A Robot in the Kitchen

Rosa is seventy years old. She lives alone in a small apartment, but she isn't lonely. She has a robot. His name is Bip.

Bip is short and silver, with two big blue eyes. He cleans the house, and he cooks.

But there is a problem. Bip can only make one thing: pancakes.

Bip makes pancakes for breakfast. He makes pancakes for lunch. And he makes pancakes for dinner, too.

"Bip, not pancakes again!" Rosa says on Monday.

"Why not? My pancakes are very good," Bip says.

"Yes, they are. But I want something different."

"What do you want, then?" Bip asks.

Rosa thinks for a moment. "My mother's soup," she says. "Tomato soup with bread."

"How do you make it?"

Rosa smiles. She gets out some tomatoes and shows Bip every step. Bip watches and learns.

Soon the kitchen smells wonderful. Rosa sits down at the table with a bowl of soup. Bip doesn't eat, but he sits with her.

"Do you like it?" Bip asks.

"I love it," Rosa says. "Thank you, Bip."

After that, Rosa teaches Bip something new every week. On Mondays, he makes soup. On Wednesdays, he makes fish. On Fridays, he makes chicken and rice.

But on Sunday mornings, Rosa always asks for the same thing: pancakes.