When Bud and Sug were 10 and 12, we'd finally had it up to the neck with constant complaints about what either of us had spent an hour or more making for supper. One day they came home from school and found us hard at work making hamburger patties and freezing them. "What's for supper?" they asked. "Burgers," we said. "Yea!" they cheered.
The next night they asked, "What's for supper?" "Burger," we replied. "Yea!"
After school the next day on enquiring what supper was they were surprised but not displeased to hear "Burgers."
By the fifth day they were sensing a trend.
On day seven they stopped looking forward to burgers but were unwilling to ask for something else. They realized something was up to but decided not to complain.
By the end of week two they couldn't face another burger. As Sugar put it years later, she and Buddy were sitting in front of the TV, facing yet another of what used to be their favorite dinner, unable to take a bite. "You going to say anything?" "Not me," he said but didn't eat. "What are we going to do?" We both took a couple more bites and surrendered.
They came upstairs and agreed to stop complaining about dinner. We agreed that if they didn't like something we'd try not to serve it again but they had to try it and stop griping. The truce lasted into their adulthood.
Cut to all these many years later. I started cooking for the grandsons a year ago and told them if they complained, we'd eat Mac and Cheese every night until it came out their ears. They'd heard the legend of the burgers and the same deal applied. You eat it once and we move on but no complaints. It's been up and down but tonight Tio threw down the gauntlet over some black eyed peas. I said eat this serving (there may have been six beans in his rice serving) and I won't make them again. "if you don't, I'm making Kraft dinner for the next two weeks straight. That's the deal." The two younger boys went "Yea!" and Tio said fine. He left the table with the beans intact.
I'll let you know how it goes. It'll certainly be easier on me making one dish of glop for the dogs and a second dish of glop for the boys. Anyone want to wager how many days he lasts?
