Bolin is not deterred, at least, initially. "Hey, I'll take anything so long as it's free. Man, I mean, it's probably not Pema's cooking, but it certainly smells better than..." He pauses in order to takes a whiff of it. However, this only results in him wrinkling his nose a bit. "Okay, well that stuff is probably not going to be my favourite. I'll take a double dose of the Arctic hen and the wontons then."

There: the important issue is now out of the way. Now onto the defence of his story.

"And really I was!" he continues, his voice rather impassioned. "You would have had to been there to see it. He... or maybe it's a she, I really don't remember, wouldn't get out of my way trying to get here to Air Temple Island. So he... or she, led me to this collapsed building where I saved Lord Zuko from a collapsed building. Except it was really young Lord Zuko, as if he were my age. I mean, I wasn't even expecting that! I was kind of shocked and starstruck all at the same time!"