Those Aren't Cookies

"Can I have a cookie, please?"

To The Boy (five years old) it seemed like a simple request. He saw a package of cookies. He asked for a cookie, politely. He even remembered to say "please." So, you can understand his frustration when he didn't get a cookie.

It started when we scheduled a picnic with some of my in-laws in-laws. (My sister-in-law's husband's family.) They have a girl who is allergic to milk. Since we have a girl who is allergic to nuts, The Wife is very sensitive to allergies. And she knows how to work around them.

Since most cookies have milk or butter in them, it would generally be difficult for a girl with a milk allergy to enjoy cookies very often. So, The Wife thought it would be good to use her cooking skills and her allergen-avoiding skills to make some cookies that this girl could actually eat.

In order to avoid using butter in the cookie recipe, The Wife bought a product called "Crisco Baking Sticks." The package says they are "butter flavored,"  and to "use instead of butter or margarine." The package also has a picture of some cookies on it.

All the goodness of Crisco in convenient stick form!

That was the problem.

The Boy saw the package of "Crisco Baking Sticks," and the conversation went something like this:

The Boy: "Can I have a cookie, please?"

The Wife: "We don't have any cookies."

The Boy: "Yes, we do."

The Wife: "No, we don't."

The Boy: "Yes, we do. I see them right here." (He points to the "Crisco Baking Sticks.")

The Wife (Seeing what he is pointing at): "Those aren't cookies."

The Boy (Upset, angry, and a bit indignant): "Then why do they have a picture of cookies on them?"

And that is how The Boy got his first lesson in deception in advertising. It's a lesson that will come in handy over the years, like when he realizes that his Big Mac doesn't look anywhere near as good as the one in the picture.

But don't worry about The Boy. He may not have gotten a cookie right then, but he eventually got to eat a cookie. Or two. Or three.