And that's how, my friends, my wanna-be capsicum became a to-be capsicum plant!

It all started with a capsicum inside a capsicum. I had a pretty straightforward task: chop a handful of capsicum for Ratatouille. I immediately set to work. I sneaked a kid’s knife from an otherwise unnoticed pile of utensils and made an appointment for a chopping board from an otherwise enthusiastic group of chefs. I washed the capsicums and followed the instructions previously directed to me: stand it upright, slice down along each of the four sides—cutting around the core, discard the core, and… Before I could chop the capsicum pieces, I found it—a capsicum inside a capsicum! And that’s how, my friends, I dreamt of growing my very own capsicum plant.

I asked for the seeds and brought my professional gardening equipment to the office the next day. An old pot, some leftover soil from my successful previous attempt at repotting a plant, and a mix of red and green capsicum seeds lay beneath the soft morning sun and a couple of closely scrutinizing eyes. After sowing the seeds and watering the soil, the couple of closely scrutinizing eyes dispersed, leaving my wanna-be capsicum with the soft morning sun. And that, my friends, happened two weeks ago.

On 15 January 2025, around 9:15 am, I noticed some unrest in my wanna-be capsicum pot. The previously even top layer of soil had torn apart. And through those cracks, I managed to steal my very first glimpse of a new life sprouting beneath. I could hardly believe my eyes. But what happened next is even more unbelievable. In the next two days, my old pot and leftover soil bloomed with life—dozens of seedlings for both their company and mine. And that’s how, my friends, my wanna-be capsicum became a to-be capsicum plant!