Fruit loupe

[bluesilverkdg]

It may amaze and astonish some of you who know me well, to know that I have been eating fruit lately. I have never cared for fruit. I tried to eat it, but I think it was partly a texture thing and...I don't know what other problems I had with it, but I just never, ever ate it. I mean, if someone HAD a grape and offered me one (because that happens all the time), I wouldn't refuse it. But I can't say that I ever liked fruit, and I certainly never kept any in my home. Even when I was a kid, I thought bananas were gross. I found them slimy and nasty. My mom would be all devious and try to slip strawberries into my cereal, but I was having none of that. I've always liked fruit-FLAVORED things. Candy, jello, gum, Kool-Aid...that was acceptable. I enjoy smelling like fruit. And I like fruit juice. I could drink orange juice 'til the cows come home, whenever that is. But I just couldn't bring myself to eat the real thing.

However, I recently decided that I just needed a little more fruit in my world. So, I started off with some basics: apples, bananas and grapes. I've actually still not branched out much beyond this. I dare not try anything too exotic like papaya or starfruit. Oh, I did eat a peach the other day, and I found it stringy and not sweet enough. Oranges are still a no-go. That white crap around them is just disgusting! I cannot find berries of any type that are sweet enough for my liking. (I firmly believe blueberries to be of the devil.) I would like to enjoy cherries (that are not surrounded by creamy syrup and covered in chocolate), but I just can't do it. Grapefruit scares me. Oh, and kiwi = Yuck. My mom told me I might like papaya, however I'm dubious of this notion. I can tolerate watermelon, but I honestly don't see what all the fuss is about. Canteloupe and honeydew and all those other melons can just bite me, though. Blech.
But I have deemed apples, bananas and grapes an acceptable between-meals snack, and I've gotta admit, much to my surprise, I'm actually kind of enjoying them! Maybe I'm just finally growing up.

It's funny, I will eat just about any vegetable under the sun. Seriously. Brussels sprouts? Yum. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, endive, peppers, squash, zucchini? Bring 'em on! I could live on spinach and other greens. And of course potatoes, beans of all sorts, and tomatoes are just about the best things ever (please don't try to tell me how tomatoes are a fruit...lalalalalalala...I can't hear you.) I don't care for turnips or beets. I think those are the only veggies I just don't like at all. And I'm only OK with onions if they're cooked. But otherwise, veggies have always been my friend. Not so with fruit, but I am glad to report that I have now made peace with (some of) them.

Is an avocado a fruit or a vegetable? And do people just eat them by themselves? I mean, I like guacamole a lot. If it IS a fruit, but you eat it with tortilla chips, well, then color me intrigued.

Maybe one of these days I'll live real dangerously and pick up some dragonfruit or guava or something. What does guava taste like, anyway?

Comments

[thelionsof.livejournal.com]

Avocados are considered a fruit. And a lovely fruit indeed. It's my favorite, by far.

I eat them in any form, but mostly I like the freshly sliced with a tad of salt.

I need to go buy some right now. YUM.

My mom doesn't eat oranges, either. I don't understand that. They are soooo refreshing and delicious. And tangerines!

And plums! And bananas once the skin gets brown spots, because it's not as slimy when it's overripe. Fresh cherries are to DIE for, but there is a lot of spitting the seed out and your fingers turn red. ;) Pomegranates are interesting, although I'm not sure you'd like them. I don't like melons of any sort that much; in fruit salad I honestly only eat orange bits and grapes. My dogs eat the melons, so it doesn't go to waste haha

I'm sure there are wonderful fruits I'm forgetting, but occasionally I'll grab an expensive, exotic fruit to bring home and taste. It's nice to explore and be open-minded about foods; your taste buds will end up thanking you for the experience!

[ugotogal.livejournal.com]

We eat the avocado sliced with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime juice. Delicious!

Oh - I thought of you the other day. No, I didn't break my leg...

I was watching Jesus Christ Superstar. And during the resurrection/ascention scene, Judas and the chorus are singing:

"Jesus Christ
Superstar
Do you think you're what they say you are?"

Up until recently, I thought they were saying "Who in the hell do you think you are?"

lol

It's a funky song, if you want to listen.

