Prep Time

Back in college when Adam was home one summer, he cooked elaborate and delicious Indian dinner for his parents every night. Mama and Papa Zakun seemed excited about having a personal chef for the most part, but unfortunately, they often ate dinner at 9pm or 10pm because Adam would underestimate the time he needed to cook. There was also the issue of Adam using lots of pots and dishes, but that's not the point I'm making today. I'm happy to report that this "underestimating" happens a lot less these days, but it still happens on occasion. Adam made a delicious Alsatian chicken dish last night. Unfortunately he didn't get to enjoy it because he wasn't finished cooking before he had to meet his friend Wayne at 8pm. The following is a reconstructed conversation:

plasticann: So, when's dinner?
Adam: Well, it's not going to be ready for a while. I'm meeting Wayne so you're going to have to finish cooking it.
plasticann: How long was it supposed to take?
Adam: 45 minutes, but I underestimated the prep time.
plasticann: [looking at her watch and doing the mental math] 45 minutes. I think maybe you didn't "underestimate" so much as you didn't estimate any prep time.

In his mind, Adam thought he could do all the prep in 10 minutes, but according to his time line, he gave himself like two seconds to chop up a head of cabbage and who knows what else. The good news is tonight, we'll enjoy leftover Alsatian chicken for dinner with minimal work.