SUNDAY FUNNIES - Aidan in the Kitchen

      Why not?  I used to read the funnies on Sunday.  Makes more sense anyway.  Besides which, this was a long day, and my "daily post" isn't happening unless I fall back on some solid material.  These are a few "funnies" about Aidan.

      As you might imagine we occasionally called Aidan "Adie".  One day he was helping me in the kitchen and he said, "I'm a chef!  Chef-boy-Adie".  

      He didn't really appear to be too gifted in that line, though.  I will never forget the first time I thought I'd let him cook something on his own.  I thought Jello would certainly be within his capabilities.  The directions are so clear and easy to follow.  So, I set out the equipment necessary and the box of jello and left him to it.  I thought maybe I ought to glance in every so often.  Just as well....  I looked in and he had the water on the stove to boil - the whole two-quart pan filled to the brim.

      "Ah, Aidan, how much boiling water do you need?"
      "Two cups."
      "Well, how about measuring the water first?  Then you won't need to boil so much of it."  He took that advice as well-intentioned and I ducked out to leave him to it.  A bit later I thought I better check to see how it was going.  He'd taken my advice all right.  He'd measured the water - and there it sat - still in the measuring cup, which sat in the saucepan on the burner.  I had surely not realized how specific I needed to be!

      I am not sure that "food critic" was ever Aidan's direction. He didn't ever quite get the vocabulary down.  When he was in kndergarten his teacher was commenting how cooperative Aidan was in trying all the foods served at lunch.  She mentioned that he'd even tasted the sharp cheddar cheese in the salad that they'd served that day.  Overhearing this, he wanted, I suppose to emphasize his bravery in this regard, "Yes"!  he exclaimed, "And it poked me!"

      Probably five or so years later his food acumen had not improved a great deal.  He took a bite of a Three Muskateers bar and asked, "Is that all that is in this candy bar?  Cartilege?"