Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: DRIZZLE (03/05/20)
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TITLE: Practice Makes Perfect | Previous Challenge Entry
By Tammy Ortung
03/10/20 -
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When I checked it several hours later, the beef looked like small pieces of charcoal floating in clear liquid. It did not resemble any beef stew I had ever seen, but I wasn’t deterred. I’d heard that beef took a long time to cook, so I left it to boil for a few more hours.
When the time drew near for my friends to arrive, though the meat still wasn’t tender, I added carrots and potatoes to the broth.
“The beef is a little tough,” I said as I placed a bowl in front of each of my guests and sat down. I watched expectantly as they spooned the peppery mixture into their mouths. I, too, tasted the stew and cringed when I bit down on crunchy carrots. A look I couldn’t quite discern passed across my friends’ faces, but no one said anything. Even my normally vocal New Yorker husband, then boyfriend, didn’t say one word.
“What do you think?” I asked.
“It’s good.” They each said with a smile.
I wanted to believe them. Maybe it’s not so bad after all, I thought, but deep down I knew it was worse than bad. I doubt even a drizzle of gravy could have salvaged that meal. They probably laughed all the way home.
Years later I attended a popular cookware show a friend was hosting. I watched as the consultant pulled the covered baker out of the microwave. Steam erupted when she lifted the lid and we all gazed admiringly at the succulent bow-tie pasta dish drizzled with cheese. I was amazed at how easy she made it look.
“Please complete the comment cards and we’ll do a drawing for some free product,” she said after showcasing all the items on her display table. “If you’re interested in becoming a consultant, mark the form and provide your contact information.”
She outlined the standard spiel that all pyramid structure companies have and directed us the page in the catalog that displayed the $99 Starter Kit. There were several items in the kit that I’d planned on purchasing anyway. If I became a consultant, I could have those and few others for the same price.
“How many parties will I need to do to meet my obligation?” I asked the consultant at the end of the show. “Cause I’m gonna to be honest, I don’t want to be in sales, but my integrity won’t let me purchase the kit without fulfilling my commitment.
“I understand,” she said. “You’re not the only one. You’re expected to do two shows.”
“Only two?” I asked incredulously. “I can do that.” And two parties turned into a dozen, until I ran out of friends willing to host a gathering.
As is typical with these consultant jobs, I received so much free and discounted product that eventually I started accumulating items I didn’t need—and will probably never use. Especially since I’m still not much of a cook (though I now know how to enhance flavor with more than just salt and pepper). I’m also not much of a baker, but one of the free items I earned was a silicone Chocolate Drizzler that looks a little like a syringe—I’ve used it once. As I fed the chocolate chips one-by-one into the small opening, placed the tool in the microwave to melt the chips, and expertly drizzled chocolate over the top of each pizzelle cookie, I realized how far I had come since the beef stew disaster.
Practice makes perfect—or so the cliché goes. Though I will never be a gourmet chef, with practice I have definitely become a better cook over the years. It’s a little like when I’ve shared the gospel. The more I did it, the easier it became. I’ve learned that everything tastes better with a drizzle of gravy—or chocolate—just as sharing Jesus gets easier when we have a pinch of compassion and a dash of love.
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This was a hard long look into the mirror. Great job.