3 July 2015

PROMPT:  Shred this.
David Copelin, playwright/dramaturg/translator


Carly, 20, holds a big knife.  Steve, 57, stands near by.
STEVE
Put the knife down, Carly.
CARLY
I don’t want to put the knife down.
STEVE
You don’t need the knife.
CARLY
(raising the knife)
But I want to use the knife!
STEVE
You can’t shred chicken with a knife.
CARLY
But you can chop chicken with a knife.
STEVE
I know that chopping is easier...
CARLY
(interrupting)
... and more fun!
STEVE
And more fun, but this dish calls for shredded chicken, not chopped chicken.
CARLY
What difference does it make?!
STEVE
You tell me.
CARLY
People only care about how food tastes!
STEVE
You know that’s not true.  You know that eating is a sensual experience.
CARLY
Blah, blah, blah...
STEVE
If you want to be a good cook, you have to learn. 
CARLY
(mocking)
People eat with their eyes first.  If food looks good, people are more likely to try it and like it.
STEVE
That’s right and sometimes their ears.
CARLY
(mocking)
People want their fajitas to sizzle.  
STEVE
Again correct and they want their potato chips to crunch.
CARLY
(less mocking)
Then they eat with their nose.
STEVE
Nothing welcomes people like a house that smells like good food.
CARLY
Then they stick it with their fork or pick it up with their fingers.
STEVE
But the sense of touch is more than how tough or soft it feels, it’s also how it feels in their mouth.  Chewy, melty, crunchy, smooth, tough.  For many people, how it feels is as important or even more important than how it tastes.
CARLY
What?
STEVE
A raw oyster.
CARLY
Ewww.
STEVE
You don’t dislike them because of the way they taste.
CARLY
Their slimy.
STEVE
Sense of touch.
Silence.
Carly puts the knife down.
CARLY
I’ll shred the chicken.
End of play.