On a mission for the Ekumen!

Valerie Stivers imagines the food described in The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin and concocts what looks like a cookbook. I'm fascinated: I loved the characters of Genly Ai, a human male, and Estraven, an ambisexual (male and female, alternating depending on the time), but I can't, for the love of me, cook anything more than instant pancit canton.

Here's a sampling.

Karhide Hot-Shop Soup with Mussels and Buddha Lemon


2 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1 lb potatoes, peeled and chopped
handful of green beans, chopped
2 lb bag of mussels, washed and debearded if need be
1/2 Buddha lemon, chopped (alternatively, 1/2 ordinary lemon, cut into wedges)
2 tbs fresh parsley, chopped