“OK,” said Jasmine, and she put on the oven mitts. While she was shaking the snow and salt mixture, Bernadette stirred a tablespoon of sugar and a half-teaspoon of vanilla into a half cup of cream. Then she poured the liquid into a large zipper lock bag and sealed it tightly, leaving as little air inside as possible.
“The instructions say that we should put this bag inside another bag so that the ingredients don’t spill, and also to make sure that no salt gets in,” Bernadette said. “Can you hold the second bag open for me and I’ll slip this one in?”
“Sure,” Jasmine replied, putting down her container. “I was sick of shaking that snow anyway. Now what do we do?”
“Now we put the plastic bag of liquid ingredients into the snow container and keep on shaking it for fifteen more minutes.”
“But my arms are so tired!” Jasmine moaned. “Can we please take turns?”
“Since you already did five minutes, how about if I do five, then you do five, then I’ll do five more.”
“It seems like a lot of effort, Bernadette. Do you really think we will end up with old-fashioned vanilla ice cream?”
“Yes, because the salt will help the snow absorb the heat from the cream so the cream will freeze. It’s totally scientific, Jasmine.”
“Well, you know how much I love science. Especially science that tastes good!”
And it did. In fact, it tasted wonderful.
“You’re a genius, Bernadette,” said Jasmine, licking the last drop of ice cream from her spoon. “This is definitely the best experiment we’ve ever done.”
“I agree. And I have to repeat what I told my dad last night, when we went for a walk in the snow.”
“What’s that?”
“Sometimes, ice is nice!” said Bernadette, with a big smile.
4
The Friendship Bracelet
The day after the ice cream experiment, Bernadette’s father took the girls to visit the Science Center. It was an amazing place full of amazing stuff! The Outer Space area had a rocket ship you could sit in, and a telescope you could look through, and a pretend sky full of twinkling stars. The Planet Earth area had many different habitats full of plants, and small animals like snakes, and lizards, and turtles, and fish. In the Technology area there were all kinds of machines, including a printing press that made real newspapers and a radio that got news from all over the world.
Because they wanted to be scientists when they grew up, Bernadette and Jasmine had already been to the center about fourteen zillion times, but they never got tired of it. Their favorite area was called The Human Body. This was because most of the exhibits let you do fun things like pedal a bicycle until the power made a light bulb switch on, or touch a globe full of static electricity so that your hair stuck straight out like a porcupine’s quills. The girls ran around the room happily, trying to identify the smells coming from things hidden inside dark boxes and to feel sound vibrations with their feet. They tested their balance, and their strength, and their vision, and their hearing. They just kept going from one experiment to another until finally Bernadette’s father said, “Listen, you two. I’ve learned all about my reflexes and my heart rate. I’ve learned about optical illusions and phantom pain. But all that learning has tired me out. I really need a cup of coffee.”
“Well, now that you mention it, I am a tiny bit hungry myself,” Bernadette answered.
“Me too!” said Jasmine. “In fact, I’m a lot hungry.”
“That’s because you’re growing so much, Jazzy,” Bernadette said. “Your body is burning a lot of energy. You’re a human volcano.”
“Should we feed your pet volcano here, or go home where we can make something healthier?” her father asked.
“I’m not ready to go home yet,” Bernadette answered. “Please let us eat here, Dad.”
“Here’s the deal, Bernadette. If you two can put together a nutritious lunch, we’ll stay. Otherwise we’ll just get something to drink and then go home, OK?” said Bernadette’s father.
“What do you think, Jasmine? This sounds kind of scientific to me,” said Bernadette. “Almost like an experiment!”
“Almost!” said Jasmine. “I’m sure we can find something healthy to eat, even if it’s just lettuce and tomatoes on a bun.”
In fact, it wasn’t that hard to find a healthy lunch in the cafeteria. The hard part was choosing to eat it when there was so much junk food available.
“My brain knows what healthy food is, but my stomach says it wants a hot dog, fries, and a soda,” Jasmine said.
