Last week Elizabeth and Ludie went to Washington DC. We’re happy to report, we’ve partnered with the National Association of Former Foster Care Children of America (NAFFCCA) to teach workshops to their youth. But before we got the job, the NAFFCCA surprised us with a pop quiz. Here’s the story.
We plan to meet Queen at 3:30. She tells us she’ll get everything we need for lunch. Ludie and I wonder: Is she cooking? Are we cooking together? We assume we’ll find out when we get there.
Later, we arrive at NAFFCCA. Queen is not there. A colleague reports she’s doing some last minute shopping. She says Queen left food for us to get started. We see dried spaghetti, garlic salt, chicken broth and in the sink, semi-frozen white fish fillets. What, we think to ourselves, can we make with this odd mix of ingredients. We linger hoping Queen will arrive to bring something! Anything! We even dare to hope this thing is fresh or green. Twenty minutes pass. Hunger overtakes us. We rummage through the fridge in search of treasure. We find half a tomato, a small onion, green olives and a stick of butter. From the cupboards we take flour, rosemary, salt, pepper and oregano. We wish for garlic and olive oil, but find neither. Still, we have enough to prepare tomato sauce and fried fish. Our stomachs rumbling, we set to work.
Queen arrives as our pasta water boils and onions join hot, foamy butter. We ask her to get fresh garlic and a can of chopped tomatoes. While she’s gone, rosemary scented oil sputters as cold fish hits its surface. Young folks who followed their noses to find us arrive with questions. We tell them about our upcoming program and hand out samples. They leave promising to sign up.
Queen returns to the smell of home-cooked food. We sit together and give thanks. Queen takes a bite, swallows. “Now,” she smiles, “I’m prepared to hire you: you made a great meal from few ingredients and you bonded with the youth.” Ludie and I exclaim “We knew this was a test and we’re glad we passed!”
This experience shows us that being resourceful and hungry can go a long way when cooking fun food on the fly. This is an adventure we will surely not forget.
Elizabeth J.E. Johnson
We plan to meet Queen at 3:30. She tells us she’ll get everything we need for lunch. Ludie and I wonder: Is she cooking? Are we cooking together? We assume we’ll find out when we get there.
Later, we arrive at NAFFCCA. Queen is not there. A colleague reports she’s doing some last minute shopping. She says Queen left food for us to get started. We see dried spaghetti, garlic salt, chicken broth and in the sink, semi-frozen white fish fillets. What, we think to ourselves, can we make with this odd mix of ingredients. We linger hoping Queen will arrive to bring something! Anything! We even dare to hope this thing is fresh or green. Twenty minutes pass. Hunger overtakes us. We rummage through the fridge in search of treasure. We find half a tomato, a small onion, green olives and a stick of butter. From the cupboards we take flour, rosemary, salt, pepper and oregano. We wish for garlic and olive oil, but find neither. Still, we have enough to prepare tomato sauce and fried fish. Our stomachs rumbling, we set to work.
Queen arrives as our pasta water boils and onions join hot, foamy butter. We ask her to get fresh garlic and a can of chopped tomatoes. While she’s gone, rosemary scented oil sputters as cold fish hits its surface. Young folks who followed their noses to find us arrive with questions. We tell them about our upcoming program and hand out samples. They leave promising to sign up.
Queen returns to the smell of home-cooked food. We sit together and give thanks. Queen takes a bite, swallows. “Now,” she smiles, “I’m prepared to hire you: you made a great meal from few ingredients and you bonded with the youth.” Ludie and I exclaim “We knew this was a test and we’re glad we passed!”
This experience shows us that being resourceful and hungry can go a long way when cooking fun food on the fly. This is an adventure we will surely not forget.
Elizabeth J.E. Johnson
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