SMEEDLEY'S GROCERY STORE

As you can see, all the clerks, the butcher, and box boys have gone home. It is night and all is quiet. But, wait! I think I can hear something. I sounds like all the foods are having an argument.

MILK: I'm the best!
DRIED BEANS: I'm the best!
APPLE: No! I'm the best!
CARROT: What about me? I'm the best!
CASH REGISTER: What is all the fighting about? Nobody can get any sleep around here.
MILK: We are sorry that we are keeping you awake, but we have a problem. WE can't agree on which of us is the very best food. Surely one of us must be the best, we don't know which one.
CASH REGISTER: Well, a fight like this is never going to solve your problem. Why don't we let each food come forward and tell all of us why it thinks it is the best food. Then we will all vote.
DRIED BEANS: Good idea! We'll do it!
CANDY BAR: (the first food to come forward) I know that I am the very best because all the children love me so much. I taste so good.
CASH REGISTER: Well, all foods taste good to me. What makes you the best? Do you have things that help children grow?
CANDY BAR: Not very much.
CASH REGISTER: Do you have anything that helps build strong bones and teeth.
CANDY BAR: Well, only a teeny bit.
CASH REGISTER: Mr. Candy Bar, what about you is good for healthy bodies, or do you just taste good?
CANDY BAR: Well, sometimes I do give a person some energy.
CASH REGISTER: That is not good enough. I'm afraid you will have to sit down.
APPLE: Mr. Cash Register, I taste sweet like a candy bar and I have things to help children grow. My friends and I belong to a group of food called fruit. We taste good, but we don't decay teeth as fast as a candy bar does and we give energy, too. We also contain vitamins that keep people healthy.
CASH REGISTER: Thank you, Apple. You have something worthwhile to give the children.
CARROT: My friends and I belong to be the food group called vegetables. We don't taste as sweet as fruits, but have a good taste all our own. We have important vitamins in us that you can't get if you eat only fruits.
CASH REGISTER: What are some other kinds of vegetables?
CARROT: Oh! There are many kinds. We are all good friends. Some, like beets, radishes and potatoes, grow in the ground like me. Some grow on top of the ground like lettuce, cabbage, broccoli. Some are seeds, like corn, green beans, and peas. We do many important things for bodies. We make eyes bright and shiny, skin healthy, and we help bodies grow healthy and strong.
CASH REGISTER: It sounds to me as if fruits and vegetables have many of the same good things in them to make people healthy.
CHICKEN LEG: I belong to the most important group. We are foods that the butcher prepares and we are called meats. We come from many different animals, but mostly from cows, pigs, chicken and fish. We contain something called protein. Protein helps muscles grow strong. We also have iron that helps blood to be healthy. We even have some vitamins. Surely you can see that we are the most important food!
DRIED BEANS: Hold it a minute! We have protein in us, too.
CHICKEN: That's right! You are in my group, too. Many beans have protein in them.
EGGS: What about me!!!I have protein and I'm very important.
CHICKEN: That is right. You belong in our group. We all belong to the same group.
MILK: Wait a minute. Just listen to this! I have vitamins that are good for bodies, like fruits and vegetables. I am also like meat because I contain a little protein. BUT...I have one more thing. I have calcium in me. It helps build strong bones. People make many different things from me like cheese, yogurt, butter, cottage cheese, and ice cream. I surely must be the best.
CASH REGISTER: We have heard from Apple and Carrot who have many good vitamins. Meat and milk have protein and vitamins. Milk also helps to build strong bones. Are there any other foods that we haven't heard from?
BREAD: Don't forget us! I am Bread and my friends are cereals, rice, grains, and noodles. We give energy and have important vitamins in us. We contain carbohydrates which give energy.
CASH REGISTER: We have heard from Fruits, Vegetables, Meats, Milk, and Bread. It seems to me that each one of you is important. We need some of each of you every day. You are all the best. All the food groups must work together to keep bodies healthy.
APPLE: That's right!!! That's right!!! From now on we won't fight anymore, we will just work together to keep bodies healthy and strong!
ALL: YES, THAT'S RIGHT!