Emile laughed and moved on. One could never tell what went into Philippe's stews. Sometimes Emile was made to taste them. Then he had to tell Philippe that the stews were good. But Emile always had to drink some water afterwards to wash away the taste.
But then Philippe was such a little boy. Besides, the gardener felt sorry for him, because he was lonesome.
Philippe called the gardener Emile Epinard (ā-mēl´ ā-pē-när´), which means "Emile Spinach." And, indeed, Emile did look like a ragged leaf of spinach!
Philippe had a vegetable game. He always tried to think what vegetable each person looked like.
Then he would call that person by the name of that vegetable. It was fun.
For instance, he always called his father "Papa Pomme" (pōm), which means "Father Apple." This name rather shocked Mother Yvelle. But it pleased the jolly round chef. He would tell his friends about it and laugh until his fat sides shook.
PAPA POMME WAS A VERY FINE CHEF