Who's Cookin'?

Sunday. I came to the lab as usual to take care of my flies. To my horror, there was no fly food left.

We used to have an undergraduate student making food for us. But she graduated in May and my boss didn't hire another one. So for the last four months, my boss and I had been the food makers. He usually kept an eye on the food supply. When it was low, he would say:"Lei, we are almost out of food. When do you have time to make food with me?" But this time, he didn't say anything, as if he didn't notice. Weird.

I looked into my boss' office. The lights were off. Usually he came in on weekends, but he wasn't here at this time. I was the only one in the lab.

So it left me with two choices: either wait till tomorrow to make food with my boss, or make it today by myself.

It was probably OK to make food tomorrow. The flies wouldn't complain if I left them in old food bottles and vials for two more days.

But it would be better if they had new food sooner.

Finally I decided: as a 5th year graduate student, I should take the responsibility of the lab chore.

In the kitchen I started weighing out the indregients. Making fly food is the same as making your own dinner. You put right amount of suger, corn meal, agar, yeast and water into a big kettle and let it boil for 10 minutes while constantly mixing it. Then you dispense the super dense corn meal soup into 90 bottles and 180 vials. Let the food solidify overnight, and put stoppers on the bottles and vials the next day.

It isn't a tough job. But it can get pretty hot, laborous and smelly at times. That's why nobody really enjoys making food. We make food when we have to.

When I almost finished, my boss came into the kitchen. He looked pretty surprised.

"Ah, you are making food!"

"Yeah."

I waited for him to praise me.

He hesitated a little. Then he said:

"I forgot to tell you that I did hire an undergraduate to make food tomorrow."

Oh. Great.