[jason taylor]

Ao Kuzu: This drink is a long favorite of Aslan origin. It goes by many names and whether this one is originally of Aslan origin is debated. It is of varying alcoholic proportion.

Some have compared it to Terran Kumis and like Kumis it is from fermented milk, in this case from a mammaloid species native to Kuzu. It comes in "vintages" of various types from the common which can be had in the Aslan version of taverns to the very fine. Knowledge of the later is considered a mark of an Aslan noble, much as knowledge of other fine drinks is among humans, and many such, especially if they have a particular interest in the subject will expound at length about the symbiosis between the soil, the seed for pasturage, and the breeds grazing on it as well as such things as storage, ageing and how they absolutely SHOULD NOT take shortcuts like todays money-mad youth who do not care for such a fine tradition, etc.

While the finer quality is often cultivated by a high noble, curiously the cheaper versions are a mark of a new landholder. Such often find it more profitable to invest in a continually producing product than in meat animals which must be slaughtered.

The taste of Ao Kuzu is usually salty or sour which reflects the Aslan taste, which while sometimes partial to the sweet is less inclined in that direction than omnivorous humans. It is sometimes used as a sauce as well as a beverage either poured plain onto meat or incorporated with other ingredients to make something like a barbecue sauce. Oddly enough it is known in both forms among humans. However it is usually incorporated into cocktails rather than drunken plain.