“My stomach wants that too,” agreed Bernadette. “But my dad won’t let us stay if we eat junk food. And I want to stay! So my brain has decided to have a yogurt parfait and a glass of cranberry juice.”
“Well, my brain has decided on a tuna sandwich on whole wheat with extra pickles on the side,” said Jasmine. “And I’ll have orange juice to drink, please.”
“I’m very proud of you girls,” said Bernadette’s father, when he saw their tray. “You made excellent lunch choices.”
“Unlike you, Mr. Coffee Drinker,” said Bernadette. “Why don’t you have a glass of milk once in a while?”
“Ouch,” said her father. “You’re right, Bernadette. We should all try to eat healthier.”
“Maybe our next Lunch Bunch strategy can be bringing healthier food to school,” said Bernadette. “Thanks for the great suggestion, Dad!”
“Bernie,” said Jasmine, slowly.
“Yes?”
“I never told you this, but I borrowed your invention. Without asking.”
“What do you mean, Jasmine?” asked Bernadette. “What invention?”
“I started my own Lunch Bunch with my new friends. Do you mind?”
It took Bernadette a moment to answer. “I kind of do,” she finally admitted. “It makes it seem less special. I mean, I do experiments with you, Jasmine. I do lunch strategies with my new friends in the Lunch Bunch. So it’s really weird to think of you being in a Lunch Bunch with other people.”
“So do you want us to stop doing it?” Jasmine said.
Bernadette looked at her oldest friend, feeling uncomfortable. For a moment, she wished that she could discuss the situation with Keisha, Megan, and Annie, since they were just as much a part of the Lunch Bunch as she was. But they weren’t here. And meanwhile Jasmine looked sad, and Bernadette didn’t want her to be sad when they were supposed to be enjoying their holiday together.
“No, it’s OK,” Bernadette said finally. “After all, I didn’t invent eating lunch at school, or having friends, or eating lunch at school with friends. I only invented the idea of friends planning school lunches together.”
“That’s very mature of you, Bernadette,” said her father. “So mature that, after you girls finish eating, you can each buy a souvenir from the gift shop as a reward.”
After lunch, the girls bought matching silver friendship bracelets at the Science Center gift shop and promised to never ever take them off. Unless they decided to buy new and better ones after they won the Nobel Prize.
The three days Jasmine stayed at Bernadette’s house went by so fast she couldn’t believe it! Bernadette’s mother took them skating. They made cranberry muffins and caramel popcorn balls. They did an experiment using blotting paper to test the acidity of ordinary food items to see which ones would rot their teeth and explode their stomachs. They tried to do an experiment using Bernadette’s guinea pig, Hamlet, to see which foods would make him go through a maze of books and pillows faster, but Hamlet wasn’t very interested. After going through the maze once and politely nibbling a piece of apple, he got tired of science and just went to sleep on one of the pillows.
“If I had a DOG, I bet it wouldn’t go to sleep during an important scientific experiment,” said Bernadette loudly.
“I don’t know, Bernadette,” said Jasmine. “My cat Shadow will never co-operate when I try to make her do things. At least Hamlet knows a few tricks! I think he’s pretty smart.”
“He’s very smart!” Bernadette replied, scooping him up and kissing him on his little pink nose. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, Hamlet. You know how much I love you. It’s just that I’m sure you would enjoy having a puppy to play with as much as I would.”
They were having so much fun that when Keisha called again to see if Bernadette wanted to sleep over at her house, Bernadette apologized for forgetting to call her back, but said it would have to wait until after Jasmine left. Keisha said she could bring Jasmine with her, but Bernadette still said no. And when Megan called a little later to invite Bernadette and Jasmine to come tobogganing, she said the same thing. She wanted to spend every minute with Jasmine alone. Still, before she was ready to say good-bye to Jasmine, their visit was over. And Bernadette didn’t know when she would see her oldest friend again.
“I’m surprised you never had the Lunch Bunch over while Jasmine was here,” Bernadette’s mother remarked, as she packed Bernadette’s lunch for the first day back at school.
