Broccoli Birthday

I got an email this morning from my sister which was just too funny not to post on the blog. It's about my niece's 13th birthday dinner and broccoli (hence, the broccoli). I swear this is true. All the credit goes to sister for recording this great piece of history:

"Eldest Daughter (E.D.) got herself a birthday iPOD by eating broccoli. Not a whole stem, not a bunch, simply a chunk of the green stuff.

We were at Fridays for her birthday dinner and they were on dessert. I was taking my time, enjoying my ribs, so I still had my dinner plate. They were finishing thier dessert when she starts with she still wanted to go and buy an iPOD and Dad says "eat that piece of broccoli and I'll buy you and iPOD". Now, not being one to believe him easily, she looked at me and I said go for it. She made him shake on it and then I had to guarantee to back him up. Hey, at least she trusts me. So she takes this chunck of broccoli, maybe the size of a healthy strawberry, and take the first very small bite. I thought it was over for sure from the look on her face. It took her at least 5 minutes to get it down. Now we are all laughing except for Youngest Daughter (Y.D.) who wants to eat something so she can get a birthday MP3 player even though her birthday is still 10 days away. While I am telling Y.D. to get over it and wait her turn, E.D. is nibbling away at another very small piece.

Middle Daughter (M.D.) begins to tease her and E.D. says why don't you try some! And M.D., the money hungry one of the family, says, ok how much for me to each some? Eldest daughter takes about an 1/8 of what she has and hands to middle daughter and says TEN BUCK! E.D. hands over the brocolli and M.D. ate it! I can't get the kid to eat carrots or corn but for $10.00 she ate the broccoli. Hannah see this and trys for $5.00 for a extremely small piece but gets no where since M.D has now taken 1/4 of what E.D. started with for another $10.00!

So E.D. is forcing it down, middle daughter is happily chomping her way to wealth and youngest daughter is pouting that life is not fair. In the end, E.D. finished her brocolli and we stopped for her IPOD on the way home, M.D. made a qucik $20.00 (which E.D. happily handed over as soon as we got home) and Y.D. will continue to pout until next Sunday when she gets her chance to eat her way to an MP3 player.

I guess we've started a new birthday tradition. Eat a new veggie for your gift?"