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“Look, it's not a debate – I don't even know why it is a discussion. Objectively, pizza is the greatest food God ever let man invent, and nobody makes a better homemade pizza than Cousin Maggie. I don't even know what the conversation is even about.”
Eleven-year-old Eleanor Ludlow was holding forth to eleven-year-old Velma Trent and ten-year-olds Andrew and Glendella Ludlow.
“Spaghetti has carbs, and if you add meat and cheese and onions and bell peppers, it has everything pizza has,” Velma said.
“But can you pick it up and eat it, though?” Eleanor said.
“Your baby brother Robert does all the time,” Velma said.
“That's a point,” Glendella said. “He does, but he is five, too. I think the question is can you do it without making a mess.”
“Yeah, but, if Robert is the standard, he really can't eat a piece of pizza without making a mess either,” Andrew said.
“Pizza? Where?” five-year-old Lil' Robert said as he came running over.
“We were discussing whether pizza is the greatest food God ever let mankind make, but I'm Team Spaghetti,” Velma said.
“And, you're both wrong,” Velma's eight-year-old Gracie sister said. “Y'all forgot about gumbo?”
“Yeah, that does change the game entirely,” Andrew said. “We certainly did forget.”
“If I get to choose which one is the best,” Lil' Robert said, “the answer is yes!”
“We gotta ask Papa and Grandma to order some gumbo from the Dubois family – you gotta try it, Glendella!” Andrew said.
“No, you don't, because we ordered enough for y'all too because y'all and the Lees have been sharing so much food with us this week,” Gracie said. “It'll be here in an hour from Dubois on the Road and there's enough for everybody.”
“The best food is the food you share with love,” Glendella said. “Everything I've ever eaten here is the best ever.”
“Now that's the answer,” Andrew said. “If we thank God and our adults for it all, that's the answer, because we certainly do get it with love here!”
“What I need, though,” said Velma and Gracie's nine-year-old brother Milton, “is for somebody to do me some gumbo pizza, because we can already do jambalaya spaghetti.”
“Wait, what?” Eleanor said. “That kind of spaghetti exists?”
“Don't worry, we ordered some – but gumbo pizza – hey, Vertran!” said Gracie, “can you get Louisa [granddaughter to the Dubois family] on the phone? What you need to do, Milton, is to get the Duboises to spot you a invention cut for gumbo pizza when they make that happen, and you just need to tell Louisa what's up.”
“And we'll be the testers!” Glendella said. “Bring on the gumbo today and gumbo pizza tomorrow!”
“Yes!” Lil' Robert said. “The answer to all this is yes!”