasts about 30 standard hours after thawing. Toward the end of this time most types of Filigliders take on a somewhat gamy taste as most of the sugars in their filling are used up and replaced with metabolic wastes, since Filigliders have no secretory glands.

Fun facts: On Revelry Habitat 5127 in the Draakar system, it is said that viewing a residence post-celebration strewn with fallen filigliders, is one of the 10 sad things. A particular "day after" cocktail, the Yrogi Martini, is traditionally flavored with half of a 32 hour old Filiglider carcase. In some sectors covert operatives of the baseline and near baseline persuasions, wishing to elude pursuers of a similar nature, have been known to release several cases of Filigliders at a time providing an adequate smoke screen.

Adventure in the Filiglider Warehouse was once a virch popular among children of many near-baseline clades. It mainly involved finding edible Filigliders, discovering which were poisigliders for the participant's clade, and avoiding bamagliders. Jumping on boxes and gaining pieces of a key also featured prominently in the virch.
 
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Appears in Topics
Food and DrinkGengineeringOrganic/Biotech
 
Development Notes
Text by Peter Kisner
Initially published on 30 January 2002.

 
 
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