As a kid, (and quite frankly in general), I’ve always been a picky eater. Therefore, my parents had an extremely difficult time finding food that was up to par with my young tastebuds. That brings us to a story of when I was about five years old.
Let me set the scene for you: my mom, in the kitchen, working on the lunch I had been asking for multiple days in a row. Her feet slid as she worked, moving across our floor, which was the colour of bologna. Brown cabinets, that in the midday light appeared more of a copper colour opened and closed as she searched for the necessary tools. The scent of melted cheese and crispy bread wafted through the house, exciting me for what was to come. I sat at our little glass table, waiting to be served. I was there for what felt like an eternity, and finally, my mom brought over my grilled cheese sandwich. Excitement coursed through my body, and I went in for the first bite.
And what did I find? Cheese, but not the stretchy, melted variety. This cheese was melted, yet somehow chunky at the same time. The bread was decent, and if the cheese was made to my liking, I would’ve eaten it, no complaint. But with the texture of the goopy thickness in my mouth along with the bread, it seemed like the end of the world. The audacity she had to serve me a sandwich with cheese, the texture of melted plastic, and margarine that seemed like it was slapped onto the bread blindly.
So, logically, what does a five-year-old do in that situation? Well, she picks pieces of cheese off of her sandwich and throws them on the floor while her mom isn’t looking. The sound of the plopping chunks of cheddar slapping the floor is absolutely unforgettable. Now, I could have told her that I didn’t like the way the it was cooked, and she would’ve put it back on the pan until it was up to my liking, but I knew she would be quite unhappy to say the least. And so, I did this for the whole sandwich. One bite of bread, one glob of cheese on the floor.
As anyone would have guessed, after I finished eating, my mom found a huge pile of cheese underneath my chair, and wasn’t extremely happy with me. To this day, I still don’t enjoy grilled cheese sandwiches because of this experience, and it would be safe to say that neither does my mom.
Recipe: Servings: 1 child Prep Time: 2 minutes Cook Time: Short enough to make a mistake
Ingredients 2 slices of bread 1–2 slices of cheddar cheese (must be incapable of melting) Enough butter or margarine to cover two slices of bread 1 very opinionated child (historically accurate)
Instructions ➀ Take out your two slices of bread, and butter one side of each slice of bread. ② Next, place cheese in the middle of the two slices, butter not touching the cheese. ③ Then, place one slice of bread, butter-side down, onto the pan on medium heat. ➃ Let the sandwich cook until the bread is golden and smells amazing. This is where hope is born. Flip the sandwich over. ➄ After, lower the heat to low. This allows the cheese to melt incorrectly and chunkily. ➅ Then, flip once more and flatten. ➆ Finally, cook on low heat until the bread isn’t quite golden and the cheese isn’t fully melted.
Serving Suggestions Best enjoyed with small hands secretly throwing cheese on the floor.
Warning: This meal may result in picky eating habits that last all the way into teenage years.