Little Bug Juice

Little Bug Juice is a ceremonial drink served to children during ceremonies and festivities.
It's bright yellow in color, a natural color from the berries it's squeezed from.

“Just handing out some bug juice. Would you like some?” Rade turned towards Marga and asked, “did you try it after your Welcoming Ceremony?”
“I drank mine super fast,” Abby said enthusiastically. “I'm going to try it slower, this time.”
Marga looked at the smaller child, a grin spread across Abby's face. It was hard to stay worried looking at her. Abby's little button nose and big round eyes made Marga think of a cute little doll. Even her tussled brown hair, which had no proper shape, was somehow adorable. Abby didn’t seem to be worried at all.
Marga pushed away her fears. She was letting her mother get to her. She deserved to have fun too, like Abby.
“I’ll try to drink mine slowly, too,” Marga said, excited to test herself with the sour drink.
Rade handed tem both little paper cups. Marga looked down at the bright drink, its color matching the yellow berries it came from.
“I’m ready!”
“Me too,” Marga said, then brought the cup to her lips. She tipped it and let the juice touch her tongue. It had been several sols since she’d tried the drink. It somehow seemed even more sour this time. Her face scrunched, and Abby giggled and started drinking hers. With a deep breath, Marga forced the sour drink down her throat. There wasn’t much in the cup, there never was. It was simply a thing to try.
Abby finished first and then stuck her tongue out. “yaaag,” she shouted.
Laughter rippled through Marga, and she almost spit out bug juice. She swallowed it, somehow without choking, and laughed outloud. Abby joined her, and Marga felt a rare giddiness bubble up in her. She'd made a new friend. Sneaking away from her mother had been the best choice.

— Broken Mist

History

Talithans found the Gulf Flower Plant early in their explorations. It is native to Anunitum and the northern coast of Pangu . In their early days, they had more advanced lab equipment and could break the native plants down to their base chemicals. They discovered the seeds of the plant had mild healing properties. The berry and leaves were edible. The berries, however, were also incredibly sour.
Eating the berries became a friendly challenge or dare and, eventually, it was turned into something for children. Instead of giving them the berries outright, since the seeds inside were valuable. They crushed them and filtered out the juice. The plant isn’t especially prolific. As the population grew, it became a special treat instead of something readily available. It is a cultivated plant because of its seeds. Because of limitations set by their own ecology axioms, they are not growing them in vast numbers. So, they still save it the juice for ceremonies and festivals with kid centric activities.

Significance

For most Talithans, the first time they try Little Bug Juice is at the end of their Welcoming Ceremony. This ceremony happens when they are still quite young and ready to start their early education.
Once the ceremony is over, there is a small carnival set up for the children. There are plenty of other activities going on, games, music, play, tasty food, etc. They set the booth for the little bug juice up in the middle, and it’s often the first thing the new students try.
It is also found at the Choosing Ceremony and other festivals that take place, as long as there are child centric activities.
Tasting the drink is optional, and no one is shamed if they decide not to. The drink served, regardless of the event, is small, only a few ounces. Aside from tasting it for the first time, the challenge is also to see if one can drink it all.

Little Bug Berries

Item type

Consumable, Food / Drink