he Dumpling Dilemma

aron Von Lodge was the head of a small country known as Lilliland near Switzerland. The time was the early 1900s.

The fall harvest in Lilliland was always a very enjoyable time of year because of the Alpine Food Festival. Some of the most delicious dishes were sampled and judged. It was a very popular time with the citizens who looked forward to having a good time.

For the last few years the same type of dish seemed to capture all the honors. Those dishes had dumplings as part of the recipe. After three years in a row, people were beginning to think that it was some sort of dumpling conspiracy. The pasta lovers felt that way, and this year they were going to do something about it.

News of the dumpling conspiracy had even come to the Baron’s attention. He sought the advice of Professor Hamblin, his chief advisor, and his fiancée, Lady Angela of Alpine Castle.

The Professor said it really came down to the dumpling lovers verses the pasta lovers. Lady Angela reminded the Baron that he always wanted lasagna served for his birthday. Therefore, it was not too difficult to figure whose side the Baron was on.

The Baron mentioned that he wanted to preserve the enjoyment of the Alpine Food Festival and, therefore, any situations that would not contribute to the entertainment of all concerned parties should be avoided.

This year they wanted to do something different to avoid a confrontation between the pasta side and the dumpling side. It was up to the Baron, Lady Angela and the Professor to come up with a solution before the event.

Lady Angela consulted with her chef at Alpine Castle, who happened to be one of the judges at the contest, for a solution. The chef suggested that the pastas and dumplings be entered and judged separately. Then there would be one pasta winner and one dumpling winner.

The idea was so right and so simple that the Baron, the Professor and Lady Angela said one of them should have thought of the solution. The Professor added that sometimes you could be so close to a problem, that the most obvious answer is overlooked.

The Alpine Food Festival was a bigger success than ever and everyone was pleased and happy in Lilliland. The pasta lovers and the dumpling lovers each had their own prize-winning dish.