Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#100: Breaking Bread

One of the most intimate things you can do with someone is sit down to eat together. The idea of friends and foes, families and strangers breaking bread has been a recurring theme in art and literature for a very long time. It’s something that can bring us together against the steepest of odds; to quote Oscar Wilde, “after a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations”. But things don’t always end quite so harmoniously — food fights, anyone?

This week, we’re reflecting on the joys (or pains) of eating together or making a meal. Whether the dinner table is a place for communion or conflict for your characters, I look forward to sitting down to a hearty portion of food-themed stories with you. Bon appétit!

This week's prompts

Start or end your story with two characters sitting down for a meal.

Middle School – 264 stories

Write a story where a meal or dinner goes horribly wrong.

Thanksgiving – 201 stories

Write about a group of strangers — or people who know each other, but may as well be strangers — eating together.

Fluff – 152 stories

Write about a character preparing a meal for somebody else.

Fluff – 157 stories

Write a story that involves a secret or magic ingredient.

Halloween – 116 stories

Stories

“Memory Soup” by Silver P.

Submitted to Contest #100

“Ivy, dearie….” A voice called from down the hall, hoarse and cracked. Ivy lifted her head, dropping her hairbrush in the sink. “Grandma? I’m coming!” Ivy rushed out of the bathroom and to her grandmother’s room. “What is it?” She hesitated in the doorway. Ivy’s grandmother had been sick for a while, and her parents had instructed her to not get too close, right before they left for the doctor’s office. “Ivy,” Grandma rasped, “Can you make me some soup?” Ivy nodded, worried at her grandma’s condition, but not wanting to show it.&nb...

Read story

“Spaghetti” by Sophia Loosle

Submitted to Contest #100

My Mama used to watch cooking shows like rachael ray and martha stewart with me when I was little. They always made the most elegant meals. Chicken dijon with asparagus and plated with a green sauce that I can't recall the name of now. Spaghetti was a frequent meal at our house, we didn't always have money for meatballs. We always waited to eat until my Dad came home from work. He worked for that railroad company, the one that shut down after the big scandal, oh I can't remember the name of it. Anyways, he worked for them back then. He came ...

Read story

“Going Above and Beyond” by Jon Robles

Submitted to Contest #100

Early one morning shortly after the school year began, Melanie Zane walked into her office to prepare for her day. The clock on her computer said 7:15 AM; she liked coming in early to catch up on paperwork and to prepare for the day ahead. There was a lot of paperwork to catch up on: requisitions, student requests for appointments, intra-district paperwork to go to the district office. She thought, I’ll NEVER catch up on all this paperwork! I need three weeks just dedicated to working on paperwork to catch up! She sorted them by importance: ...

Read story

“The dinner date” by Blue Ridge Writers

Submitted to Contest #100

Brindley O’Hare met the twaddling Sandra Johnson next to the Rocky Dale Movie Palace. Odd name thought Brindley. There is nothing palatial about the place. It disgusted her. She did not know for certain, but her father recalled coming here when he was a kid. Brought his mother here for a first date. First? Would have been my last. She did some rough math. Her parents born about 1980. Let’s see. Her mind drifted. Brindley and Sandra shared the same birth month, July. Sixteen....

Read story

“In Sickness and In Health” by Adam Kassner

Submitted to Contest #100

Denny seems a bit down today, I think I’ll make him some of his favorites, thought Janet Callahan as she cleared some space on the kitchen counter and set to work on preparing lunch for her husband. Janet had always enjoyed cooking, and although he was a meat and potato man at heart, her spouse had usually been a willing and eager recipient of her culinary innovations. She had had to develop some new skills in the kitchen, however, since Dennis Callahan’s stroke nine months ago left him unable to swallow regular food. Janet coll...

Read story

“Chicken Noodle” by Megan Schrader

Submitted to Contest #100

When my family first moved into the house on Montgomery Street, I was just seven years old and terrified of starting anew. Our old home had been comfortably worn, with creaking floorboards that told you who was climbing up the stairs and locks on the bedroom doors that never kept anyone away. My sister and I knew every nook and cranny after long summer afternoons playing hide and go seek with the neighbor’s kids. Every dent in the wall had a story. Every patch of dirt on that sparse, dying lawn was put there by rounds of tag, duck duck goose...

Read story

“The Cruel Past” by Katie Anne Cooke

Submitted to Contest #100

The sound of Mrs Edwards high heels clicked and clanked on the handmade mahogany floor boards beneath her feet, as she paced in the hallway to her home. She triple and quadruple checked herself in the hallway mirror. Today is the day. Today the past is forgotten and a new chapter in life is formed. ”Elizabeth you look lovely“ Mr Sess Edwards said as he came and stood behind her planting a kiss on the side of her head. Elizabeth, will that be forgiven. Not everyone changes there name to rid themselves of chains the past bound for them. ”Than...

