Phoenix Nuggets

A fool and his coin are quickly parted

Whether perusing the food courts of RS802 or market stalls on the streets of Abraia Central, certain seedy food vendors will have special items like phoenix nuggets, fried phoenix, leg of phoenix, and more, and all at outrageous prices.
While the name implies these are products derived from the rare bird from Rada, there a few key facts that make this impossible:

1. The phoenix has deep cultural significance to Radan and is under their fierce protection.
2. The average phoenix is larger than your average groundcar.
3. Rada is under violent control of the Emerald Legion, prohibiting commercial imports/exports.

On every menu offering these, there's a tiny asterisk leading to tinier text informing the reader that the meal is not, in fact, made out of phoenix meat, but rather a far more common bird. Frequently, the most accessible chicken-equivalent, and not at all worth the pricetag.

It's not false advertising because people don't read the fine print!

— A scheming vendor

Yet humankind has rarely been known for their common sense, and enough people fall for this charade to keep the business afloat. The issue has been raised with various fair trade boards on different planets to little effect, and locations like RS802 and Nisora are more likely to support the swindler.

I don't know what's worse, that they claim to kill and cook the phoenix, or that people are willing to buy it.

— Radan traveller

As more Radan traverse the stars, some vendors are finding they've bit off more than they can chew. A shell-shocked refugee may be reluctant to speak up, but a resistance fighter stepping away from the war to help their family will have little qualms about shouting down a sketchy food seller mocking their culture.

Information

Value

Lower than the vendor sells for

Rarity

More common than the vendor will claim

Odor

Like chicken

Taste

Like chicken

Further Reading

Author Commentary

Sure, Jan

These exist because one of my player characters insisted he ate fried phoenix all the time. That didn't make sense with the worldbuilding, but someone lying about what they sold sure did.