Sidewalk Scenes November 2025

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*** Festive Menu Recipes Starting 5 December *** Celebrating Our Cultural Heritage and Common Values: Planetary Health Diet Features *** The Great Showdown is on: Salty & Cara: The Apple Paradigm (5) ***

Here’s the Outlook

  1. As the holidays approach, I’m starting to publish the recipes for this year’s Festive Menu. Next week, I’ll start with the recipe for the starter and main course of the three-course menu. The dessert will follow the week after. This will give you plenty of time to try out the recipes and buy the ingredients before serving the dishes to your friends and family. Just like we do every year.
  2. I would like to draw your attention once again to the excellent work of the EAT Commission and its impressive concept of a food system that provides sustainable nourishment for both us and our planet. Right now, its perspective on “Our Cultures, Our Meals: Cooking for Planetary Health” is particularly inspiring and connects people from neighboring cultures. You can find the information on the EAT Forum website. Direct links can also be found on the [InfoByteSized] page (under “T” as in “Think Oval”and “Planetary Health Diet”). EAT up, folks!
  3. Below, you will find the fifth episode and the beginning of the great showdown from “The Apple Paradigm”, part of the Salty & Cara adventures. A juicy fable set in a world inhabited by fruit and vegetables. Love and crime, served up raw but hot. Not sure what’s cooking? Check the overview and table of contents.

By Mag M. Schaper

Salty & Cara – The Apple Paradigm 5

Fifth story, fifth episode: Salty is trying to solve the mystery behind the threat to the Mayor of New Valley. But a certain juicy bell shape keeps blocking his view.

A Scent of Danger

Salty was busy with his investigation. At first, he thought things would develop quickly, but then he realized that all the important clues that seemed promising vanished into thin air as soon as he got up close enough to take a hold of them. That was unsettling, moreover, he had the feeling that the situation was becoming increasingly dangerous. He couldn’t explain this hunch, but his detective instincts were on high alert.

Another strange development was the seemingly constant presence of his new client. “The Dame” was always there whenever he went places. In the beginning, he thought it might be pure coincidence, but after their paths crossed for the fifth time, he got annoyed and addressed her.

“I don’t know what you mean,” she said, flashing her sticky honey smile again. “I just like to get out and about, and you obviously do too. You weren’t implying that I might be following you, were you? Perhaps even on purpose. Why would I do that?” A gentle breeze and the song of melodious birds filled the space between them.

She certainly had his attention, though not for romantic reasons, but because he was getting concerned for his sanity. Courgette saw that her young boss was in distress and watched as the fateful fruit circled him. However, she could do nothing more than warn him.

After his confrontation, he had some peace and quiet for a while. Nevertheless, he had the distinct feeling that he was being followed. Then it got even worse. Now she was there all the time. Soon after he left his house, she was there, enjoying an expensive nutrient in a cozy little bar in the old town. During the day, she seemed to be waiting for him everywhere he went. She would smile at him as if she had just had a pleasant revelation. He began to feel like a joke, because it was obvious that her clinging to him was ruining all his efforts to make progress on his main case. Not that he could actually make that clear to her. So when she showed up around him and pretended to inquire about the progress of their case, which she was doing more and more often now, he just smiled and said, “I’m on it, but my attention is also needed elsewhere.”

Finally, one afternoon, an informant brought him a package. It contained a lot of interesting information about the people behind “The Council.” To his surprise, he saw a certain obnoxious pear in one of the pictures contained in the parcel.

He was deep in thought as he left his office that evening. When he arrived at his apartment, he was still thinking about the new insights. Then she suddenly appeared. She approached him and came uncomfortably close. Looked him straight in the eye and smiled. He’d had enough and was about to tell her that he would drop her case if she continued to interfere with his work when she spoke.

“You’re going to take me upstairs,” she demanded harshly. No more dripping syrup, but frozen expanses of ice.

He wanted to protest and push her away, but then he felt a blade pointed at his core. He turned slightly to the side to look and saw the surreal glint of deadly sharpness along a very long and thin sword.

“What do you want?”

She didn’t answer, but instead motioned him toward the entrance of the building.

He repeated his question.

She replied unexpectedly loudly and clearly, “We’re going to have fun together, the two of us. You’ll enjoy it, I’m sure. At least at first.”

Salty looked around, hoping that they had somehow been overheard, but there was absolute silence.

The smile was no longer beautiful, it was horrid and mean: “And I made sure that your friend, the old banana, won’t disturb us.”

“You’re going to take me upstairs,” she demanded harshly. No more dripping syrup, but frozen expanses of ice.

Side Notes:

Needless to say, the stories about Salty and Cara are pure figments of my imagination. No resemblance to any person or place – present or past – is intended. But I am sure you have already figured that out 😉

The “Salty & Cara” Adventures were invented and written by Mag M. Schaper (copyright 2022 – 2025). All images and content are copyrighted. All rights reserved. For more information, see the Legal Notice.