The Galactic Gourmet

The Galactic Gourmet is a 1996 science fiction book by Northern Irish author James White, part of the Sector General series.

[1][2] Todd Richmond wrote that the Sector General series declined after Star Healer (1985), hitting a low point with The Galactic Gourmet, and that the later books tended to stretch a short story's worth of content to the length of a novel.

[3] Other fans appreciate this novel as a high point in White's use of alien point-of-view to provide insight into social interactions and the resolution of crises.

The book also is notable for its ultimate focus on the merits of vegetarianism, which White achieves by humorously 'skewering' passionate commitment to a meat-based diet among the endangered Wemar race.

In the meantime, an epidemic at the hospital turns out to be a major nutmeg overdose caused by a sous-chef foolishly using ten times the required amount in a recipe.