I think of it like a homemade carrot cake versus a store bought individually wrapped slice.
Technically that factory made carrot cake is perfect every time. It is the same recipe, color, and quality as the one next to it and the one you bought last year. That said I would nearly always prefer a homemade or bakery made carrot cake more. Nothing wrong with grabbing the “perfect” one in a pinch, but it is missing something that I can’t quite describe. Maybe it is a more generic recipe, or maybe it is the preservatives, but there is a difference.
I believe that is only on Starfleet vessels.
You don’t want drunk people performing their jobs during a crisis.
Characters on the show also mention on multiple occasions that certain foods don’t taste as good when replicated.
Which is complete BS, since it’s supposed to be the same on a molecular level.
I think of it like a homemade carrot cake versus a store bought individually wrapped slice.
Technically that factory made carrot cake is perfect every time. It is the same recipe, color, and quality as the one next to it and the one you bought last year. That said I would nearly always prefer a homemade or bakery made carrot cake more. Nothing wrong with grabbing the “perfect” one in a pinch, but it is missing something that I can’t quite describe. Maybe it is a more generic recipe, or maybe it is the preservatives, but there is a difference.
It’s probably just cheap ingredients. Not an issue for replicators.
Factory made food is created differently than homemade. Replicators can, well, replicate anything perfectly.
That can be attributed to the placebo effect.