The mayor lost a senseless bet against his Lenigem colleague Paaltjes about which village has more inhabitants for fears the agreed result, having to eat a bowl of Brussels sprouts, which all men abhor. Gert can think of one way to wriggle out: pretending he thinks he's an ape. The arrival of the ministerial delegate complicates matters, as he insists their must be an interim mayor, and Paaltjes invokes a clause that he must then eat the sprouts.