This
meme was started by Delores a long time ago. Computer issues led her
to bow out for a while. The meme was too much fun to let go, and now
Words for Wednesday is provided by a number of people and has become a
movable feast.
Essentially
the aim is to encourage us to write. Each week we are given a choice
of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image. What we do
with those prompts is up to us: a short story, prose, a song, a poem,
or treating them with ignore... We can use some or all of the prompts, and mixing and matching is encouraged.
Some
of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on
their own blog. I would really like it if as many people as possible
joined into this fun meme, which includes cheering on the other participants. If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.
Huge thanks to Wisewebwoman who challenged us last month. This month I am providing the prompts
This week's prompts are phrases involving food. Feel free to use some of them, all of them or to include different ones:
- Too many cooks spoil the broth
- The apple of my eye
- Pie in the sky
- Not for all the tea in China
- Spill the beans
As always, have fun.
I don’t think I am spilling any beans here. Chefs and cooks both cook. And are as different as chalk and cheese. Chefs are mostly but not exclusively male. Cooks are mostly but not exclusively female. The sauce for the goose is not at all the same as the sauce for the gander though. I don’t believe that I am overegging the pudding to put the very different treatment of chefs and cooks down to yet another gender issue.
ReplyDeleteToo many cooks spoil the broth is a phrase that is said to cooks. If you expect me to believe it you are definitely a sandwich short of a picnic. It is a reason/excuse why the cook should not expect any help in the kitchen. Chefs have minions and sous chefs to handle everything from peeling the vegetables, to plating the food, to dealing with the intricacies of pastry.
Chefs tend to get a bit toffee nosed about their profession and write books and appear on television pontificating and teaching their grandmothers how to suck eggs.
Cooks get on with it.
Chefs have the best quality food at their disposal. The cook who was the apple of my eye could (and did) prepare a delicious meal for the family (and unexpected guests) at the end of the pay fortnight using wilting vegetables and cheap cuts of meat. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and she was almost always presented with clean plates – the ultimate accolade.
I don’t think my anger is sour grapes. Not for all the tea in China would I even attempt to take on a chef’s role. However I do with that some at least of the respect given to them was also extended to cooks. A dream that will remain pie in the sky.
Hi EC - excellent use of the phrases ... cooks v chefs - yes too much high and mighty chefs, while cooks will always get on with things and make the most of all the ingredients - nothing is left to waste. Well done - and I hope you have an easier year ... cheers Hilary
DeleteInnit the darn truth. Woot. Woot. Well done, my friend.
DeleteSandra sandracox.blogspot.com
Ha ha...lots of food related metaphors!
DeleteI love this one:
"...as different as chalk and cheese"
Brilliant, you had me laughing from the getgo.
DeleteXO
WWW
Wow, you really packed in the food phrases! Thanks for the chuckles. :-)
DeleteIt might have been Erma Bombeck (or maybe someone else, but it is a quote I read) who said something to the effect that the true hero of the kitchen was the mother who could take the same tired pound of ground meat night after night and turn out something good.
DeleteExcellent use of the words!
Very well done EC! :) :)
DeleteWell done, Sue, with a good deal of truth.
DeleteWhat a lot of food related sayings.
DeleteI especially love your story Sue because my grandson is a sous chef for a newly opened brew pub.
DeleteHi all - here's my use of all the quotes:
ReplyDeleteHonestly they should know better putting beans into a broth, definitely not for all the tea in China, particularly if the beans had been spilt - that would really upset the apple pie … making one's eye see the sky in a different light …
Happy New Year one and all … cheers Hilary
And we don't want our apple pie upset.
DeleteKudos, Hils.
Sandra sandracox.blogspot.com
Fun!
DeleteHilary Melton-Butcher: Love it. Big smiles.
Delete*grin*
DeleteXO
WWW
Nicely done!
DeleteNoted: no beans in broth :)
DeleteAs always, Hilary, my grin widens when I read what you have written.
DeleteSmiling.
DeleteLove it Hilary. You are so clever.
DeleteThanks everyone - I'm vaguely around ... 2024 is moving slowly forward! Cheers for now - Hilary
DeleteI nearly spilled the beans, but luckily clamped my mouth shut. Not for all the tea in china would I co-host a meal with my mom. The idea that we could work together was pie in the sky. Even though she's the apple of my eye, too many cooks spoil the broth. Sandra Cox sandracox.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteSo true.
DeleteSandra Cox: The kitchen was probably the only place that my mother and I could work together. A great use of the prompts.
DeleteI hate working with anyone in the kitchen. Well done!
DeleteXO
WWW
Excellent!
DeleteNicely done. I rarely worked in the kitchen with my mum, be when I did things went well.
DeleteTrue and well done.
DeleteWell done and very succinct.
