The Myth of Tulivo (too-lee-voh)

Umbajin's heart seemed to skip a beat when Salelu looked up from the dish on her lap and smiled at him as he approached. She patted the empty space next to her on the bench and he happily slid into it.   "Mmmm, that smells good." He could see the telltale orange and purple of the food in her dish, so he guessed, "Tisa tulivo?"   Salelu swallowed before answering with pride, "My mother makes the best tisa tulivo in the whole tribe."   "So I've heard. Did she teach you her recipe?"   "She tried, but I'm not much of a cook."   "That makes sense. Your talents clearly lie elsewhere."   She knew that he meant as a pilot, but the double entendre of his comment made her feel mischievous. She loved the shy look he would get whenever she flirted with him, so she scooped up a spoonful of her food and tried to look completely innocent as she held it out to him. "Wanna try some?"   Umbajin wasn't buying the innocent act. He adored Salelu's boldness. There was no way she didn't know what she was doing, but he decided he would play along. "You wouldn't mind sharing a dish of tulivo with me?"   "Not at all."   Salelu was mesmerized by the smile that spread across Umbajin's face as he leaned in and took the spoon in his mouth. She watched him lick his lips as he slowly chewed, and what started out as a joke, suddenly turned serious. Her heart was racing and she could hardly breathe when he took the spoon, dipped it into the dish she held on her lap, and gently placed it in her mouth, never once breaking eye contact.   Salelu had always laughed at those silly stories about sharing a dish of tulivo, but as they sat there quietly feeding each other, she couldn't help believing.  

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History

  For as long as anyone could remember, there was a myth among the Bane'ile that tulivo was an aphrodisiac even though there was never any proof that it had any effect at all on the libido. Tulivo was a bright orange bivalve mollusk native to the Yi'oritane river that was stewed with purple tisa to create the delicious and colorful signature dish of the Yi'oritane tribe that was always a favorite at the communal meals of the Festival of Titi'abule.   It was said that sharing a dish of tulivo with someone you were attracted to would ignite a spark of passion and you would immediately become lovers. The inside of the mollusk's shell was a beautiful opalescent orange and Yi'oritane artisans were often commissioned to fashion the two halves of the shell into exquisite pendants to be worn by lovers as a symbol of their passionate connection. There was also a bright orange dye made from the excretions of the tulivo that was used in the manufacture of sensual garments that would be worn on amorous occasions, giving rise to the idea of orange being the color of passion.