Read story

“Neeta” by Ellita Styles

Submitted to Contest #100

I wiped off my forehead instinctively- more like a habit rather than a need. The stuffy old kitchen, which has bore years old stains of curry stains and sticky sweetness, was then filled with steam and humidness. I could sense the whiff of biryani from the counter, the punchy fragrance of rezala and all other dishes that I had hastily prepared. It smelled of routine tasks and paroles, like a worn-down laptop with dilapidated keys and dimming screen. To me, it was more a duty to be fulfilled, less a kingly meal. I always had this unique qua...

Read story

“Nothing is Easy ” by Sydney Weekley

Submitted to Contest #100

Flour coats my hands, buries itself under my fingernails, and creates a gritty texture where it has somehow gotten into my mouth. That was the awful thing about baking. Or at least my baking. No matter how hard I tried, the ingredients just wouldn't stay inside the bowl. It always managed to get on my face, in my hair, and in every crevice of my body imaginable. It was like glitter, I could never seem to get all of it off at once. "Would you mind being more careful next time you bake?" A voice startles me out of my thoughts, and I look t...

Read story

“Little Debbie” by Chris Wagner

Submitted to Contest #100

Ever since I was little, I wanted to work for Barry Davis, the animation king responsible for cartoons like Dash Galaxy and the Heroes of Space, Ace Squirrel Detective Agency, Mortimer Moose Caboose and Monsters Battle. Last October, I finally got my chance. Not quite what I dreamed about. They wanted a housekeeper, not an artist or animator. That being said, the ad called for a housekeeper with an art background, and it got sent to me by the career counselor at my art school. Plus, hey, this is Uncle Barry we're talkin...

Read story

“Dinner for Five” by Ashlynn Altman

Submitted to Contest #100

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Mallory's kitchen wall clock clanged back and forth amongst the silence in her apartment, the anxiety in her chest beating with each sounding. It felt as if the ticks and tocks were inside of her heart. However, what was truly in her heart was something much deeper. A secret. Mallory was pregnant. She didn't understand: how could something that so many people find exciting become her own tragedy? She was barely even twenty two, and she was in this alone. Her boyfriend left the second the suspicion even arose. He did...

Read story

“Fox Udon” by Marie McLaughlin

Submitted to Contest #100

Mari woke up at dawn that morning, had a fast breakfast of dry toast and water, and walked around town, looking for windows with “Help Wanted” signs up. Months ago, Mari’s father, Zenni, got laid off from his job, and since then, Zenni and Mari’s older brother, Koji worked part-time, but things were just barely going well for the family, and Mari was thinking about a Summer Job to help keep the family’s heads above water until Zenni got a job. The last place she looked was the laundry house bordering with the eastern forest, when the Lau...

Read story

“C.R.P ( Critical Race Philosophy)” by Vincent Guillemin

Submitted to Contest #100

[Follows " Microcosm", "Hebrews 13: 1-2 ", " The son never shines on closed doors" , "July 4th", "The Getaway", "Orpheus' path", " Clowns" and "Strange Fruit"]"Dios, Ernie, you look like shit"She saw him shuffling across the road holding a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun. She felt his searing pain as the sun ruthlessly stabbed at his brain compounded a splitting headache. She looks at him now bending over the counter, burying his face in his hands as it would make it all go away, his sorrow, his pain, the crippling feeling of ...

Read story

“The Ingredients” by Sampurna Dasgupta

Submitted to Contest #100

Dried up autumn leaves fallen on the ground outside, strong sunshine that had descended and a delicious smell inside the walls- the day could not possibly turn out to be bad, could it? Mr. Wilson drove through hurriedly, swearing at the rash drivers, through the blearing, deafening horns. “Are you mad? Trying to get killed, are you? If you are so desperate, you might as well go and take a dive from the Burj Khalifa!” one called out. “Sorry buddy, it’s my wife’s birthday today,” came his reply with a grin. For some reason, he took pride in th...

Read story

“Pasta with a Side of Envy” by Hend Nasser

Submitted to Contest #100

Maria stumbled blindly into her kitchen with brown mountains clutched in her arms. Horrifyingly, her toe hit one of the bar stools, so she immediately dropped the bags onto the counter. A shattering sound scolded her for her carelessness, and she had no time to tend to her foot's fallen soldier. Hurriedly, she started rummaging through the bags, predicting what was lost as she removed item after item. To her dismay, her hand finally found the sauce jar bleeding all over the toast. Change of plan then. After wrapping it up in paper and ...

Read story

Load more stories

$50

Prize money

891

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 02, 2021 EST

Won by Rayhan Hidayat 🏆

Title: mie goreng

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