“Louisa, look at this website. I was searching for buttermilk and global warming and this site came up again. First, there was static and then it cleared up.”
“What is buttermilk?” Louisa asked.
“It’s a liquid that’s left after butter is churned from milk, but that’s not the point. This website has a live web cam in a place with a river and bamboo all around.”
“Why isn’t buttermilk the point? Can’t we focus on the question instead of a distracting website?”
“Louisa, buttermilk is an acid. When you put it in the pancake batter with baking soda, it makes carbon dioxide bubbles. What more could you want to know about buttermilk? There are no words on this site, just the web cam. There are people moving around, and look at those kids jumping rope.”
“What a fun idea! I haven’t jumped rope since I was in middle school,” Louisa said.
“You were in middle school last month,” Jane said. “You make it sound like you’ve been in high school for years.”
“Hmm,” Louisa said, trying to look superior and seriously focused. “Am I working on the recipe with ½ teaspoon of baking soda or 1 teaspoon of baking soda?”
“The pancakes got flatter when you decreased the baking soda, so you’re adding more now. You’re using 1 teaspoon baking soda to 1 cup buttermilk.”
“What am I going to do if I run out of buttermilk?” Louisa asked.