Quick Bite: Green Guilt

My cousin's son Attila has what I would call "Green Guilt". Every time he receives any type of food or gift that has packaging, he immediately asks, "Is this recyclable?"On our last family trip to "Bible Camp", my mother threw a plastic bottle into the garbage can in our room.

"Auntie, Auntie!" Attila yelled, pointing at the trash."We need to put this in the recycling bin OUTSIDE!"

"Nope, I do not recycle," said my mother.

"But you have to put it so we don't pollute Mother Earth," he whined.

"Eh, I don't feel like it."

"But why noooooot?" He pleaded with his big blue eyes.

"Because I am lazy," she laughed.

"Okay, then I can go outside and put it in the bin!"

Her expression changed from amusement to horror. "NOOOO!" she screamed. "You can't go recycle, somevon will steal you!"

Don't worry, I fished it out of the garbage can later and took him to recycle it. I'm trying to keep his childhood scars to a minimum.

Photo by Sanja Gjenero

Cake from Strangers

Last Saturday, I was waiting for midnight so I could be the first to call my mom and wish her a "Happy Birthday". I got up to use the bathroom for a minute, and by the time I came back, I had a new voice mail.

“Oh, my god, Stephie! Don't be dead! " I jerked the phone from my ear as I heard the screams of an irate Hungarian. "Your cousin said she hasn’t heard from you and she tried to call you two times. Oh, my god! Novon knows vere you are! Call me back if you're alive. Call me back!”

I called her immediately. “Vhat's da story, Stephie?! How can you do this to me?” she cried.

"What the heck are you talking about? I just talked to Irina a few days ago, and I just finished talking to her sister last night!"

"Bullsh*t. Irina said she tried to call you Thursday. I vanted to make plans for next veek, and den ve didn't hear from you, and she said she didn't know vere you vere and-"

"Anyu. I was hosting a film event all day Thursday. My phone...
Read the rest of this entry »