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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#228: Yummy

I always find it fascinating how food captivates us; not just as a practical necessity, but as a cornerstone of our life experiences. Food can embody cultural heritage, traditions, and the art of sharing. It’s a medium through which we build and nurture social connections — be it cooking for lifelong loved ones or nervously gathering around the cafeteria table on the first day of school. Eating can also elicit all kinds of emotions, like pleasure, guilt, and desire. It can be a medium for new experiences, creative expression, or sometimes a bridge to our past.

In light of food's powerful role in our lives, this week’s prompts will explore how it may influence a character’s journey, and shape their life experience.

This week's prompts

Start or end your story in a bustling street food market.

Narrative – 24 stories

Include in your story a scene about a family's last meal before a significant change.

Dramatic – 58 stories

Write a story in which a character eats something that they shouldn’t have eaten.

Mystery – 64 stories

Write a story in which a certain food makes your character travel back in time.

Character – 51 stories

Write a story in which a character cooks up something to impress someone.

Romance – 34 stories

Stories

“Thursday's Child” by Delbert Griffith

Submitted to Contest #228

Thursday's child has far to go. &n...

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“Two Million Scoville” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #228

It turns out the way to travel through time was sitting in front of us all along. In the same way as water is a liquid that suddenly bursts into boiling steam; humans just needed the right jolt in their quantum energy to reach the tipping point. The one where time flows like water. And the Trinidad Moruga Pepper at a scorching 2 million Scoville units does just the trick.Not that I understand the science, and right now, I’m a bit preoccupied with my older brother Mike glaring at me like a maniac over the family dining table.“I hope you stepp...

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“Not Mary” by Nicolle C

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #228

The unnerving chorus of cutlery scraping porcelain echoed throughout the room. Tension hung thick in the air, palpable enough to reach up and slice into it with my steak knife. Beside me, my sister sniffed. From my periphery, I could see her red-rimmed eyes staring blankly at her untouched plate. I cut into the slab before me, crimson juices forming a greasy puddle. I took a bite, relished the tenderness. The peas encroached into the sea of mashed potatoes like invading soldiers. “Would you please pass the potatoes, Mary?” Mother asked f...

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“The Last & First Meal” by Cynthia Prokarym (Scott)

Submitted to Contest #228

At first, it seemed like a normal Saturday…one that I would usually spend on my PlayStation 7 or roughhousing with my little brother, Hunter. I had planned to go to the new holocade that just opened downtown to hang out with my friends and play Mortal Kombat Death Toll X, but the moment I heard the screeching right outside our front door, my plans were upended. I knew something was wrong.My mom was making a big commotion out on the porch right in front of the entrance. When she stepped inside our huge wooden front door, I saw what I nee...

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“Fast Food Haberdashery” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #228

“I hate it when my pants make noises when I walk!”It wasn’t our kind of day. So, her look said it all.“Can you still return them?” I replied, helpful, sort of.She stopped walking. “I can’t hear them,” I said. “I swear! Get them wifi enabled? Then you could get some online help?”“Oh, you!”#Me. So I cooked up something. Anything. Not a foodie, obviously. Mac and cheese. Now, that is something.“Oh, yuck! What is this goop?”She did that exaggerated ladling with the wooden spoon thing. You know when you lift whatever you despise and slowly l...

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“The Three Body Problem” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #228

Lucas and Harper agreed on exactly one thing. Though they didn't know each other, and were currently refusing to speak to each other, and disagreed about everything else, they both agreed Isabella was an idiot. It was showing in their subtle head shakes and the not so well hidden eye rolls.The three of them were handcuffed together at the McCarren Park Greenmarket (a greenmarket is just a farmer's market, in New York, they need to give a special name to everything).It was a three body problem.They could escape if they agreed on which way to ...

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“White Sofa” by Marilyn McCottrell

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #228

I could tell my drink intimidated her. Vodka and pineapple juice in its squat, masculine glass convinced her of preconceived inadequacies. “Shall I order you one?” I offered.She considered my question as she raised her water with no ice and no lemon to her mouth and took a dainty sip. That plum-colored, matte lipstick, the only makeup on her perfectly symmetrical face, left no hint that her lips had touched the glass. Her smooth, mahogany skin, radiating in the afternoon sun, gave her an angelic glow, and I wished then that I had chosen...

