So, we’ve all seen the posts about how alcohol, caffeine and spicy food is viewed as horrifying poison across the galaxy, and how aliens are all suitably horrified when they see us consume it.
Tell you what I haven’t seen mentioned, but which is also varying levels of toxic to most not human animals? Theobromine. Normally found in chocolate.
Like, can you imagine being captured by aliens who are planning to poison you to send a message to your crew. They spend some time describing this poison, including the risk of internal bleeding, vomiting, seizures and heart palpatations as you get steadily more and more afraid.
Then the executioner brings out a mug of steaming hot chocolate.
I don’t know about you, but if i’d been in space for an indefinite amount of time on what are presumably carefully calculated rations, I would be kicking aliens out of the way for that cup.
Just drink down the whole thing without breaking eye contact and watch them lose it.
I was amazed at the candour JEV, Sam and Ant gave me for this one – about coming from career nadirs and recovering in the high-stress, high-difficulty Formula E.
When the series first began, it was considered a surefire failure by a lot of people. And the drivers entering were considered idiots, greedy or desperate – depending on their previous racing record, their pay check or the recency of them getting publicly insulted by Helmut Marko.
I asked one of the third category, now two-time race winner and BMW factory driver Antonio Felix da Costa, what he thought of the series then: “When I touched a Formula E car for the first time I wasn’t convinced. But I was going through a really hard time in my life – I’d just lost out on my Toro Rosso seat, which had felt like a sure thing at the time so I was a bit frustrated. I had a test in a Formula E car and I just thought ‘****, I’m only going downhill from now.’”
