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It’s five o’clock and the dinner hour begins. The phone rings. Jafar may be several hours late. Okay, I had planned on dinner for four people (ham, potatoes and vegetables), but now I am down to three people. Two of those people are children who like just about everything, but they don’t necessarily like it when I am going to make it. Do I really want to cook dinner for three people and have two of them pick at it?
Jane is asleep because she has been up since 3:30 am and has been running around and commanding everyone’s attention since that early hour. I am now wondering if I should only count on two people for dinner. I was even able to move Jane from a couch to a bed without waking her. This may be a sign that see will be sleeping for the night or at least until 10 when I am ready to go to bed. So, now, I am thinking I am down to two people to feed.
Here’s the dilemma. If it were just I, dinner would be something like soup and popcorn. I can revert easily back to the days when I didn’t have to prepare dinner for anyone. But I have skinny little Jasmine to consider. The mother in me is saying “Cook that dinner, you had planned. Get those nutrients and vegetables in that girl.” The other half of me is saying, “Call for pizza. Get a salad. She’ll get her greens in that way.” I actually asked her if she wanted pizza or ham, and pizza was the answer. She also told me she already ate. Of course, this may mean she ate lunch and breakfast.
So at what point does making dinner become inefficient. Making dinner for four, I have no problems with; I am even likely to make it for three people. When I get down to feeding two it becomes tricky. Do I really want to put forth an effort to make food when I know it will probably not be eaten by one of the participants? Again, I am struggling with that one side of me saying, “Cook. It is better for you and Jasmine. It will be less fatty and caloric than ordering pizza.” The other side of me says, “Order. Jasmine will be more likely to eat it. You will have leftovers for Jafar and Jane. And you can do other things while awaiting your order, like update your web site or cross-stitch.” Usually I would use the time to do homework (not mine, Jane’s), but she’s had a four-day holiday from school.
So, I have now spent thirty minutes deciding whether to cook or not to cook. I have almost wasted more time questioning dinner than it would take to prepare dinner. Still I am confused. Well, time to confront the child.
“Jane, if I make ham and vegetables will you eat it?” I didn’t even ask about the potatoes because she is not a big potato eater.
“No.”
“Jane if I order pizza will you eat it?”
An enthusiastic “Yes” ensues.
“I’m going to order a salad, also.” Yes, I am still on the kid needs vegetables theme.
“Good.”
Well, I guess my mind has been made up by the seven year old. Now, if everyone would just tell me their dinner attendance before I left work, I could sit in traffic and figure it all out. It would give me something to do, and I wouldn’t waste forty-five minutes when I got home.
Got to go, hopefully, the pizza delivery person will be arriving soon.
February 18, 2002 |
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