Three Colors in Hookhook's Lunchbox

For a shared lunch, Mother Owl packed three rice balls: white jasmine rice, purple rice colored with butterfly pea and lime, and orange pumpkin rice. Hookhook knew the white one and immediately pushed the other two away.

Mother Owl did not put food into Hookhook's beak. Instead, they became explorers. Hookhook looked closely, touched with a wingtip, and smelled. Purple smelled like familiar rice; orange had a gentle sweetness.

Hookhook chose to touch a speck of purple rice to the tongue, then sipped water. The tiny sour taste made the feathers fluff, but it was not frightening. Orange rice went into the “maybe next time” section.

Jibjib liked orange but not purple. Neither friend teased the other. Hookhook tried another purple bite with familiar cucumber and discovered the flavors worked well together.

Orange rice remained when the box closed, and that was not failure. Hookhook drew a pumpkin in the notebook: “Today I looked, touched, and smelled.” Next time might be a tasting day—or it might not be yet.