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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: FUSSY (11/17/16)
‘NOT AGAIN! What is it about grownups and pumpkin?’ yelled nine year old Colin as dinner was put on the table. It had been the same cry ever since he had learned to talk. ‘I HATE PUMPKIN!’

‘For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful. Amen!’ Grace was always said before every meal in the Mitchell household.

‘I’m not thankful, I HATE PUMPKIN! Why did God invent pumpkins?’

‘Because pumpkin is good for us, that’s why’.

‘I bet he doesn’t like pumpkin either,’ replied a very contrary Colin. Every time pumpkin was served, it was the same war cry.

‘Pumpkin is good for you Colin’ his mum always answered, ‘now eat it up without complaining’. The meal progressed as did all meals with pumpkin, slowly, with lots of arguing and cajoling. Not pleasant for those at the dinner table.

‘Enough is enough,’ his mum thought, ’I’m tired of these battles, there has to be a way around this problem. Dinner time and food should never be a battle ground in the family.’

‘Please God help me to find a solution before I go mad,’ she silently prayed. She did not believe in leaving the hated food off the plate, but she always gave Colin less than she gave his sister Sally. Surely to eat just one small piece of pumpkin could not be that unpalatable.

Over the next two months Mum slowly reintroduced pumpkin in a different form. Yellow potato she told Colin was potato mashed with lots of butter. He loved buttery potato. She added just enough pumpkin to color the potato without it looking too orange.

Chocolate muffins containing pumpkin were a hit, especially in the lunch box. Colin came home from school after the first muffin and declared that they were the yummiest muffins he had ever tasted. There must be other ways of disguising pumpkin, she just had to think of them.

Pumpkin soup was the biggest challenge, no matter what Mum did it was still pumpkin. Mr Google was not much help when it came to pumpkin soup; he suggested adding curry powder, ginger, parsnips, apple or celery for a change of flavor. None of these suggestions did much to disguise the color of the pumpkin.

The answer was not to compromise and cook an alternative meal just for Colin on soup nights. Pumpkin soup was the last battleground and one not so easily won; that is until Mum thought of a great idea. Instead of pumpkin soup the family would have orange soup for tea. Colin loved oranges, they were his favorite fruit. She added some orange zest when cooking the soup to add a citrus flavor. She filled the bowls with hot soup and called in Colin.

‘We are having orange soup tonight and I have a special job for you,’ she declared. She gave Colin a sauce dispenser filled with sour cream. ‘Colin I want you to decorate the soup in the bowls with a pattern or face to make the orange soup look really pretty.’

‘Great idea mum, can I do whatever I like?’ Colin fell for the bait, hook, line and sinker.

Colin did his best creative patterns on top of the soup. A heart for mum, a fish for dad, a flower for Sally and a smiley face for himself. Everyone commented on their decorations and declared that orange soup was even tastier than pumpkin soup. Johnny agreed. ‘Can we have orange soup another night mum?’ he asked. Mum smiled to herself, the battle had been won.

‘Colin, I have a confession to make,’ said Mum said a few days later. ‘Buttery potato is pumpkin mashed into the potato. Those chocolate cakes you enjoy so much at school have lots of pumpkin in them. The orange soup is really pumpkin soup with orange zest added to it. I’m sorry but I just had to try all these tricks to get you to eat pumpkin.’

‘You win mum!’ conceded Colin, ‘I did like all that food, so pumpkin is tasty and good after all, and it keeps me healthy. I promise you I will never complain about pumpkin again.’

The next night Colin volunteered to say grace. “Thank you God for making all the food to keep us healthy, and thank you especially for making pumpkin and for my mother for making me eat it. Amen!’
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Larry Whittington
11/27/16
It sounds like a Mom experiencing the problem of winning over the wills of children.

Interesting, cleverly written, very plausible.
Jennifer Woodley 
11/27/16
Ha I can relate to this story very well. Trickery is a mum's desperate measure, and you have shown that it works! Colin did become Johnny once towards the end of the story, but otherwise, very good.
Lois Farrow
11/28/16
Great story and fun to read. I did wonder that he accepted pumpkin so readily, but his Mum's creative thinking was brilliant.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
11/30/16
I really enjoyed this story. It was cute and relatable. I think Collin gave in a bit too easily though. I remember refusing to eat pizza and spaghetti (my former favorites) when I learned they had the disgusting tomatoes in them. You nailed the topic and it was creative and fun. A great read. If you can find a way to make the kid the hero (perhaps have Sally come up with the ideas to disguise the food), it would make a great children's story.