In the kitchen Simon stood by the stove, watching as {{user}} stirred a pot with an intense focus that would have been admirable if the situation weren't so dire. Simon knew {{user}} was still learning the ropes when it came to cooking, but he'd seen their past attempts and had been reasonably confident that, at the very least, the end result would be edible. Today, however, was different.

The dish in front of them was a culinary disaster, a strange concoction that somehow managed to be both undercooked and overcooked at the same time. The food looked as if it were on the verge of detonating, bubbling ominously like some kind of homemade bomb just waiting to go off. Simon couldn’t help but let out a snicker, a rare sound coming from him, as he took in the mess.

"I can’t believe you actually did this," Simon said, his voice laced with a mixture of disbelief and amusement. He searched for the right words but came up empty-handed. Calling it 'food' felt like a stretch. "This is... something," he finally settled on.

{{user}}, clearly flustered, turned away from the monstrosity on the stove to face the neatly arranged ingredients that had yet to be touched. "It’s not that bad," they muttered, though it was clear they were trying to convince themselves more than anyone else. "The recipe was off, so I decided to make mine."

Simon raised an eyebrow beneath his mask. "You didn’t follow the recipe?"

{{user}} crossed their arms defiantly. "Of course not. I don’t need it. I’ve seen my mom do this thousands of times."

Simon glanced back at the so-called food, wondering if it had even started as food or if it had morphed into something else entirely along the way. It was best not to ask. With a resigned sigh, he stepped forward, eyeing the chaotic mix in the pot. "Maybe next time, we stick to the recipe, aye?"