“Annie was away most of the time on her ski trip,” Bernadette said.
“But what about Keisha and Megan?” asked her mother. “They both phoned here, wanting to see you. Keisha said something about a sleepover, remember?”
“Yeah, I know, but it just seemed too weird to bring my old friend and my new ones together,” said Bernadette.
“Why? Did you think they wouldn’t get along?”
“No, it’s not that . . .” said Bernadette. “It’s more that I do different things when I’m with Jasmine than I do when I’m with them, and I just wanted to do Jasmine-type things for a few days.”
“I understand,” said her mother. “Sometimes I feel that way about you! I hardly ever get you to myself anymore, Bernadette.”
“Well, that’s your own fault for not letting me come home for lunch, Mom,” said Bernadette.
“You’re not still angry that you have to eat at school every day, are you?”
“No, I’m not angry. But you know that already.”
“I do. It’s just nice to hear it!” said Bernadette’s mom, giving her a big hug. “So, what’s the Lunch Bunch strategy for this Friday? Do you have any plans?”
“After seeing the Human Body exhibit at the Science Center, I was thinking about suggesting we all make healthy lunches full of vitamins and stuff. Who knows?” she sighed. “Maybe if I eat enough broccoli, I’ll finally get that growth spurt you keep promising me.”
But when Bernadette told the Lunch Bunch her strategy, they were not as excited as she had hoped they would be.
“You sound like my mother!” Keisha groaned. “Keisha, eat your greens! Keisha, drink your milk! Keisha, you’ve had enough sweets for one day! She’s always bugging me.”
“Besides, we already eat healthy lunches, Bernadette,” added Annie.
“But we don’t really know what vitamins and stuff are in the food we’re eating, do we?” asked Bernadette. “This would be a very scientific way of learning what makes food healthy.”
“My mother makes me and Connor take vitamins every morning,” said Megan. “I know there’s A, B, and C in them. Maybe some other letters too.”
“How many vitamins are there?” asked Annie. “Do we have to go through the whole alphabet?”
“I don’t know, but if there are twenty-six vitamins, we’re going to have to make some very big lunches!” Bernadette replied.
“Only you would think that it’s fun to turn lunchtime into a science lesson, Bernadette,” said Keisha, in a very grumpy voice. “Lunch is supposed to be a break from school, not another science class.”
“Does everyone think this is a bad strategy?” Bernadette asked. She wondered why Keisha was in such a bad mood.
“No, I like it,” said Annie. “Because I like big lunches.”
“I like it too,” said Megan. “Because I never know what I want for lunch when my mother asks me the night before, so any strategy is a good strategy.”
“OK, OK. If you guys really want to do this I will too,” said Keisha. “But I sure hope I can find a good dessert with some stupid vitamins in it.”
Annie did have a very big lunch that Friday. Her mother had helped her make a stir-fry full of healthy ingredients. The other girls tried to identify them all.
“You have carrots for vitamin A, Annie,” said Megan. “I brought carrots today too. Actually, I bring carrots every day because I love them. So does my hamster, Mr. McWhiskers.”
“I see some broccoli and my mother says that broccoli has almost all the important vitamins,” said Bernadette. “Which is why she makes me eat it, even though I only like the pretty flower tops and not the tough old tree trunks. But what are all those little white cubes in your noodles, Annie?”
“Tofu,” said Annie. “It’s made out of soybeans. And it’s full of vitamin E and protein, in case you were wondering.”
“There are some red peppers, so I see vitamin C,” Megan added.
“Too bad they’re not frozen, because ‘I see icy C’ would make a great tongue-twister,” said Keisha. She then said it three times herself, very fast.
“You and your tongue-twisters!” Annie groaned. “I thought once the Christmas pageant was over you would stop practicing them!”
“Did you know that all red and orange vegetables have vitamin C?” said Bernadette.
“Then you must be full of vitamin C, Bernadette, because your hair is really red!” sang Annie.
