“She said she doesn't like your cooking. She said she'd rather eat a microwave dinner from the convenience store instead of something you cooked. Do you get it? Hm? Why are you being such a crybaby? Save the salt from your tears for seasoning.”

“I bet you cook good, huh?" Darlene asked."Mother doesn't cook," Ignatius said dogmatically."She burns.”

“Huh - Why is Max in the kitchen?"Dr.Martinez: "We're cooking."Gazzy: "She's just keeping you company, right?"Dr.Martinez: "No, she's cooking."Nudge: "Cooking...food?"Max: "Yes, I'm cooking food, and it's great, and you're going to eat it, you twerps!”

“I'm getting the knack of this," she said. "I take the food out, and you fix it."He grinned. "That's your idea of learning to cook?”

“I'm sorry to burden you,' she said. She felt like a crybaby.'What can we do with our stories,' he said, 'but tell them?”

“In any case, fire burns; that's its nature, and you can't expect to change that. You can use it to cook your meat or to burn down your neighbor's house. And is the fire you use for cooking any different from the one you use for burning? And does that mean you should eat your supper raw?"Maddy shook her head, still puzzled. "So what you're saying is . . . I shouldn't play with fire," she said at last.Of course you should," said One-Eye gently. "But don't be surprised if the fire plays back.”