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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#162: Bon Appétit

With National Tofu Day, International Bacon Day, Cheese Pizza Day and World Salami Day (I promise I’m not making these up) coming up in the next 7 days, it’s only fitting that this week's prompts take inspiration from one of our greatest sources of happiness — food.

From being barely nibbled on over a first date, to being wholesomely prepared and wolfed down at a family gathering, or shared between friends meeting for the first time in years, food sits right at the heart of our cultures, relationships, and memories. So, time to dish out your most delicious story — after all, some of the best ones are told over a plate of food!

This week's prompts

Start your story with someone looking at a restaurant menu.

Middle School – 80 stories

Write about a character whose love language is making food for others.

Adults – 37 stories

Write a story where a character’s life completely changes over the course of a meal.

Adults – 71 stories

Write a story in which too many cooks spoil the broth — literally or metaphorically.

Adults – 10 stories

Start your story with one character trying to convince another that they make the best grilled cheese in the world.

Middle School – 36 stories

Stories

“I didn't cry” by Janis Cannon-Bowers

Submitted to Contest #162

I didn’t cry when my mother died. I’m not sure how to feel about that. Maybe some mothers don’t deserve tears when they die—I don’t know. And if she knew I didn’t cry, it would play into one of her favorite narratives. She’d say, “you see, Aunt Nettie’s kids worship the ground she walks on. They kiss her ass every chance they get. But my ungrateful kids don’t even cry when I die.” Of course, if we had a funeral (we didn’t) she’d be horrified if we didn’t at least pretend to cry. With Mom, it was alway...

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“What They Like” by Marta Maliszewska

Submitted to Contest #162

Laurel doesn’t eat anything. This used to terrify me when we first started living together. Her dinners would consist of instant ramen and a single egg. Soft, small bowls of pasta with canned tomato sauce. Frozen ravioli. Peanut butter and jelly. These meals were put on repeat. I watched them, day after day, mildly appalled but still too shy to offer her my own cooking, feeling that any criticism of her diet would be presumptuous, and not wanting to make her uncomfortable in having to refuse anything she didn’t like. I didn’t really know wha...

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“WHEN MOMMA AIN'T HAPPY” by Susan Catucci

Submitted to Contest #162

Maisy Turntrap was washing her hands as meticulously as she had massaged the giant shoulder roast she was preparing with her special dry rub. When her phone signaled there was a call, she quickly wiped her hands before crossing the small kitchen to see who it was. The Caller ID indicated it was her daughter ."Hello. Janna?""Hi, Momma. I have a slight change in plans.""Oh. Are you still coming?""Oh yes, I'll be there, and I'm bringing a friend.""Well, that's fine, Dear. Who . . .""You'll see. Let it be a surprise. Be there soon!"Maisy star...

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“After Dinner, quite Before Breakfast” by Mar Sainter

Submitted to Contest #162

“Could I buy one of the…?” I said in my quasi-Spanish, gesturing at the pomegranates.They lay all around, at your feet, like clumps of ruby beads spilling out of cracked skulls. Your laughter pierced the air. It reverberated somewhere deep in my chest, bubbling and pleasant. Maybe the pomegranates were more of swelled up, bashed in hearts, not unlike my own. It kept skipping beat upon beat, no doubt causing my awkward smile to become even more crooked than it was. First impressions were clearly my thing.You sold one of them to me for five ri...

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“The Shrimp Incident of '92” by David Lastinger

Submitted to Contest #162

The Shrimp Incident of ‘92 It was the spring of 1992 in my third year of Hotel and Restaurant Management school when two other students and I were chosen for a weekend internship at a fancy resort on Lake Powell. Lake Powell is the largest lake in Arizona and is most famous for its Rainbow Bridge. There was no way that I could have known that this would forever change my life. After they had bought us breakfast and introduced us to the various department managers, we started our internship work. It was mostly shadowing the managers to se...

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“One Bad Apple” by Haru Mada

Submitted to Contest #162

Sensitive content: Mass mortality event Hunger clouded Chloe’s judgment when she took a bite out of a suspiciously brown apple, her dinner for the night. This was the only food in her home since she was too lazy to go grocery shopping earlier that day. The apple was certainly spoiled, but Chloe didn’t notice. She was hungry, so she took another bite. And another! Soon, all that was left was the core. Then, Chloe went to sleep. Chloe woke up the next morning to a rumbling stomach. Even after going to the bathroom, her insides ...

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“The Dinner Guests” by Paula Young

Submitted to Contest #162

The Dinner Guests “My best silverware, Spode china, French crystal goblets, and wine glasses…something was missing. Oh, silly me, the salad forks!” Dinner would be ready soon. Maria liked dishes that could be made ahead and put on hold. Then she could spend time with her guests. The company was the most essential part of any dinner party. Maria hurried upstairs to put the finishing touches on her make-up. Now she was ready. &...

