The Summer Kitchen Adventure

The Summer Kitchen Adventure

BY: Ubaid

It was the beginning of the summer holidays in Karachi. The school gates had finally closed, and freedom had arrived. In our house, the four of us — Sonia, Saba, Armaghan, and I — were sitting together, discussing how to spend our long-awaited vacation.

While we were brainstorming, Sonia’s eyes suddenly fell on Mom, who was busy cooking in the kitchen. A spark lit up in her eyes, and she shouted excitedly, “I’ve got an idea! Let’s open our own kitchen!”

Armaghan frowned, confused. “What do you mean? The kitchen’s already open, and Mom’s cooking in it.”

Sonia rolled her eyes. “Oh, silly! I don’t mean that kitchen. I mean we should open a restaurant — our own hotel! We’ll cook food, serve people, earn money, and make the most of our holidays!”

She sounded just like an experienced businesswoman giving a TED Talk.

Armaghan scratched his head. “Alright, but before that — tell me, what does ‘silly’ really mean? You said I have a thick brain. Is a brain supposed to be thick or thin, long or short, square or round? And how do you know what kind of brain I have? Have you ever seen it?”

We all burst into laughter.

Before Sonia could answer, our elder brother jumped in. “Okay, jokes apart — where will we open this restaurant? Who’s going to cook? And who will even come to eat our food?”

Saba smiled. “I think it’s a great idea. That small room of ours facing the main road will be perfect. We’ll cook the food in the kitchen and serve it in that room. We can even hang a big banner outside that says: ‘A New Family Restaurant – Delicious Home-Cooked Meals Available!’”

Once big brother agreed, the plan was set in motion.

Within two days, Sonia and Saba cleaned the back room and turned it into a tiny dining area. My brother gathered cooking utensils and ingredients — though in the process, he made quite a mess in the kitchen and earned a scolding from Mom. Still, he kept quiet and continued preparing.

Armaghan was assigned to spread the word around the neighborhood. He proudly announced the grand opening of our “hotel,” though people gave him funny looks and strange comments. But he didn’t give up — he was a true marketing hero.

Then came the big day — cooking day.

And that’s where everything went wrong.

It turned out that none of us actually knew how to cook.

Sonia mistakenly added our grandfather’s digestive powder instead of spice mix, claiming it would help “everyone digest better.” Armaghan checked the salt, found it too little, and looked around for more. He spotted a white powder near the sink and dumped it into the rice — not realizing it was dishwashing detergent!

Saba, seeing the rice floating awkwardly in water, decided to add more water “to make them swim better.”

Meanwhile, my brother tried to check the rice on the stove. As he lifted the lid, a cloud of hot steam hit his face. He stumbled back, tripped, and — crash! — the entire pot of rice fell on his foot.

For a moment, the kitchen turned into a battlefield. Rice was everywhere — on the walls, on the floor, even on the ceiling. My brother was hopping on one foot, yelling, “It’s hot! It’s burning!” while the rest of us stood frozen, staring at the chaos we had created.

Just then, Dad walked in.

He was sitting comfortably in his armchair, reading Shahab Nama, when the four of us appeared before him — guilty, embarrassed, and covered in rice.

Dad put the book down slowly and said in his calm, serious voice, “So, my little chefs, how did the business go?”

No one dared to answer.

After a moment of silence, Dad said, “Alright, here’s your punishment — and a reward, too. My library is full of books. Each of you will read at least five books and then share your thoughts about them. Read history to learn from the past, travelogues to see the world, science to understand how humans progress, and moral books to know how to live a good life. This will be your new project — one that won’t burn the kitchen.”

We stood quietly, but deep down, we knew he was right.

That day, we marched toward the library — not as failed cooks, but as new learners. The “Summer Kitchen Adventure” had ended in disaster, but it taught us something far more important: every mistake can lead to a meaningful lesson — if you’re ready to learn from it.