"It has been a real concern. I heard there was a food shortage for a while because of all the extra people that keep showing up here. I think it's better now, but we should all do what we can to make sure it doesn't happen again or get worse." Max has his own ideas for what he can do. If his powers to keep food fresh are still active, then there's a lot he might be able to do about it. He has a plate of meat he made earlier today sitting up in his room. He's going to watch it and see what happens.

"Hey," Max says gently as he notices the way Bart's fingers worry together. "You're worth the effort. It's no trouble for me to work on alternatives, honestly. Think of how you feel trying to innovate on one of your projects and that's kind of how it feels for me, too. You're giving me a challenge to rise to. That said, I'll definitely take your help in the food-tasting department because I'm used to eating sweet things so you might have to help me make it more to your tolerance."