Rosa tries healthy food
George took this photograph of Rosa with his brand new iPhone Pro Max
“This tastes like death!”
“What!” Shouted Julia, while Sybil scolded her daughter.
“Rosa! What an awful thing to say.”
“Well mummy, the last time we had this, I told you it tasted gross and Julia told me if I used those words again then she wouldn’t talk to me for a month, so I used different words.” “Different maybe Rosa. But in fact, they are worse.”
Julia stormed out of the dining room with her wings on her hips, while George sat across the table from Rosa with an amused smile on his face, while Timmy giggled and Brenda lay fast asleep in her cot in Rosa’s room.
“It would be better to use kinder words, young lady,” it was time for George to come to the rescue of his eldest daughter before his wife got a little out of hand.
“Sorry daddy, but this is… this is.. I’m sorry, I can’t find kinder words.” She took a deep breath and pushed her plate into the middle of the table.
This all started some weeks ago when Julia was at home alone for a few hours before her family returned from their little walk along the water line. While she waited for dinner to cook in her crockpot, Julia decided to turn on the TV and listen to the news. However, she stumbled upon an interview with the new HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy and some of the doctors who work with him. The discussion was about how unhealthy Americans were and how they need to turn away from constantly eating fast food and start eating good wholesome food. This subject was near and dear to Julia’s heart, because she felt her family always defaulted to what was easiest and quickest to eat, which invariable turned out to be the unhealthiest.
After the programme was over, Julia jumped on the computer and searched for healthy alternatives to unhealthy food. Thereby giving birth to the constant battle between her and the family, when she produced food that didn’t look the most appetising. The battle was mostly between her and her sister Rosa. The case in point was when Rosa who would eat oatmeal for every meal for the rest of her life, was presented at breakfast time with waffles and berries. Rosa at first was excited and looked on the table for the syrup but there wasn’t any to be found. Upon asking her sister if they had run out of it, Julia reminded her that there would not be more syrup, “you can have either raw honey or fresh berries.”
Rosa sank lower in her chair but not to disappear completely, decided to try the waffles with at first just the berries and after which she would switch to the raw honey, especially if the berries were sour. She took a mouthful and made an awful face. She quickly swallowed what was in her mouth and asked, “what are these?”
“Waffles,” replied Julia, “what do you think they are?”
“Not the waffles I’m used to, these are gross!”
Julia was insulted and was about to turn and walk out of the dining room when her father stopped her because he had just taken a bite and felt the same way though he didn’t want to offend her feelings.
“What are they made of because they do taste differently?”
“Gross,” interrupted Rosa reaching for the bottle of raw honey.
“Well dad,” began Julia, “I am changing the way we eat.”
“Oh good!” replied Rosa believing there would no longer be eggs or chicken on the menu. “No Rosa dear,” Julia elaborated, “only free-range organic eggs and organic chicken.”
Rosa had absolutely no idea what those were while she began unscrewing the cap of the raw honey bottle. “These waffles are made with whole wheat instead of all purpose flour.”
Rosa screwed the cap on the bottle back knowing it wouldn’t change the taste. “I can’t eat these,” she whined to her mother who quite liked them and had congratulated Julia on the choice of whole wheat, instead of the all purpose flour as she unsuccessfully tried to chastise Rosa.
“Mummy, in that case you can eat mine. I want my oatmeal again,” and she pushed her plate towards Sybil. Well, Sybil didn’t like them that much. George knew that and smiled at his wife.
“Sybil darling,” he said, “you can have mine as well.” Needless to say, Julia was most upset and left the room with her wings on her hips, after telling Rosa if she used the word gross again, she wouldn’t talk to her for a whole month.
Brenda cried and Rosa was about to get up from her chair but sat back down when she saw the look on her mother’s face and began to eat just the berries. She then decided to pour some raw honey onto her plate and dip the berries in that. George followed suit. A few minutes later Brenda made her appearance jumping up and down as soon as she saw Rosa though now realising she wasn’t her mother after Sybil had drummed that into her, but knew she was her favourite person in the nest. Sybil immediately walked over to Rosa and plonked her on her lap. Brenda looked at the plate in front of Rosa and pointed to the berries with her wing.
“She can have a couple,” replied her mother and so Rosa fed her a few dipped in raw honey. Brenda then looked as if she wanted to try some of the waffle and after Sybil had given her permission, Rosa cut a few small bites and fed them to her. Brenda’s eyes lit up after the first bite and she began to bounce up and down on Rosa’s lap.
“Julia!” shouted Sybil and when she didn’t respond she shouted again and added, “come and see this.”
Julia walked into the dining room not knowing what to expect and immediately perked up when she saw Brenda eat her waffles and loving it. “Oh, now I know why. All of you have grown up on unhealthy food and Brenda hasn’t, so she likes these waffles and the rest of you don’t. That makes my job so much easier.” Julia was delighted. “So, I will keep making these waffles until all of you begin to love them. And you Rosa, the next time you call them gross I will not talk to you for a month.”
“As long as Brenda can eat mine, that’s ok,” she agreed.
“No Rosa. I make them for you, and you have to eat them.”
Rosa looked from one parent to the next and then when not getting the help she expected, looked at her brother who had eaten all his waffles and had a silly grin on his face.