The boy and the spoon (a story to encourage children to discover cooking)

Once upon a time there was a boy who was a super lover of books and stories. He always went from there to there looking for books that he had not read and asked everyone, whenever he had the opportunity, to tell him a story or make up a story that would entertain him. He didn't care if it was more or less complex, if it was a short story or a long story; Everything was fine, I just wanted them to search their memory or make use of improvisation so that they could invent a story.

One day, he crossed paths with a woman who, upon his request, told him:

- Oh, I'm really sorry because I love stories: I love adventure books, romantic stories, intrigue stories fascinate and entertain me a lot... but I really lack imagination, so I can't tell you any stories. , because I am incapable of inventing it. But do you know what always inspires me? This!

And the woman took out a kitchen spoon from the front pocket of her apron. It was a colorful and cheerful spoon, with an ending in the shape of a sweet duckling. It was a very jovial and sweet spoon.

The boy was super surprised, he didn't know and couldn't imagine how a spoon inspired that woman. Does a spoon inspire you? he wondered. With strong doubts he took it in his hands and went home.

Once there, in his room, the boy continued looking at his stories and books, but since he had not gotten any new ones that day and he knew all the ones he had well, he felt somewhat bored. And that spoon... Oh, that spoon! It seemed like she was calling him, and the little boy couldn't help but keep his eyes from going to her again and again.

In the end he decided: he grabbed the spoon that woman had given him and went straight to the dining room, where there was a shelf full of what he liked so much, books. On the third shelf there were cookbooks and, after searching a little among the offerings of that reading, she found one that claimed to be easy recipes to learn to cook, a book for children. They were clearly destined!

With the book and spoon in hand, he sat at the table and began to look at the recipes they contained. One for making bread caught his attention. "Bread? Will I be able to make bread? With only 4 ingredients?" "I'm interested!" he thought.

So, determined, he went to the kitchen, I put a stool near the counter to reach better, and he prepared to follow the recipe just as the book told it... A little water and yeast here... we mixed with the spoon and we leave it.... we are going to put water and flour in this bowl.... spoon that you will spoon, come to do magic that we have to mix... mix and mix... we add the water prepared previously... mix that mix and play with that ball that we have made... we are going to add salt to give it sparkle... continue, you will continue mixing...

The boy began to knead that ball that looked like clay. More than cooking, it seemed like a game... How fun it was! So he didn't stop kneading, stretching, crushing and rolling that ball of sticky flour that, surprisingly, was becoming less and less sticky every moment.

- Honey, we have to go! He heard his mother say to him from the entrance of the house.

So the little cook left the dough ball in a bowl and covered it with a damp cloth, as the book indicated, and left it to rest there.

He returned home after a few hours, and his eyes (nor his mother's) couldn't believe it.

- But, but, but... what happened?! What have you done, my son?

The little boy didn't know whether to cry from fear of thinking that he had ruined the kitchen, or smile from the joy of seeing that there was a huge, bubbly and super fun mass coming out of the kitchen door... Created by him!

- I... I... I only took the cookbook and that spoon that woman gave me... I'm sorry mom... I didn't know this would happen.

- What spoon? What woman? How do you take things from strangers? And what the hell were you planning to do? What have you done!? -answered the mother, who was crazy thinking about what it was and how to solve that monstrously large and bubbly ball that was before her eyes and that was already beginning to gain ground to invade the dining room.

- Well, bread... I just wanted to make bread... And the truth is that it was super fun, mommy! Listen, you just have to...

- Are you going to tell me how to make bread now? But look what we have before our eyes!

- Take out the air, mommy; "I remember well what the book said, we must take the air out of it," said the determined little boy.

Having said this, the little one took a running start and launched himself against that enormous mass that did not stop growing. Just when he was about to reach it he made a jump, turning on his back in flight, and fell on top of the mass, fully on his ass in it. The dough blew out a lot of air everywhere (yes, you're probably imagining it, like the Bu monster when he got angry). The boy threw himself against her once more, and the mass degassed again. Thus, the little cook gradually reduced that gigantic ball, until it reduced it considerably.

When he had finished removing the air and the ball was a manageable size, he turned it over again and gave it a nice round shape, and then he began to remove small pieces to make fist-sized balls, balls with which he could play again. , now as a plasticine. He molded them and left them round and beautiful. They were super smooth and perfect!

- Mom, I want to turn on the oven, because this is just right!

The mother was amazed at how that little one had solved the problem - which in fact was not a problem, but was a super risen bread dough - and she was preparing to prepare some bread rolls for the snack, with that tranquility and joy. that so characterizes children.

The mother, now calm and happy, helped him put the beautiful buns on the oven tray, and in batches they baked them all. There, the two of them together, mother and son, side by side and the oven running.

They tried them, they were delicious! Good and authentic bread in the form of perfect buns for a snack.

- What do you want them with, darling? the mother told him.

- Mom, I've earned it... Today, without a doubt, with chocolate!

While the mother was preparing the table with all the snacks, the father and his two brothers arrived home.

- It smells good!

- Fresh bread? I want it too, mommy!

Thus, they all gathered at the table, happy with that improvised, homemade snack, undoubtedly as simple as it was traditional and so delicious that they had made.

While the little protagonist of the story was taking a bite of that delicious bread that he had prepared, he had the feeling that the smiling duck drawn on the end of the spoon that the woman had given him was winking at him. The boy looked around, stupefied and thoughtful, and seeing that family scene and that bread he had made, he understood why that woman always seemed inspired by that spoon: the kitchen spoon was not only a spoon, but it was a real magic wand. , capable of making the most delicious recipes, bringing smiles to the whole family and giving stories to tell, your most precious treasure.

With love, Claudia

07/19/2023

This story arose from my imagination one day when a child who I knew was a great lover of stories was going to be left without a gift. So I gave him the children's kitchen spoon along with this story.

I recently read it again, and I thought it might be nice to leave it here, on Claudia&Julia's blog, hoping that it could be a story to read to the little ones, a story to encourage the little ones to do their tests in the kitchen if They see how fun cooking can be and yes, also, to remember the beautiful moments that I have been able to spend with my little ones preparing pastries and other recipes at home. If you read it, I hope some of this happens or, above all, I hope you like it. Thank you for joining me on this little adventure!