SHORT STORY | The Untold Story Of The Potato Peeler

Written by Adeline Shatsala

SHORT STORY | The Untold Story Of The Potato Peeler

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

To this day, the potato peeler is one of the best culinary inventions made.

Sadly, I have lost countless of potato peelers in my household. Usually after peeling potatoes and carrots, I don’t realize it’s gone until the next cooking session.

Today, I lost another one.

Initially, I didn’t think it was a big deal to get a replacement as my husband happily purchases them for me. I suppose its affordability must be the reason. But since this happens frequently, I now do not dare letting him know that it’s missing.

I quietly purchase it myself.

Mostly it’s to cover up my carelessness, nothing else. There, I’ve admitted it.

The process of losing the potato peeler happens after I’m done peeling the vegetables. I tend to wrap all the waste into an old newspaper. That’s where the peeler goes too, wrapped in a roll.

How can I miss it all the time?

Whenever I purchase a new potato peeler, I say a little prayer in my heart. “Please stay with me and don’t go missing.”

However, the cycle of losing it happens again. It’s as though I’m in a constant Twilight Zone mode.

Sometimes my husband cooks but I think he doesn’t realise that the potato peeler handle is of a different colour. When he is in the kitchen, I spend time battling in my head if he remembers the old potato peeler or not.

But I bet you he doesn’t.

I am quite careful of getting the same design so as not to arouse any suspicion. Seriously, will this potato peeler secret ruin my marriage?

Perhaps I just have to admit and confess my carelessness. Yet, apologizing is so difficult. Especially when I want to appear perfect to my spouse.

But the thing with perfection is — nobody is perfect at all. I guess, it is alright to make silly mistakes. The key is to find ways to fix it.

Yet, it can be hard. Especially when we live in a time of increasing perfectionism and excessively demanding relationships.

The potato peeler is a symbol of me lacking the understanding about love and life. Yet, perhaps the entire point of the experience of losing it countless time serves as a reminder that everything comes with effort.

Everything is mired in paradoxes. There’s always a problem to solve. Just like the potato peeler, there is always something new and exciting to discover too.

Note to self: Check the waste before chucking them into the garbage bag.

This is a must do for the sake of my marriage and to limit the cost of purchasing a new potato peeler. But most importantly, I have to do this for my carelessness!

Enjoyed this piece? Here’s more.