Young acolytes in the monastery Tav is from go through all sorts of things to train their minds and bodies - one of those is cooking, and learning to cook for a crowd (as this teaches many things - not just cooking, but awareness, focus, knife and fire skills, etc.). As they grow and learn, should they succeed, they are given a small budget (although much of their ingredients come from the monastery itself - which has substantial gardens, orchards, and animals) and command of the kitchen (in rotation) to cook for the various permanent residents. This includes other acolytes, teachers, higher monks, various charges/wards, and visiting travelers*. Much of the food is usually simple fair** - things that can be cooked en masse for little cost, but various acolytes give their own flair if they can. Shrimp, while sold in the markets, is generally by-catch and cheap***, and it's Grembo's (@fullyfunctionalminiaturebeehive) favorite, so every time he cooks, it almost always has shrimp, and more often than not is his favorite "shrimp 'n bits" - shrimp with some veggies or starch or more protein and spices. Some of the combinations are very classic others are... interesting.
*Cooking for the needy/soup kitchens are done slightly separately for a couple considerations 1) it is more voluminous and 2) it is generally off-site in the lower city or the surrounding townships to better serve the community. Acolytes are still put to that task of helping run it but it is overseen by a different and spesific head monk/cook well accustomed to the needs of the people as best they can serve them.
**Simple rice or grain dishes/porridges, soups, stews, etc. Something that was good for Tav when she was younger - predictability and simplicity was helpful for her to expand and develop her palate without her father (professional cook) breathing down her neck. He meant well but he made it hard for her as he tried to push through genuine eating issues assuming it was just 'pickiness'.
***In my head, Baldur's Gate is still in a phase where lobster is generally considered 'poor people' food as it is common bottom-feeding by-catch from more desirable flatfish, crab, octopus, and squid pots/nets (frequently appearing in local seafood stews). This is not ubiquitous across Faerûn, however, where it is a delicacy in many places.
