It's not about the salad, it's about making a dressing.
~ Curnias Proverb
The
Augnil muirateca ("Dressing Code") is a rather peculiar code language "spoken" by the
Curnias, which is used to share emotions and feelings in a secret and discrete fashion.
While most languages make use of the speaker's tongue to create a spoken word, the users of the Dressing Code use theirs to listen.
For
Augnil muirateca is not a spoken but rather a gustatory language, which conveys its meaning via an intricate interplay of flavors.
Speaking in Salads
As its name already implies, the primary way by which the Dressing Code is "spoken" is via specially prepared salad dressings and sauces, made from a plethora of different and frequently rather unusual ingredients.
These so-called "Messenger Dressings" are then used to flavor a small portion of side salad, which is commonly served within a ornament wooden bowl alongside the main dish.
While the gustatory message is primarily conveyed by the taste of the dressing, the exact composition of the side salad adds a further layer of nuance to the overall meaning of the message.
The dosage makes the message.
With the tongues of the Curnias being able to discern millions if not billions of different flavors,
Augnil muirateca easily possess one of the, if not THE most extensive "Vocabulary" of any known language.
This primary vocabulary of singular flavors is then furthermore utilized to create yet more nuanced "words" and meanings based on their individual length, strength, order of appearance, and interaction with each other.
Because of this, it easy to see, as to why the Dressing Code is considered to be one of the most complex and complicated languages in Cenorad.
Though born of its movement, words never do justice to the sensations of the tongue.
While many have tried to "translate" the Dressing Code into spoken words, all of them have failed, for even page-long descriptions of a singular flavor fail to truly encapsulate the sensation.
Because of this, the general consensus among scholars is that
Augnil muirateca is a language that one has to experience themself to be able to understand it.
This is an amazingly unique take on the prompt and I would love to know more. How did this start? Who decides the message? What sorts of intentions are communicated this way? And since I am sure some of them taste absolutely horrific, is it considered rude not to finish eating it?
Necromancy is a Wholesome Science.
Happy to hear you enjoyed the article :D As for your questions, the whole thing kinda started alongside with the development of the Curnias and their culture after the Second Spring (Article on that coming "soon"), as food and especially plant-based food became more and more important to them. Each City-State usually has its own dialect of the Dressing Code, based around various local plants and food products. Yet there is also a more general, diplomatic version used to communicate between City-States. The messages themselves are used to convey emotions, given that the Curnias like other Ikona don't really like to show their emotions, especially romantic/positive ones. Their "interesting" taste is the reason why they are only served on small dishes, and while the might not taste great the Curnias would view the waste of plant-based food of a much greater sin. Also, anything that the Curnias would consider to taste "bad" would still be a five-star dish for regular humans :)
All those taste buds do sound tough to please. Remind me never to cook for them! Plus I would probably insult them with the salad. Heh.
Necromancy is a Wholesome Science.