When I cook, I have two distinct styles. The first is where I make everything from scratch. Maybe IÂ’ll cheat and buy bread, but I tend to start with the basics and make everything I need. This style tends to produce the best tasting and most satisfying meals. The problem is that it is very time consuming, IÂ’m talking 3+ hours of preparation each meal. On special occasions IÂ’ve been known to cook for 7 hours.

The other way I cook is the quick and easy method. The food is edible, and usually only takes about 5-15 minutes prep time, with maybe an additional 30 minutes cooking time. During the week, this is the type of cooking IÂ’m known to do. Sometimes we are pressed for time and we cheat even further and get boxed meals. Yes, you can all gasp in horror now. This is rare, and for good reasons. The meals usually taste like crap and have no nutritional value.

Tonight was planned a box meal, Tuna Helper Tuna Melt to be exact. Clone was watching on as I prepared the meal. At first he was fascinated at the mixing of water, milk, butter and noodles. Asking questions and making observations, it was fun father and son time. When I added the powdered sauce, a look of horror crossed his face. He asked me, “What’s that, dada?”

I responded, “That’s the cheese sauce, buddy.”

Clone, “Dada, I can’t like it.”

Contagion, “You can’t like it?”

Clone, “No, I can’t like that.”

That went back and forth for a while. Then I added the tuna to the pot.

Clone, “What that?”

Contagion, “Tuna, it’s a fish.”

Clone, “Dada, I can’t like it.”

Contagion, “You’ve had tuna before, you liked it. Why don’t you like it this time?”

Clone, “It sucks.”

I kid you not, my son told me for the first time something sucks. After I finished laughing, I wrapped my burnt fingers. His response made me laugh so hard I accidentally touched the stove surface. I donÂ’t know who taught him that, or where he picked it up, but it was rather amusing.

UPDATE: When I put a bowl full of the Tuna Helper in front of him, he started screaming, "I CAN'T WANT IT! I CAN'T WANT IT!" It's not, I don't want it... it just that he can't want it. There is nothing in the world that could make him want it I guess.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:13 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
Post contains 418 words, total size 2 kb.

1 LOL!!! Clone and Bones would get along great.

Posted by: Bou at February 23, 2006 06:54 PM (iHxT3)

2 Well, Tuna helper DOES suck, especially the tuna part.

Posted by: caltechgirl at February 23, 2006 06:54 PM (jOkK0)

3 ROFLMAO! Wiping away the tears. Picking myself up off the floor! oops...fell down again laughing.

Posted by: MathCog Idiocy at February 23, 2006 07:16 PM (l3tsQ)

4 See...You have spoiled him with good food. He knows what's crap!

Posted by: Sarah at February 23, 2006 08:10 PM (Fjl6Z)

5 Ya gotta love kids!

Hope your hand feels better!!

Posted by: jimmyb at February 23, 2006 08:23 PM (5tTmI)

6 .. I think Clone is a deep little fella.. is wasn't that he DIDN'T want it... it was the realization that he CAN'T want it... he realizes just how horrible it is the he DOES want something so incredibly wrong as tuna and cheese...

Posted by: Eric at February 24, 2006 07:32 AM (r5XsL)

7 I'm with Eric. There is something incredibly wrong with tuna and cheese. In fact, I can't want it either!

Posted by: oddybobo at February 24, 2006 08:04 AM (6Gm0j)

8 mMMMmmmm...Tuna.

I wonder what Tuna and Spam would taste like?

Posted by: Ogre at February 24, 2006 10:22 AM (/k+l4)

9 Hahahahaha! Well, I think it's good that Clone has recognized early that powdered cheese is not food....

Posted by: Richmond at February 24, 2006 02:10 PM (e8QFP)

10 My kids won't eat that either. Sigh. I must say that Clone had me L'ing OL... But I recently found something mine will eat:

Hormel Salsbury Steak that is 'ready in 90 seconds'.

Comes in some little white bowl looking thing.

You might be able to try it... they also have chicken, turkey and pot roast. They'll eat the chicken as well but not the turkey or pot roast.

Posted by: vw bug at February 24, 2006 02:29 PM (KyNa3)

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