Hannuka #5: The Latke Contest

Tonight, I was asked to judge a local latke making contest.
And I learned a lesson about planning.

10 teens showed up. I divided them into 3 groups with more than enough ingredients to go wild.

One group decided to make one massive latke.
It didn’t cook fast enough, and they couldn’t finish by the judging.

Another group’s fryer somehow stopped working midway through.
There was another deep fryer across the room, but they didn’t think to get it.
They presented half-cooked latkes with jalapeno. (Still delicious)

The third group made small latkes, presented them beautifully with spicy mayo and avocado (that was a new favor). Their cooker worked perfectly the whole time.

As the judge, I had to give them first prize.
But it wasn’t a fair contest.

Just like life, sometimes you win when everything goes according to plan.
And sometimes you lose because you’re not prepared for things going off the rails.

O