Rats! And I thought it had something to do with me.

He sat with his bowl of cherries - a new found fruit love - at the kitchen table as the afternoon sun streamed through the patio doors.

"Mumma - I need sumping else to eat with these."

"Something else?  Like what?  Like sommmmme...." I scanned the counters and my eyes rested on a bowl of freshly washed, de-stemmed strawberries that we just picked the day before. "strawberries?"

"Yes! Strawberries!"

I brought the bowl over to the table and sat it beside his small bowl of cherries then returned back to the business of emptying the dishwasher.

"Mumma - come here!  You have to try this!  Eat them together.  Come on...come on!"

I looked up from where I was bent over grabbing some utensils.

He had a strawberry on one side of his mouth and a cherry on the other.

I put away the forks and joined my son at the kitchen table.  He handed me a strawberry and a cherry.

"Eat it at the same time."  His face was eager, his smile big and berry stained. I couldn't help but think I was in some sort of dream.  Child of mine with a passion this big for discovering new taste sensations???!!!  This was my kind of kid.  Hmph.  I must be doing something right.  All those times he helped me out in the kitchen, baking cookies, making dinner.  Yes.  I am raising an adventurous first rate future little chef I am.

I bit simultaneously into the cherry and the strawberry.  It was a taste sensation of the most delectable kind.  Sweet, tart, juicy.


He watched me expectantly, eyes wide and blue, his head slightly nodding as I chewed bits of cherry and berry.


"Mmmmmm!  That is gooooood!"

"I know.  I learned it from Ratatouille."