The Great Spaghetti Incident

 

It was Pasta Night at the Johnsons' house, and Dad had something to prove. Tired of being mocked for his instant noodles and microwave meals, he declared, “Tonight, I make real spaghetti!”

Three hours later, the kitchen looked like a tomato crime scene. There was sauce on the ceiling, a noodle in the cat’s ear, and the smoke alarm had gone off twice—once from boiling water. Dad had googled “how to make spaghetti” and somehow ended up watching a 25-minute video on making artisanal Italian pasta from scratch with ingredients that only existed in the hills of Tuscany.

“Why is the dough in the laundry basket?” Mom asked.

“It needed a warm place to rise,” Dad replied confidently. “And the washing machine was busy.”

Eventually, dinner was served. The spaghetti was... chewy. The sauce was more soup than sauce. But everyone took a bite.

And then silently agreed to order pizza next time.