DeleteHi Sandra - always difficult to adjust ... I so agree - cheers Hilary
DeleteMy story that will post on my blog tomorrow:
ReplyDeleteOlive is always insistent that I scratch her belly when I walk outside. She does not understand that it is a chore for me to bend over and reach her. I have to wait to pet her when she jumps up on the platform to eat her breakfast. Then I can rub her behind the ears and rub her belly. This day my daughter brought us our black-eye pea soup for good luck in the new year. The soup was more than peas, it included three kinds of beans. As I walked out to greet her, Olive jumped in front of me and laid down on her back causing me to spill the beans my daughter had just handed me.
My daughter was very sad that all her good work had been lost. I agreed to return to her home with her and help make the delicious soup again. She thanked me but did not accept my help, stating that too many cooks spoil the broth. My daughter left determined to bring a new batch of soup. She was a precious girl and definitely the apple of my eye.
My son arrived next carrying an apple pie. It was time for my dog Frankie to get in the way. She rushed out to greet my son. This caused him to fall forward thus turning that dessert into a pie in the sky.
Not for all the tea in China would I ask my son to bake another pie for us. Looking in my kitchen junk drawer I found an unexpired coupon for a discount at our local cafe. I called my daughter to leave the kitchen and join us for a meal that was promising New Years Day, black-eyed pea and ham lucky meals.
"causing me to spill the beans"
DeleteGood usage! I was not expecting a literal use.
Granny Annie: A day of disasters. Hooray for coupons - and family fun.
DeleteNicely done GA a good tale of a family.
DeleteXO
WWW
A very clever tale!
DeleteThank goodness for restaurant coupons!
DeleteAll's well that ends well :)
DeleteThis was a grand story! What a clever use of phrases.
DeleteSandra sandracox.blogspot.com
This is a clear case of all’s well that ends well.
DeleteHi WWW - well done ... bringing the kids in, and making sure the fault lies with them, or the animals ... wonderful take with the phrases ... cheers Hilary
DeleteAccording to Trip Advisor (famous touristic reviews platform), Karachi in Pakistan has an excellent bakery with terrific cakes, named PIE IN THE SKY.
ReplyDeleteWell, I wouldn't go there , NOT FOR ALL THE TEA IN CHINA. I would like to visit, though, a famous bakery in Paris, but I know that's probably A PIE IN THE SKY.
Speaking of bakeries and cakes, we were planning a surprise party for a dear friend who was THE APPLE OF OUR EYE . We had two problems with that: 1. there were too many people involved in the process, which brought to mind the idiom of TOO MANY COOKS SPOIL THE BROTH 2. we aere afraid someone among us might SPILL THE BEANS and kill the surprise.
Well, ' all's well that ends well', as they say. The party was a great success.
DUTA: Pie in the Sky is a wonderful name for a bakery. I would visit - and I am v glad that the surprise party was a success. They so often are not.
DeleteLovely bakery name.
DeleteXO
WWW
If the party went well at the end, that's what counts.
DeleteGood to hear the party was a success.
DeleteThat's a nice one Duta.
DeleteNice story.
DeleteThe party was a great success as was your story.
DeleteWell done Duta - fun take on the phrases ... cheers Hilary
DeletePhrases instead of words - unique idea! She did well coming up with those.
ReplyDeleteAlex J.Cavanaugh: Thank you.
DeleteThis was enormous fun EC. Used all phrases.
ReplyDelete----------------------------------------------------------------------------
He was the apple of my eye, but like all apples he spoiled quickly. In a matter of about a month. Good looking, smart, but with a pie in the sky attitude towards life that looked like it would never yield the concrete result of a consistent pay cheque.
We gave lie to the old adage of too many cooks spoiling the broth as we cooked well together, read the same books and loved hill-walking on the weekends.
I said to myself for all the tea in China I wouldn’t spill the beans on him. But here I am. In the police station. Filing a report. He has to be stopped.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now to all of yours.......
XO
WWW
Wisewebwoman: Apples do indeed spoil quickly - and after the first floury one of the year I step aside. Love that your protagonist not only stepped aside but stopped that bad apple infecting anyone else.
DeleteVery nicely done!
DeleteNicely done, but sorry you had to spill the beans on him in the end.
DeleteWell done!
DeleteWell written.
DeleteGreat job. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.
DeleteWell crafted WWW - not easy to report crimes like these ... excellent take - cheers Hilary
DeleteOh my gosh. This was great. I grinned at the ending. Didn't see that coming.
DeleteSandra sandracox.blogspot.com
I'll get started and be back to read and link up.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI tried to post a link and it did not work, so I deleted the comment.
DeleteMy story is over here.
messymimi: I look forward to reading your tale in a little while.
DeleteFun prompts and entries.
ReplyDeleteHave a very Happy New Year, EC.
Rawknrobyn: Thank you - I hope you have a wonderful year too.
DeleteI'm going to need my thinking cap for this one.
ReplyDeleteRiver: I am sure your thinking cap is up to the job.
DeleteI wrote a tribute to J.R.R.Tolkien instead. Link
ReplyDeleteCharlotte (MotherOwl): I read it and applauded.
