How dose the food synth work exactly?
it's a modified starship food synthesizer! most food synthesizers work along the same lines as mine.
it's a complex mechanism fueled by a high-power cell which is normally exhausted by a smaller capital ship in about a month if it's used constantly. for a single person, this cell must be replaced every decade if you use it constantly like me, which makes it ostensibly inexhaustible--by the time the power cell runs out, you'll have probably gotten a newer, better food synth.
it works by converting the energy of this cell, through a complex conversion process, into a nutrient gel (with a selectable flavor! on larger ships this gel can be converted into more solid forms of food) which is pumped through a self-cleaning hose with a custom endpiece shaped to fit the user's mouth perfectly, into the mouth of the user. the gel is inlaid with a chemical that disables the user's gag reflex and relaxes their throat muscles to allow for a steady flow of gel. as well, you'd be outfitted with a comfortable snout band to keep your maw fixed onto the hose. the gel is also aerated to prevent nausea.
if you're a perma-eater like me, you'll be able to brag that you eat for an entire capital ship most days. 💦💦💦
(art is by @ synthosad on twitter!)