Sorry this was a little late. Been crazy at work.
Soo…jam? Hand lotion? Crying at movies? Not your average boy time. Looks like Lyssa may actually know what’s going on. And it’s nice she got her appetite back.
Coming up next time-another boy shows up, and things go very… well, you’ll see.
Boys being boys… in a certain way…
Well, consider the boys in question.
So, many years ago, when I was a Scout leader, on a Friday afternoon after school we’d get our new bunch of 10 and 11 year old boys out for their first weekend camping trip. We’d show ’em how to put up a tent and build a fire, and my part of the show was to gather the wee laddies ’round the fire and I’d say: “I’m hungry!”
And being boys, they’d all yell: “Me, too!!!”
And I’d say: “Food is important stuff!!!”
And they’d all yell: “Yeah!!!”
And I’d say: “And your Mom isn’t here to cook dinner!”
And being on a roll, most of them would say: “Yeah!” At that moment I could tell which ones were the smart ones, because they would hesitate before saying: “Yeah….”
And I’d say: “And if you want something done right you have to do it yourself!”
And it was kind of fun to watch their faces as they slowly realized just who it was that was going to fix dinner that night. Most of them were used to washing dishes, and had no problem with heating a snack in the microwave, but dinner? Over a campfire?
That first night was usually beef stew. They learned to peel carrots and brown meat. Most of ’em got good at it, eventually, though few of them were ever enthusiastic. Nobody starved or died of ptomaine poisoning. Who knows? Maybe some of them eventually learned to make jam and cardamom cookies.
And learned not to flip cheeseburgers after putting the cheese on. That’s one of my cooking memories from Scout camp. Hey, that’s how we learn, right? I was lucky in that my mom was our Cub Scout Den Mother, and she taught us all sorts of cool outdoor cooking activities.
Great story, Pops, and you sound like you were a great leader. I’m sure some of those kids think of you when they try a new recipe.
It’s completely non-toxic masculinity here, I wish I had more friends like these guys
Well, you have at least one, Neil. Any time you wanna make jam, just let me know.