DeleteI remember well that when I was sixteen Luella was THE APPLE OF MY EYE. The fly in the ointment, however, was that as far as she was concerned I was the worm in the apple. Not only did she not return my ardour, she exhibited disdain and didn’t even try to hide her feelings. I knew that the chances that I could change her mind were PIE IN THE SKY dreams at best, but I was so besotted, NOT FOR ALL THE TEA IN CHINA would I give up. We both did a shift at the local soup kitchen, more of a way to gain community service points needed to graduate from high school than a sense of charitable dedication, but at least it was one thing we both enjoyed and it was where I could chat to her a little, all the while swooning and no doubt sounding like a bumbling idiot. One day, there were so many people there that TOO MANY COOKS WERE SPOILING THE BROTH both literally and figuratively. I suggested that I take charge of the soup, and it was something I did quite well actually. Once I got started, Luella came over and asked if she could help. I was floored. “LET ME SPILL THE BEANS,” she said, “I know I’ve not paid you much attention, and sometimes I’ve been downright mean, but most of these other guys are shallow jerks. I have two tickets for the Hucky Ducky Concert on Saturday night; would you go with me?”
ReplyDeleteI did; of course I did. And we just celebrated our fortieth wedding anniversary. Sometimes there really is light at the end of the tunnel.
Very good! You've used a lot of great old sayings in this one!
DeleteBrilliant David, and a great story to boot!
DeleteXO
WWW
David M. Gascoigne: Awww. What a great use of the prompts.
DeleteAww, what a story. Gratz on keeping the fires burning.
DeleteVery nicely done. I do like a story with a happy ending.
DeleteCongratulations David - you conquered your lady ... and 40 years excellent time frame ... while acknowledging that volunteering is good for us - often in ways we're not expecting! Cheers Hilary
DeleteI love all those old sayings. Great idea to use these for this prompt!
ReplyDeletecleemckenzie: I do love the different directions they have taken people too.
DeleteApple pie and beans broth tea, yum.
ReplyDeleteMike: Enjoy it. In what ever order you have it.
DeleteNice blending, although I'd make broth in which to cook the beans, have tea with the meal and the pie after.
DeleteHello Sue
ReplyDeleteLong time no comment on my part, so I hope you don’t mind me popping a comment on your blog for fellow readers of Lee @ Kitchen Connection. Some of her readers may not know that Mount Tamborine in the hinterland of Queensland’s Gold Coast was hit by a freak tornado on Christmas Eve and have been without electricity since then. I can’t imagine how Lee wouldn’t have been affected by this natural disaster. I have reached out to Lee by email but it is too soon I think to get a reply. Perhaps her readers, that you have in common, could pop over and leave a thought for Lee on her blog kitconn.blogspot.com
Thank you Sue. I hope you are well too.
Best wishes,
Carol in Cairns
Very sorry to hear that. I'm one of Lee's foillowers., at the other end of the globus. I'll try to reach her somehow.
DeleteThanks for the info.
Carol in Cairns: Thank you for letting me know. I had no idea and will certainly send her an email and comment on her blog. How are you? Still teaching? I miss your blog posts.
DeleteThank you Sue. Yes, I am still teaching but I am torn. I am ready to retire but need something else to fill some of the hours and provide some income. I do hope you are well. I am hoping to do a trip to Canberra this year if I can.
DeleteCarol in Cairns: Good luck. Have you any idea what you would like to do when you step aside from teaching? And please let me know when/if you come to Canberra.
DeleteYou can rely on the apple of my eye to always spot the best cake... I know too many cooks spoil the broth... that's why I prefer to mix it - the dough - together myself. Divine as it rises in the oven, heavenly - The cake in heaven!
ReplyDeleteJust... oh... don't spill the beans!
Not for all the tea in China... I'll give up my coffee!
Happy New Year for you. All kind wishes from Viola.
Barwitzki: A lovely take on the prompts. My best beloved has an eye for a good cake too - and I also prefer to cook alone.
DeleteNicely done, I do hope the cake turned out well.
DeleteI loved your prompts this week.
ReplyDeleteGranny Annie: Thank you. I hope next week's suit you as well.
DeleteWords for Wednesday, a movable feast of creativity! Delightful to see a community nurturing the joy of writing with diverse prompts. By the way, check out my YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0h64fPOK94. Drop a comment, and if you subscribe, it's greatly appreciated. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMELODY JACOB: This meme is a heap of fun. I hope you will join us some week.
Delete
ReplyDeleteKitchen chaos brewed. "More paprika!" boomed Aunt Agnes. Dad countered with pepper. I, the "apple of my eye" tasked with stirring, felt the broth teeter on disaster. "Too many cooks!" I cried. Grandpa winked, revealing a dusty jar: "Grandma's Secret Spice!" "Not for all the tea in China," he chuckled, a dash of magic transforming the aroma. One forbidden spoonful later, "pie in the sky" became a kitchen delight, proving a little rebellion and "spilled beans" could spice up the best recipe
Definitely on the weird side. A dream? A nightmare? Thanks for joining us again.
DeleteI cheated and allowed Google's AI agent Bard to create this for me. Unedited and a bit weird!
ReplyDelete