Izzie was smiling as everyone put on their aprons. "Something exciting happened yesterday!"
"What?" Nina asked.
"Mom said I was being super responsible taking care of Gurpy. So she let me get a hamster. I named her Nibbles."
"Wow, that's cool!" Jason said.
Chef pointed to the recipe. "Today we're making vegetable pancakes."
Bobby made a face. "Vegetables? In pancakes?"
"Oh, yachaejeon!" Nina said. "They're Korean pancakes."
"That's right," Chef said. "Let's prep the vegetables. We need two and a half cups."
"That's a lot of vegetables," Bobby said.
"Vegetables are good for you!" Izzie said. "Eating healthy food is responsible."
Nina read the ingredients. "Onion, carrot, zucchini." Then she paused. "Um, Chef? Can we use green onions? My aunt uses them when she makes yachaejeon."
"Sure," Chef said. "We can use any kind of vegetables."
The kids started cutting vegetables into strips. Izzie cut a carrot. Bobby sliced an onion. Jason worked on a zucchini.
Izzie pointed to the recipe. "You're supposed to cut it into thin strips, Jason."
Jason shrugged. "They all taste the same."
"Be responsible and follow the directions," Izzie said. "My carrot slices look perfect."
"Sorry!" Jason said in a teasing voice. "I'm not as perfect as you are."
Bobby giggled. Izzie frowned at him.
"You boys are immature," Izzie said. "Super immature!"
Nina finished slicing green onions. Once all the vegetables were ready, they put them in a bowl.
"Next we add flour, salt, and water," Jason said.
Nina stirred the mixture until the vegetables were all coated. "It's ready."
Chef added cooking oil to a frying pan. When it was hot, he added the vegetable mixture to the pan. "I'll make one big pancake for now. We can share it."
"Are vegetable pancakes good?" Bobby asked.
Nina nodded. "They're really yummy."
Bobby grinned. "I'll try it. Trying new things is super responsible—like Izzie!"
"Why don't you guys make the dipping sauce?" Chef said.
Izzie put soy sauce, vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Bobby shook in some sesame seeds.
"Bobby!" Izzie said. "You didn't measure them carefully!"
"It's fine," Bobby said.
Chef slid the pancake out of the pan. He put it on a plate and cut it up.
Izzie gulped. The pancake didn't look like the pancakes she ate at home. What if she didn't like it? Would her friends tease her?
"Hmm, crunchy and delicious!" Bobby said.
"I'm going to make these at home!" Jason said.
Izzie was quiet.
"Try it," Nina whispered. "It's okay if you don't like it."
Izzie took a small bite. Then a bigger one. "I love yachaejeon!" She smiled. "Almost as much as I love my pets!"
Later Chef gave Izzie some chopped zucchini. "It's a good snack for your hamster."
"Thanks!" Izzie said.
As she walked outside with her friends, she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry if I was bossy today."
"You were bossy!" Bobby said.
"But it's okay," Nina said.
Jason nodded. "And saying sorry is super responsible!"