"Oh, yes, that's much better."

"I guess if it were a really long time you might wind up protein deficient? All the plant proteins I can think of need cooking. Oh, no, I'm wrong, I think you don't actually have to cook nuts and we just like them that way."

"I think there might also be protein in avocados but don't quote me on that."

"There's fat in them, I don't know about protein."

"Reasonable--I think I remembered that they're something you ought to eat if you're vegan but hadn't remembered why."

"Ah, gotcha. Have you considered being vegan?"

"Not in a more than casual way."

"It sounds very hard. Vegetarianism would be easier but not easy."

"Yes. I'm not indifferent to the ethical arguments, but...if I were going to do something about animal suffering I suspect it would be more efficient to donate to people who are trying to figure out vat meat or other palatable meat substitutes than to simply abstain myself."

"Can't argue with that."

"I acknowledge that this may well be less true for people who don't have my level of resources."

"Somebody's gotta provide the market demand for the fake meat, too."

"True. Distribution is always an issue."

"When you put it that way it sounds like the problem is with trucking. I think the word you want is something like 'uptake'."

"Ah, yes, thank you."

"You're welcome!"

"Magic is probably a more fun problem to solve anyway."

"I couldn't agree more."

"If I'm going to radically improve the world it might as well be in a way guaranteed not to burn me out."

Giggle.

"...You have a very pretty smile and a very nice laugh."

"Awww, thank you!"

"I already knew that you were the kind of person who knows things about Norman Borlaug and discusses the logistics of things like ending factory farming but periodically over this conversation I kept being viscerally reminded and my mind filled with exclamation points and hearts."

"Awwwww, me too."

!!!!!!!!!!