A Lesson Learnt From an Elderly Relative

Nana was a very famous chef in her village, long before I was born. Her signature dish, mint chutney, had been passed down through the family. Since my parents were on holiday, Nana was taking care of me. She decided to use this precious time to teach me how to make her mint chutney. Alas, I did not share her love for the culinary arts. 

A neat display of ingredients such as black pepper, salt and mint leaves sat in orderly lines on the table. "Alex, come learn to make mint chutney!" Nana excitedly exclaimed. Sighing, I reluctantly dragged my feet to the kitchen where Nana patiently gave me instructions. 

First, I slowly diced the mint leaves into fine pieces. Next, I added the diced mint leaves, black pepper, salt and other spices into the blender, all the while gagging and shuddering at the pungent odour. Just when I was about to close the lid, I had a revolutionary idea! 

"Nana, why don't we add some chocolate?" I shouted. Dashing to the fridge, I grabbed a bar of my favourite chocolate, Kit Kat. As I rushed back and stared at Nana expectantly, she reluctantly relented. 

With a flourish, I unwrapped the silver foil and dropped the bar of Kit Kat into the blender. Imagining I was a famous masterchef, I hurriedly turned on the blender. A loud whirring ensued, and the mixture turned from dark green into a khaki-coloured mush. As soon as the blender stopped, I immediately rushed to the cutlery drawer to get a spoon to try it out. When I got back, I instantly unscrewed the lid, plunged the spoon into the mixture, and scooped a generous dollop straight into my mouth. 

Pwergh! I instinctively spat out the disgusting mush into a tissue. Rushing to the sink, I quickly rinsed my mouth with tap water until the foul taste was gone. It felt like I had just swallowed diarrhea!

Ashamed that I had ruined Nana's creation, I turned to her with a guilty expression. "Sorry, Nana, for adding chocolate. I promise never to do that again," I apologised. 

"It's okay. I forgive you," she patted my head. "Just remember that sometimes, the original way is perfect because it's stood the test of time." Nana and I then started making a new batch. That day, I learnt a valuable lesson: don't fix what's not broken.