Meen didn’t seem to accept my argument. “People on your planet don’t realise the true intentions of each other when they interact. Here on my planet, we can’t hide our thoughts and our desires from each other. In your world, what you see may seem like an expression of love; for instance, making merit, donating, or building temples. To me, these actions should rather be called ‘exchanges’. The amount of emitted positive frequency is therefore minimal, or even non-existent,” he said.

“What do you mean with exchanges? I don’t understand,” I asked.

“Real positive frequency has to be generated by selfless giving without any hidden agenda,” Meen replied. “For example, when you give something to someone, it has to be done with sincerity, with the intention of making the receiver happy, not with the intention of making yourself happy or gaining recognition and merits to heaven.”

“Even though it appears to be a good act, it is still done for individual gain and benefit. So, it’s an exchange,” Meen said as Napa walked in.

“Breakfast is ready,” she said, oblivious to our intense conversation.

“Let’s have breakfast. We can talk more at the table,” Meen agreed.

Meen and I followed Napa inside. In fact, we had already detected the delicious smell of cooking before. When we came to the dining table, I saw that Napa has already set up everything. At first sight, it looked like there was more western style food, except that there were no meat dishes. The main dish was placed in the middle of the table, surrounded by various kinds of grilled potatoes and yams. The fragrant aroma came from a thick soup mixed with cheese, which was served in a large bowl.

“Please have a seat,” said Meen. “Napa makes the most delicious soup on this planet. I want you to try it.”

“Oh! You’re embarrassing me,” Napa said, blushing slightly. “Please try, it might not be that good.”

I tried the soup, and as soon as my taste buds made contact, I noticed that it tasted similar to a European creamy soup, only that this was without the cream. What made the soup so thick were the powdered herbal leaves, which gave it its rich aroma. I thought I had never had anything so delicious before. It was so aromatic and salty, and, at the same time, fully flavoured and buttery. What I found most interesting was a chewy, jelly-like ingredient that, when chewed, gave a soft and crunchy feel at the same time.

“What’s that crunchy ingredient?” I asked her.

“It’s a certain kind of mushroom with a large oval shape,” Napa replied. “One mushroom is enough to feed many people. But it has to be harvested when it is still in the ground, otherwise it will be too sticky and will not taste good if the mushrooms have already emerged above the ground. Gathering these mushrooms is not easy, but my husband is one of the most skilled mushroom pickers in this world,” she said, complimenting Meen, who seemed to blush a bit.

“That’s an exaggeration,” he said modestly. “I only remember the location where they grow and calculate the date when they would be ready to be harvested again. The challenge is that there’s no specific season for these kinds of mushrooms since they grow all year round. Each season for these mushrooms lasts for four months, so all I need to do is to remember the site where they grow, and then return every four months to pick them,” Meen explained.

“Oh! That must be hard and challenging work,” I said.

“Not really. I would leave a mark at each site to make it easier to locate them and that I don’t have to remember all of them,” Meen said, revealing his strategy.

The breakfast was really delicious. However, I didn’t feel so comfortable as I hadn’t yet washed my face nor brushed my teeth, and I hadn’t showered since yesterday.

“Excuse me, Meen,” I said. “Could you tell me where I can wash up and brush my teeth?”

“Brush your teeth? Why do you need to do that?” Meen asked perplexed.

I thought to myself that maybe they do things differently here, so I tried to explain what I meant again, to avoid any misunderstanding.

“I mean, I usually brush my teeth in the morning and before bedtime,” I explained.

“We never have to brush our teeth,” Napa revealed.

“What! You never brush your teeth? They aren’t clean then,” I exclaimed.

“What do you mean by ‘not clean’?” Meen asked me.

“Erm … I mean, in the morning, there are bacteria in the mouth that can cause bad breath and lead to various oral diseases such as tooth decay, gingivitis, and others,” I continued to explain.

“No one here has to brush their teeth,” he replied.