A CINNAMON STICK that once lived in a household felt very bad that the housewife had placed her inside a plate filled with Christmas decorations instead of the kitchen. "I am born to be a cook!", the cinnamon stick told them as they tried to console her, praising her for her pleasant smell.

Feeling fed up one day, she decided to hunt her  dreams. "With your talent in cooking, it's maybe best if you go to Athens", the Christmas decorations suggested, and there was not a single one to discourage her, as it is a well - known fact that dreams are to be chased after.

So, she packed her stuff and went to Athens, where she soon earned quite a fame for being a great chef. With the money she made, she opened her own tavern. Crowds soon visited her every day to try her dishes, and she was very happy to have earned great recognition for her talent.

As soon as the pepper, who also owned a restaurant in Athens for many years, heard about her success, however, he thought of challenging her to a competition. "Let's just cook our best dishes and let the people decide", the pepper told her, and she got so excited  that she immediately accepted the challenge.

So, they both set up cooking counters and asked the silverware to be the judging committee, even putting cameras so  as to have the competition broadcast live on TV. When the time came for them to cook, the two contestants gave their best shelves: the pepper cooked soup, whereas the cinnamon cooked beef stew.

"They are both very tasty, yet you might be more successful as a pastry chef", the judges told the cinnamon stick, declaring the pepper the winner of the competition. She burst into tears to hear it, as she had done her best to cook her most delicious recipe and the pepper would soon have all her customers walk away from her.

An old man that came from Istanbul then approached her, filled his nostrils with the scent, and told her: "A spice with such a beautiful smell such as you should definitely get into pastry". He, then, gave her two tickets so she could go to Istanbul and get to know all the secrets of the trade first hand. She gladly accepted them and embarked on the journey.

As soon as she reached Istanbul, she was greeted with great honors, as if she were a real star. She there got acquainted with all sorts of pastry recipes, as well as other rare spices from all over the world, with which they cooked together. Many days later, and after learning all she could, she used her second ticket to get back home.

As soon as she stepped her foot on Athens, she turned her tavern into a pastry shop. From the very first day, she decorated the shop's windows with all sorts of delicious sweets, so that her customers would see them and get tempted. Soon enough she earned her fame back, this time not for her cooking skills, but rather for her pastries. So great was her success, that her friends that had encouraged her back when she was still in the plate, came to her shop to taste her creations and congratulate her on chasing her dreams.

As for the pepper? After also trying his luck in baking pastries and having no success, he stuck to cooking dishes for lunch in which he, anyway, excelled. Now, they were both happy.