Rice Swells Part 2


My first cooking experience; learning the hard way


My heart went straight to my mouth on seeing the state of my rice. It has so swelled that the lid of the post that was once sitting comfortably on the pot was now resting on a heap of rice. I looked around to check if anyone came to add more rice to the one I was cooking. The gas cooker was covered with rice water, then I knew that I was done for.

I gently cleaned the rice water from the cooker, turned it off and waited for my mum to pass her judgement on me. She had gone to her shop to attend to an emergency order and would be back anytime soon. After, I went to hide in the toilet to prepare for the unpredictable fate that was about to befall me.

"Ekule ooo." I heard my mum greetings from the door as she entered the house. At that moment, my heart started beating rapidly, sweat was beginning to form at every corner of my body and my muscles tightened; I was nervous.

"OREEEEE" my mum screamed from the kitchen. "Ahhhh, I'm in soup" I muttered to myself.

Why didn't someone tell me that rice swells?

I was already shedding tears by the time I got to the kitchen. I saw the mixture of surprise and anger on my mum's face as she kept staring at the pot of rice.

"I thought I asked you to cook the rice I had already rinsed in the bowl? How come I'm seeing this quantity of rice ehn? Whose party are we celebrating?" I was still gibbering when my mum's palm found a space to rest on my left cheek. 

Like magic, the slap made me confess all did.  "Don't you know that rice swells?" she asked. Surprisingly my mum didn't touch me after my confession. My punishment was not to eat any other food in that house until I finished eating all I cooked.

Had I known, I would have cooked the exact amount of rice I met in the bowl. See where my overconfidence and ignorance has led me too.

I learnt my lesson in a very hard way because eating warmed rice for a whole week is not a very nice experience. My dad pleaded on my behalf, so the rest of the rice was thrown away.

Ever since that incident, I became a regular person in the kitchen, I wouldn't want to embarrass myself in the future when I'm called to cook. I also made up my mind to introduce my children to the kitchen once they're of age.

Presently, I can do and undo things in the kitchen.

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