Snail Racing? Really?

So, snail racing: was that just a joke?

Nope. In my universe snail racing is a well respected belter tradition.

During the Long Night, lots of spaceborne habitats found themselves cut off from interstellar markets as space travel collapsed. Perhaps the most pressing concern after oxygen was food.

Snails, both regular size and giant, were a somewhat common food animal already. During the tough times of the Long Night, an animal that could handle zero gravity and turn vegetable waste into animal protein was worth its weight … err, mass in gold. Humans (and other sophonts) being what they are, it wasn’t long before bored snail tenders started to race their charges in a desperate bid for some sort of entertainment.

As time passed, cultures and economies recovered, and there was room for leisure activities, but not very much room. Snail racing tracks don’t require much space, so just about any habitat could squeeze one in somewhere.

Today, snail racing is an established sport, and just about every big space habitat has a track. People who live on planets find it strange, but they consider spacers to be a strange lot anyway.

And in honor of the sport’s culinary roots, you can frequently still dine on the slowest snail.