Varsity Tutors Essay by Andy

Varsity Tutors Essay by Andy - October 2020 Scholarship Essay

There was a short book from my childhood called Socks for Supper that I absolutely loved. It was a short, children's book so nothing super profound. But the story is about an old, poor couple who have a turnip garden in their yard. They would only eat turnips for every meal, but they would cook it in various ways for some variety.
Eventually, the husband gets tired of eating turnips and wants something new to eat. There's a farmer that lives fairly close to them and they start thinking about having milk and cheese. They look through their house for something to trade but all they can find are a pair of socks. So the old man takes the pair of socks to the farmer and he asks if they can trade milk and cheese for the socks. The farmer graciously agrees and the old man gleefully brings it back to his wife. They enjoy the milk and cheese to it's absolute fullest.
A few days later, they want more milk and cheese, but they don't have any more socks. However, the wife finds yarn and her knitting needles, so she knits a pair of socks. The man takes the socks to the farmer and they trade once again.
This goes on for several more weeks and winter starts setting in.
Eventually the elderly woman runs out of yarn so they start using thread from the man's sweater. Each time he makes a trip to the farmer to trade, his sweater gets shorter and shorter.
Eventually the man's sweater is completely depleted and the woman is only able to make a single sock. In dismay, the man says he'll see if the farmer will give them half a jug of milk and half a wheel of cheese for the single sock.
He makes the journey through the snow to the farmer's house with no shirt or sweater. The man reaches the farm and sadly lets the farmer know that he only has one sock. The farmer still gives the man a full jug of milk and a full wheel of cheese and the elderly man is elated. He runs back to his wife and they feast once more on milk and cheese.
Christmas comes around and the old couple are once again eating turnips. The farmer and his wife show up to the old couple's house with milk and cheese and a wrapped gift for the old man. He opens the gift and it's a new sweater that the farmer's wife made using the thread from all the socks they traded.
I've kept that book with me since I was a child. It's easily my favorite childhood story.