The Big Mysteries of Life: Part 4
“Daddi, why do you hide your food in the big kitchen boxes you call cup-hoards?”
“Cupboards?”
“Yes, Daddi. It’s silly to hide your food from Mummi and me. We both know where it is. And you should trust me, Daddi. I would never steal your food.”
“Rinpoche, yesterday you tried to steal the chicken that I left in a dish on the counter.”
“That wasn’t my fault, Daddi. You shouldn’t have tempted me like that. In any case, it was a horrible chicken – as hard as a rock and freezing cold. I nearly broke my teeth trying to eat it.”
“That’s because the chicken had been in the freezer. I was defrosting it when you found it.”
“That’s another mystery I don’t understand, Daddi. Why do you bother to put your food in the Very Cold Box if you intend making the food hot later? It doesn’t make sense.”
“I store the food in the freezer to prevent it from going bad, Rinpoche.”
“If you eat the food immediately, there won’t be time for it to turn bad, Daddi.”
“I can’t do that, Rinpoche. There is far too much food to eat all at once.”
“You are obviously being greedy, Daddi. You should only hunt for enough food for your next meal – not extra. Then you could keep the food on the floor, ready to eat. Why hide it in boxes?”
“Rinpoche, I’d attract cockroaches if I left food lying around on the floor.”
“Good! You can eat the cockroaches too, Daddi. They are delicious once you’ve bitten through their hard skins. Would you like me to hunt for a cockroach for you to try?”
“Er…no thanks, Rinpoche. I seem to have suddenly lost my appetite.”
– to be continued –
