@Ainzell Yeah, actually the nanobot AI would be quite priceless, especially if it has our Internet's worth of information, which it logically should have. I mean, when I'm cooking or baking, it's more likely I check the Internet for ideas these days than any other source. I don't know about Asia, especially China where they seem to eat just about anything possibly edible (which unfortunately includes bats with their coronaviruses as well), but at least where I live the modern man has forgotten quite a lot of what was eaten in the distant, poor past. Some top chefs do use those ingredients, though, but not an average person. Alan, however, could just head out and collect whatever for ingredients and spices. Even if it's unknown, the nanobots should be able to check if it's poisonous or not. This is essentially where cooking being his hobby starts to become essential. If he was just cooking to have something to eat, there's no way he would go out of his way to try to replicate fancy dishes with limited ingredients, but since it's his hobby, he would most certainly do it. Just like those of use who have a cooking/baking hobby (to any degree) are far more likely to alter, combine, and adapt recipes to suit our own fancy.