Chapter 1

Chowder came running as fast as he could to Mung Daal's Catering.

Chowder: Mung Daal! Guess what! Guess what! Guess what! Guess what! Guess what! Guess what! Guess what! Guess what! Guess what! Guess-

Shnitzel: Radda!

Chowder: Oh. Sorry, Shnitzel. ….. GUESS WHAT! GUESS WHAT! GUESS WHAT! GUESS WHAT! GUESS WHAT!

Mung: Out with it, Chowder.

Chowder: They're holding an apprentice pie-eating contest and I'm going to enter and win and be full of pie!

Chowder handed Mung a slip of paper and continued to bounce up and down. Mung gasped.

Mung: Oh my. The winner gets to take home a solid gold pie trophy, a truck load of cooking ingredients, and a life time supply of pie?! And it's this Saturday! That's tomorrow! Well, Chowder, I see that you should start practicing.

Chowder ran to the fridge and grabbed a piece of pie. Right when he was about to swallow it whole, Mung stopped him.

Mung: WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! Maybe it's better if you don't practice. You want to keep your stomach nice and empty so you have room for those pies. So no eating! I want that truck load of ingredients.

Mung walked away for awhile. Chowder looked down at the pie and frowned. He looked to the side to see if Mung was coming back, then looked at the pie again. He continued this pattern for awhile and then slowly lowered his fork into the pie. He got a piece on his fork. He stared at it and then looked again to see if anyone was coming and he slowly put the piece in his mouth, then…

Mung: CHOWDER! What did I just say about keeping an empty stomach?

Chowder: To keep an empty stomach.

Mung: Exactly, so no eating until the contest.

Mung left again and Chowder dove right into the pie. When Mung came back the pie was gone.

Mung: Chowder!

Chowder burped.

Mung: Okay. I'll make an exception for that one, but no more. Now to make sure you're empty again, I suggest going out there and running to burn off those calories!

Chowder: You don't mean exercising! Do you, Mung?

Mung: No. Think of it as… training to win the competition.

Chowder: Training is still exercising though.

Mung: Remember you're winning those ingredients for your old man.

Chowder still didn't move.

Mung: And if you win you'll win that life-time supply of pie.

Chowder dashed out the door.