Two reasons, actually.
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It’s not their preferred preparation. All the replicated food is based on a pattern from an original recipe. It’s not adding flair or anything, it’s literally a copy of a dish made who knows how long ago. And that’s where the next reason comes from:
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Imagine eating some spicy pepper dish from, like, the 1940’s vs the same dish made today with spicer peppers. It wouldn’t be as spicy eating something that wasn’t, at the time, really selectively bred to be more spicy. If the recipe for the replicator is, like, hundreds of years old it would probably not be as potent as the same dish made with real ingredients.
I can imagine that the characters that have expressed disdain for replicated food probably get hit by both of these. It’s not the way they would preferred it to be made, and it’s also like eating vegetable jello salad in 2024.
Corollary to 1), it’s not just an original recipe, it’s an approved recipe. With hundreds of people on board a starship, they’d each prefer that the dish were prepared in a slightly different way. Maybe a little more butter, or salt, or whatever that secret ingredient they tasted that one time on Risa.
Unless every person uploads a precise molecular composition of the end dish, it will not be quite to their taste. And if somebody wants a seriously unhealthy version of that dish, will it pass muster to be aboard the ship in the first place? Starfleet has standards, after all.
So it’s the average, least-offensive-to-the-most-people version, and it’s that same exact dish every single time.
<will it pass muster to be aboard the ship in the first place? Starfleet has standards, after all.>
I was under the impression that crewman are free to add new things. Like Data, who composed food for Spot and I believe there were several instances of tinkering with the replicators on VOY and DS9. Although DS9 maybe is the odd one out, since it’s , ex-kardassian and co-owned by Bajor, and a certain ferengi runs a bar there. ^^
Which is why I would assume the replicators and, by extention, the main computer can allow for “Corned beef hash O’Brien the way me Ma used to make it Tango 3.”
yep. and the idea the computer wouldnt have everyones personal tweaks built right in on demand based on who asked is silly.
They can probably upload all their own recipes from a Padd anywhere they go