“Ha ha, very funny,” said Bernadette, twirling one of her long pigtails. Something silver glittered on her wrist, and Megan reached out and grabbed it to see what it was.
“Ooh, I like your new bracelet,” said Megan. “Did you get it for Chanukah from your grandparents?”
“No, it’s a friendship bracelet,” said Bernadette proudly, showing it to all the girls. “Jasmine and I each got one at the Science Center. We’re never ever going to take them off because we are going to be friends forever.”
Nobody said anything for a moment.
“You didn’t get friendship bracelets with us, Bernadette,” said Keisha, looking at Megan meaningfully. “I guess that means we’re not going to be friends forever, doesn’t it? But I should have known that, because you didn’t even bother to return my phone call last Friday.”
“I’m sorry,” said Bernadette. “I was just really, really busy. Maybe we can do it this weekend instead. I’ll ask my mom when I get home.”
“Oh, don’t worry. We had the sleepover anyway, without you. And it was a ton of fun!” said Keisha.
Bernadette was so shocked that she didn’t know what to say. Even though she’d had a good time without the Lunch Bunch, she wasn’t happy to hear that they were having a good time without her! But she didn’t have a chance to think of a response because their teacher, Mrs. Hawthorn, was walking around the lunchroom to make sure the students were behaving. She asked what the Lunch Bunch Strategy was that week and when Annie told her, she said she was impressed. She said good nutrition was important, especially for growing children, and since nutrition was already on the curriculum, maybe the whole class should participate in a Healthy Food Challenge.
Keisha groaned. “Bernadette will love that. Now she’ll get to lecture the whole class instead of just the Lunch Bunch.”
“I wasn’t lecturing anyone, Keisha,” Bernadette protested.
“How would the Healthy Food Challenge work, Mrs. Hawthorn?” asked Megan, trying to change the topic. She hated it when people argued.
“I’ll have to think about it. But maybe I could give out stickers to whoever in my class brings a healthy lunch to school, or brings a note from home proving that t
hey ate a healthy lunch there, and the person with the most stickers at the end of the month will get a special prize.”
“I hope the prize isn’t going to be healthy too, Mrs. Hawthorn,” Keisha said. “Make it something tasty like a chocolate bar instead. Please?”
“Well, Valentine’s Day is coming up,” said Mrs. Hawthorn. “So chocolate might be appropriate.”
“You thought it was weird that I turned lunch into a science lesson, Keisha. But that’s not as strange as you turning a healthy food challenge into a way to get chocolate,” said Bernadette, trying to get Keisha to laugh.
“I never pass up a chance to eat chocolate,” said Keisha.
But she wasn’t even smiling.
5
Elastic Annie
A lot of students stopped smiling when they heard about the Healthy Food Challenge. They didn’t mind learning about how many portions of fruits and vegetables, grains, and protein they should eat each day. Mrs. Hawthorn handed out black and white illustrations of a healthy plate to help them remember. It was fun coloring in all the fruits and vegetables, although there weren’t enough different shades of brown and beige crayons to make bread and pasta and rice look interesting—or appetizing.
They also liked bringing in their favorite recipes and talking about the ingredients needed to make them. The best class of all was when they actually got to cook something at school. First Mrs. Hawthorn read them a story called Stone Soup. The next day, each student had to bring something: a few carrots, potatoes or onions; salt, pepper, basil or oregano; or a can of tomatoes. Mrs. Hawthorn brought in a big electric pot and plugged it in so they could make stone soup themselves (it was really just vegetable soup with a “magic” stone sitting on the bottom of the pot), and then they ate it. The principal, Mrs. Garcia, brought in some delicious bread and shared in their feast.
But most of the time it was harder to eat healthy food than to talk about it. It was especially hard to bring something from every single food group to lunch every single day! Some people said they couldn’t because they had allergies. And some people said they wouldn’t because they hated vegetables, or milk, or were vegetarian. And a whole lot of people were mad at Bernadette because they thought that the Healthy Food Challenge was her idea.
Bernadette in the Doghouse Page 3