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“The Feast of Change” by Iman Ahmed

Submitted to Contest #228

The air was thick with tension as the Thompson family gathered around the dining table for what would become their last meal together before their lives changed. The aroma of roast chicken and freshly baked bread filled the room, but the delicious scent couldn't mask the unease that hung in the air. Theodore Thompson, a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair, carved the chicken with precision, trying to keep up the appearance of normalcy. His wife, Sarah, set the table with their best china, her hands trembling slightly as she placed the ...

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“Bloody Drunk” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #228

Something wooden clattered to the stones outside, issuing a loud, hollow bang.Marley Strudwicke jerked awake and sat bolt upright in his bed. During his years of service to the master, he had learned to have a keen ear and a shallow sleep. It wasn’t the first time some brave hunter had reached the castle. But Marley would ensure it would be their last visit. He grabbed ahold of the pistol on his bedside table and held his breath, listening.A burp and a whisper followed. ‘Bugger it.’Marley exhaled, and his grip on the gun loosened. He’d recog...

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“Person Lion Seeks Free Will” by Robert Egan

Submitted to Contest #228

The person lion hadn't missed much these past three years. There had been a pandemic and a terrible fourth Matrix movie, but that was about it. There had also been a massive seizure at the very end, but that was normal, part of his arrival. The person lion found himself lying on the kitchen floor with a person standing over him. "John? Oh my God, John! Are you okay?" asked the woman who had witnessed his arrival. The person lion searched John's memories for her name. It was either Tiffany Jane or Jane Tiffany. It wasn't an easy name ...

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“Arranged” by Paromita De

Submitted to Contest #228

ArrangedIt was 1974, and Priya was getting ready to get married to Rahul; a boy she barely knew. Her father and his uncle knew each other since childhood and worked at a factory together. The families were meeting together in their homes this weekend, and her mother asked Priya to cook the meal. It felt like an interview. She felt like her paneer tikka masala was going to be judged by her future mother-in-law, husband and future father-in-law as the last assessment before tying the knot. Priya’s mother, Darshana, prepped her for months ...

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“Costly Purchases Not Covered by SNAP” by Mallory Jones

Submitted to Contest #228

“Just the… three bottles of Tylenol and the vodka?” The elderly cashier looked up, both unpracticed and uninterested in concealing his judgment. The thin young woman standing at the counter smiled at him and said, “The Smirnoff is a gift for my in-laws, and I’ve been having terrible headaches lately.” She paused, then added,“You know what? Throw this in too— I feel like splurging.” She smiled brightly as she tossed a single-serving instant oatmeal packet on the counter, then looked up, clearly expecting him to scan her items. With a dea...

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“Poor Form” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #228

Poor Form “Never eat more than you can lift.” &nbsp...

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“Don't Eat The Mashed Potatoes” by Jessica C

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #228

TW: explicit language, spousal violence, mention of suicide There’s nothing like a mother’s hug to make you feel like a child. I nestle my face into her shoulder and breathe deeply, savoring the hints of lavender and roasted meats. She’s deep into making Sunday dinner and the aroma lingers around her, even standing on the windy sidewalk. “My baby,” she coos as she brushes my hair. “I’m so happy you’re home. Are you sure you don’t want to transfer to a closer school?” It’s the same question she’s asked every time she’s seen me for t...

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“Chips” by Danielle LeBlanc

Submitted to Contest #228

I have always been addicted to potato chips. It’s true. The crumpling sound of a bag opening makes me salivate like a Pavlovian dog. Scooping out that first handful makes me perspire. The grease between my fingers shape-shifts me into some kind of wild, heaving creature. And that first bite, well… my eyes couldn’t roll any further back towards the heavens. Potato chips are the greatest love affair I’ve ever had; mostly, because I never allow myself to have them. For most of my adult life, I’ve lived in a low carb hell of my own making. ...

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$250

Prize money

231

Contest entries

88

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 15, 2023 EST

Won by Molly Jenkinson 🏆

Title: Cooking Lessons

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!

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