Louis Martin

Today, at the age of 8, I decided to cook for the first time. My mom was busy working, and I thought I could surprise her by making lunch all by myself. So, I put on my chef hat (well, it was actually a baseball cap turned backward) and got to work.

I found a recipe for spaghetti bolognese in one of Mom's cookbooks and thought it looked easy enough. I gathered all the ingredients: pasta, tomatoes, ground beef, onions, garlic, and a bunch of spices. Feeling like a real chef, I started chopping away, pretending I was on a cooking show.

But here's where things took a funny turn. When it came time to add the spices, I got a little too enthusiastic. Instead of a sprinkle of oregano, I accidentally dumped the whole jar into the pot. And let's just say I got a little carried away with the chili powder, too.

When Mom came into the kitchen, she burst out laughing at the sight of me covered in spices, surrounded by a cloud of oregano. She took one look at the pot on the stove and couldn't help but giggle.

Despite the mess and the over-seasoned sauce, Mom gave me a big hug and told me she was proud of me for trying. We ended up ordering pizza for lunch that day, but Mom said my spaghetti adventure was the best meal she'd ever had.

As a young aspiring chef from Brussels, Belgium, I may not have achieved culinary mastery just yet, but I sure had a lot of fun trying. And who knows? Maybe one day I'll cook a meal that's actually edible. But for now, I'll stick to being Mom's little kitchen helper and leave the cooking to the grown-ups.