Make Some Meal Magic

Our food supply had dwindled. We were trying to wait as long as possible to go back out for food. There were some cans of tomatoes, a can of coconut milk, some potatoes, two cans of chickpeas, some rice, and we always have eggs. George bravely agreed to take this one on. He pulled out a vegetarian Indian cookbook (one of our three cookbooks to choose from) and then the smells started coming from the kitchen. Fortunately our spices are plentiful and the magic began. 

Exquisite smells floated through the house. We could hardly wait. George announced that this meal had courses. We would start with a tomato curry soup served with a boiled egg, followed by potato dal cubes in a creamy coconut sauce. 

As we sat to eat, I realized we were about to taste a pile of interesting, unique, and new flavors. As four curious kids sat around the table, I had an idea. 

“Let’s pretend we are food critics and we are going to write an article describing these dishes!” I suggested. 

We needed descriptive words. We couldn’t say things like, “This is good” or even “This is delicious” or worse, “This tastes terrible,” or “I don’t like it.” 

We needed specifics. I even grabbed the dry erase board and an expo pen to take notes.

The kids immediately sat up straighter. Their spoons seemed to move from bowl to lips much more gracefully. They were ready to critique!

We had a tart, thin, spicy but good, flavorful satisfying tomato curry. 

The potato dal was creamy and bitter with a crunch, potatoey and saucy. It was mild and comforting, like something you might eat if you were sick -- to get better.

There was not a drop of food left. They ate every last bite.