Scene 1: Office break room (Monday, lunchtime). Rita has a soda and chips. Sam heats a container of rice and vegetables.
RITA: Ugh, I’m exhausted again. I slept eight hours, but I feel like I ran a marathon.
SAM: Eight hours is good. What did you eat for breakfast?
RITA: Coffee. And… a muffin. It was “blueberry,” so basically fruit, right?
SAM: (smiles) A blueberry muffin is more like cake with a good advertisement.
RITA: Hey, don’t judge me. I’m busy. Food is food.
SAM: Food is information. It tells your body what to do.
RITA: My body’s message today is: “Please lie down.”
(Rita sits and opens the chips.)
SAM: Want some of my lunch? It’s not fancy—just rice, chicken, carrots, and spinach.
RITA: Spinach looks like wet leaves.
SAM: Wet leaves with iron.
RITA: I don’t need iron. I need energy.
SAM: That’s exactly why you need real food. Too many snacks give quick energy and then… crash.
RITA: (sighs) Okay, so what am I supposed to eat? I can’t become a salad person overnight.
SAM: You don’t have to. Start small. Add one healthy thing each day.
(Dr. Kim enters carrying flyers.)
DR. KIM: Hello! Sorry to interrupt. I’m Dr. Kim from the community health center. We’re doing a free workshop today: “Nutrition for Real Life.”
RITA: (laughs) “Real life” nutrition? Does it include donuts?
DR. KIM: It includes honest answers about donuts.
SAM: I’m going. Rita, come with me.
RITA: Fine. If I fall asleep during the workshop, carry me.
Community workshop (later that day). Dr. Kim stands by a poster: “Balance, Not Perfection.”
DR. KIM: People think nutrition is complicated. But it’s mostly habits. Let’s start with this: half your plate vegetables, a quarter protein, a quarter whole grains.
RITA: What if my plate is pizza?
DR. KIM: Then add a side salad or vegetables on top. Progress, not perfection.
SAM: That’s what I try to do—simple changes.
RITA: I always thought healthy eating meant expensive food and no fun.
DR. KIM: Healthy eating can be cheap and enjoyable. Beans, eggs, frozen vegetables—these are healthy and affordable.
RITA: Frozen vegetables count?
DR. KIM: Absolutely. They’re often picked at the best time and frozen quickly. Still full of nutrients.
RITA: So… chips don’t count as vegetables?
DR. KIM: (smiles) Only in a fantasy world.
(Everyone laughs.)
DR. KIM: One more key idea: watch sugary drinks. Soda is like drinking dessert.
RITA: That explains my daily sugar coma.
SAM: Want to do a challenge? One week. No soda. More water. Add one vegetable per day.
RITA: One week… I can try. If I survive, I’ll celebrate with… sparkling water.
DR. KIM: That’s a great start.
(Rita looks at her soda, then puts it away.)
RITA: Okay, body. New message: “Let’s feel better.”
SAM: Welcome to the lunch box truth.
DR. KIM: And remember—nutrition isn’t punishment. It’s support.
— THE END —