Question
Similar to If everyone uses replicator, why do tailors still exist?, why is Neelix almost always cooking when we visit the officer's mess? Surely the replicator can produce any known recipe it has been programmed to? Or is Neelix cooking new recipes, to then program the replicator for?
Answer
Similar answer to your link: sometimes the replicator is still not programmed for certain recipes, but mostly it's for the simple joy of cooking. And probably some would complain that "food from the replicator doesn't taste like the real thing".
As described on Memory Alpha:
Neelix was an enthusiastic cook and ran the ship's mess hall. He was fond of experimenting and often tried to adapt crew members' recipes with the limited ingredients available in the Delta Quadrant, although they often complained about the results. Early on, Tom Paris remarked that Neelix's cooking was "always interesting" and the glutinous "Even better than coffee substitute" Neelix developed from native plants strongly motivated Janeway to seek new sources of energy for the ship so that she could use the replicator guilt-free. (VOY: "The Cloud") However, he was able to successfully cook a blood pie for B'Elanna. (VOY: "Day of Honor") He enjoyed finding new ingredients to work with, which usually took the form of produce rather than meat. (VOY: "Random Thoughts")
Answered By - Luciano
