Of Denial & Reality

Got an EMail from a colleague yesterday, asking that I respond to a query from a survey taken by a family member. And that question was, how many servings of fruit do I eat daily?

We enlightened produce people are conditioned to respond, yes, YES, I eat fruit as naturally as I breathe. I walk jauntily down the avenue plopping berries into my mouth, whistling and avoiding cracks in the sidewalk. (In reality, I'd be running to the other side of the street to avoid that lunatic.)

Alas, I only wish that was the case. While I really do eat tons of vegetables, especially this time of year when the gardens are bountiful, my fruit intake is sporadic at best. A responsible person would be full of self-loathing at the thought that I'm not doing nearly enough to help my business thrive. Not me.

I've come to the realization that it's actually the produce business that's the cause of it all. Some may call it denial. I happen to, on the other hand, define it as the end run around blame.

Here's the way I see it. I eat vegetables because they're good for you, and in filling my stomach they keep me from eating a 32-ounce porterhouse or a vat of au gratin potatoes in one sitting. But taste? I suppose a killer salad, dressed in olive oil & balsamic vinegar with fresh herbs, is pretty enjoyable. Ranch dressing on broccoli is OK. Even soy sauce on grilled asparagus. Naked veggies, to my way of thinking, are eaten out of guilt after looking downward at your own waistline. A Catholic upbringing will do that to a person.

Fruit is a different story. Fruit is like a Siren song, luring you with its beautiful, tactile appearance. Come closer, it says. Touch me, buy me, eat me. Hah! Only then do you find that the gorgeous white flesh peach or perfect-looking, shining Thompson red seedless grapes are fool's gold after all. Although both these commodities have their time in the sun with outstanding taste, at times it falls way short, as can be said for almost every fruit available. They don't always taste as good as they look. Believe me, I know--I'm a tomato broker.

So, as a savvy produce person, I choose my fruit wisely, thus my overall consumption is down. But once I find ripe fruit in season that has taste, I can't get enough. A ripe Mexican mango. Michigan blueberries when they're really into production. An almost-too-ripe baby banana. Good stuff.

The point is that it's funny how I'll eat a carrot because it's healthy to do so, with taste as an afterthought. But give me a tasteless piece of fruit, I'll spit it out, silently note your abject ignorance, and won't talk to you for the rest of the day.

It's the difference between cats & dogs, men & women, Republicans & Democrats...

Later,

Jay