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“Lemon cake” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #162

"That is the most astonishing thing I've ever heard." Miss Louise said indignantly. -"What?" Jean asked, "Have you never heard of flavoring cakes?" Jean set the aroma tubes down with an annoyed frown. Miss Louise had barged in for the umpteenth time in a fit of curiosity. Jean knew only too well what Miss Louise was fishing for. -"I'm not surprised you're confused, “the curious neighbor said in a patronizing tone. -"Oh?" Jean looked up for a moment, "And how is that?" -"That boy I've seen walking in and out of here with you for two weeks." M...

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“Sophia's Feast” by Beth Whitcomb

Submitted to Contest #162

I am Sophia. I live in the window of my pet's home. She pats me now and then, but knows I'd rather she not unless it's dinnertime. My pet's name is Theresa. She has her own litter and they are all as annoying as you could imagine. They jump in front of me with their loud chortles, forcing me to swipe at them, to which I hear a scream or two, sometimes crying, but at least they back off. The youngest one will soon be like this too, but she's still too wobbly on her feet to touch me. She hasn't learned to jump like the older two. The males see...

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“Family Gathering” by Isabelle Okala

Submitted to Contest #162

Standing in front of the house I haven’t seen in 5 years, it feels like I never left. The front door is still painted that garish red from when I was a child and the exterior is a faded baby blue with white trim that hasn’t changed since the house was first built. The garden still looks as alive as ever, with hydrangeas, hibiscus trees, roses, and all kinds of bright plants that follow the perimeter of the house. The lawn is green, freshly mowed. Mom always was a little bit anal about how the outside of our house presented to the world, so I...

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“Unconditional Love With A Side of Divorce ” by Dash Neultz

Submitted to Contest #162

“I want a divorce”, my husband boldly said as we sat across one another at our oversized dinner table. Moments before, I had just come from the kitchen with two piping hot dinner plates. The luscious, savory aromas whirling through my nose, leaving my mouth watering in anticipation for the first bite. I spent the last two hours creating a masterpiece; homemade chicken parmesan with a side of spaghetti marinara. I loved to cook, and chicken parmesan was not only my favorite, it was my specialty. A flawlessly breaded chicken breast cooked to p...

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“The Club” by C P

Submitted to Contest #162

Everybody is here for something. For something they have done or believed to have done. But nobody speaks about it here. ‘T’s just the way it is, inside the club it don’t matter anymore’, says Kaka. They call this a club. It reeks of mold and desiccated pee. But they love it here. Kaka says they’d rather be in this one than any other. ‘Best one’, he says, ‘with a friendly neighborhood. You are lucky. Otherwise, a pretty plump like you is gonna be a feast. They may covet you, alright, but sure as hell, they’ll not ride...

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“A Mother's Love ” by FabWritesStuff -

Submitted to Contest #162

Trigger Warning: Mentions of death and kidnapping On a cold October morning, a car sped up the driveway of 3235 Merryway Lane. It came to a screeching halt and a young woman leapt out and hurried towards the front door of the modest house. Adeline pushed open the door, knowing that it wouldn’t be locked, and called out in a loud voice as she stepped into the foyer. “Mama? Are you alright?” “I’m in here, darling.” A familiar voice called back. Adeline followed her mother’s voice to the living room and was surprised to find her mothe...

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“Tacos for her Birthday” by Samuel Morelos

Submitted to Contest #162

Warning: Contains blood, gore, and suicidal themesBlue sky above, woven like a cloth blanket to not only warm the body, but the mind and heart. It laid its comfort over my soul, spreading over my face to lure out a wide smile. And the sun, shrouded by the wall of high-rises to the right, still ensured that its presence was known by shining its light beyond the edges of the buildings, creating an angelic glow. I’m sure Laila felt the warmth too.She tightened one arm around my chest and pointed ahead. “Papá, it’s right there!”My gaze followed ...

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“Grandma's Soup” by Amy Hughes

Submitted to Contest #162

Larissa scrambled around the kitchen, anticipating the arrival of one of her three children at any moment. With a sigh, she placed the large pot on the stovetop to start making her mother’s famous soup. This would be the first time anyone ever attempted it since her passing in April. Larissa still hadn’t truly come to terms with losing her mother. Though she carried around the dull ache of sadness with her wherever she went, she never let herself acknowledge it. The recipe was never written down, so Larissa had to try to remember all the st...

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$250

Prize money

234

Contest entries

97

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 09, 2022 EST

A winner will be announced soon.

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.

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