Aside for some looks of various lengths at the lovely Lifina, Gariland does a good job keeping his mind on the business at hand.  The pate is a simple enough affair, as the really hard part - that is, acquiring the liver of a pelgrane - has already been done for him.  Spicing mungberries is, aside the smell, also simple, but Gariland nearly ruins it with the cream sauce, but manages to remove the sauce from heat just as the telltale sign of smoldering begins.  A quick consult with Vulan shows it to be still salvageable.<br/><br/>The jerked erb meat gets the lion's share of his attention in the second phase, with the predictable result that he nearly overcooks the noodles for the three-spice noodles.  Again, it turns out palatable, but it is a near thing.<br/><br/>Learning from the two close calls, Gariland is forced to reduce his glances at Lifina and focus on the food.  The spider goulash is a complicated concoction, but with the aid of Vulan's sound advice, it comes out beautifully, and just as the quick pickle of the acorns is finished as well.  Gariland thinks it the best of the bargain, in fact: two competent dishes with a rising climax of a third will definitely make a better impression than starting strong and then petering out.