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Exceptions do come up. The ''Enterprise'' show does not count—Captain Archer was the last captain to ship out with a cook. But of course Captain Janeway ''must'' have a cook. She finds herself unable to re-fuel easily. So she tells her crew: eat real food, or the ship runs out of fuel. It’s that simple. (The enterprising native cook, finding no regular galley on board, ''builds'' one!<ref name="ftn17">“Phage” in ''Voyager''</ref>) Beyond that, Captain Sisko enjoys cooking real food. He knows replicators can’t give creole food its subtle flavors.

Exceptions do come up. The ''Enterprise'' show does not count—Captain Archer was the last captain to ship out with a cook. But of course Captain Janeway ''must'' have a cook. She finds herself unable to re-fuel easily. So she tells her crew: eat real food, or the ship runs out of fuel. It’s that simple. (The enterprising native cook, finding no regular galley on board, ''builds'' one!<ref name="ftn17">“Phage” in ''Voyager''</ref>) Beyond that, Captain Sisko enjoys cooking real food. He knows replicators can’t give creole food its subtle flavors.

But everyone regards that as recreation, not a lifestyle to recommend to everyone. Perhaps if more people ''did'' cook real food, they’d come down with fewer diseases, and would live longer. ''But:'' how much land can they spare for farms, pastures, and so forth? “We’ll show you how to feed a thousand people,” boasts Captain Kirk to one native race, “where you fed one before!”<ref name="ftn18">“Errand of Mercy” in the original series</ref> Yes, but how well?

But everyone regards that as recreation, or adaptation to hardship. No one considers that a lifestyle to recommend to everyone. Perhaps if more people ''did'' cook real food, they’d come down with fewer [[disease]]s, and would live longer.<ref name=Grayson>[[United States House of Representatives|Representative]] Alan Grayson, [[Democrat Party|D]]-[[Florida|Fla]]., bitterly accused his [[Republican Party|Republican]] colleagues of having no better health plan than "Don't get sick!" He would do well to review the research of alternative practitioners that suggests one ''can'' avoid getting sick.</ref> ''But:'' how much land can they spare for farms, pastures, and so forth? “We’ll show you how to feed a thousand people,” boasts Captain Kirk to one native race, “where you fed one before!”<ref name="ftn18">“Errand of Mercy” in the original series</ref> Yes, but how well?

But ''Star Trek'' did not approach the problem consistently. One original-series story centered on an effort to supply a human colony with a super-hybrid grain. Why would that even present a problem?

But ''Star Trek'' did not approach the problem consistently. One original-series story centered on an effort to supply a human colony with a super-hybrid grain. Why would that even present a problem?