Whoops.

[baseballchica03.livejournal.com]

If you get raspberries during the right season, when they're plump and juicy looking and squishable but not too squishy (if that makes any sense), then they are soooooo sweet and delicious. If you want to try to find a berry that's sweet enough for you, that is. And if you like sweet, have you tried pineapple? Plums, too, might be sweet enough - the dark purple ones, and you need to pick very ripe ones that give slightly when you push on the skin.

You and I are backwards. I loooooove fruit, but I am very fussy about my veggies. I like broccoli and artichoke and peas. Carrots are ok, but only when they're cooked. I like snap peas, and I can do green beans. I love corn, but it and my digestive tract do not get along very well. And potatoes, of course, but those are more starches than real vegetables. I can tolerate the occasional thin slice of avocado on a sandwich if it's the kind of sandwich where it might be appropriate, but otherwise they're too weird of a color for me to like Onions are of the devil; they are possibly my least favorite food on the planet, and I will not eat them. And I don't like peppers, either, which makes for difficulty because there are always onions and/or peppers in everything.

I think it's probably easier to dislike fruit than veggies because veggies come up in grown up situations more often. Someone might offer you a grape and you can decline, but if you're at someone's house and they put a plate of steaming peppers and onions in front of you... bleck.

[baseballchica03.livejournal.com]

Ohmygosh, oranges. Last month, I got a crate of clementines, and I literally went through four a day until they were gone. I had to go out and get another crate. Sadly, the grocer switched clementine companies, and the most recent one is not nearly as good as the last two crates.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to be open-minded! I am at least revisiting things that I didn't like the first time to make sure that I don't really like them. But I won't give up.

I'd love to be able to eat cherries, but I've tried on numerous occasions, and all the ones I get are so tart, they make my mouth turn inside-out. Are there any that are actually SWEET? I think that's my biggest issue with a lot of fruits. They're just not sweet enough. I mean, I love sour stuff. Pickles, vinegar, dressings, etc. But those things are SUPPOSED to be sour. Plus, it's a salty-sour, if that makes sense? Fruit should be sweet! I think that's why the apples (like Red Delicious), grapes and bananas are doing it for me.

You know what I want to try? Pawpaws! I remember eating one when I was a kid, and it was pretty good. My piano teacher had a pawpaw tree in his yard. I was listening to "I Wanna Be Like You" or whatever it's called, from the Jungle Book recently, and Balloo talks about picking a pawpaw. Not long after that, there was a spot on NPR about them, and how "sweet and creamy" they are, with a "custard-like texture." I'd be all about that!

Can you think of any other really sweet fruits that I might try? I just cannot tolerate the sour stuff!

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

OK..what's the deal with clementines? Do they have that same white crap around them that oranges have? I've heard they're sweeter, so maybe I could do them, as long as I could get all the white crap off.

I've tried to eat oranges and...what are those things...tangerines? I think my issue with them is largely a texture thing, though. I do like squeezing them for juice, but I know you get a lot more fiber from eating the actual fruit.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

My parents had that soundtrack when I was a kid, and I LOVED it, but there's no telling how I mangled the lyrics even then. In fact, I'm pretty sure I was mistaken on the same line as you, although I think yours is probably funnier than what I was saying.

I can't count the people who misunderstand songs, and then tell me "I thought of you!" I think it's very sweet. :-)

[theldara.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth, fruit is just candy a la nature anyway, so it's no worry if you're not into it. You have no idea how hard that concept is to beat into people's heads when it comes to reptile nutrition... they're all like "but I give them fruit ALL THE TIME!" and we're all "THAT IS BAD. BAD.". Oy.

I like some fruit, but not a lot. A helpful tip on apples though - Fruit Fresh. I can't actually eat an apple, just like wash it and eat it. It has to be cut up or my jaw just goes "boing" right out, with much pain. With Fruit Fresh (found in your canning isle), you can cut it the night before, sprinkle, ziplock, and you're good to go. No brown smushy nasty mess at lunch the next day. Awesomeness.

Also, I'm very picky with kinds of apples. Dave loves Granny Smith, but I don't. I hate red and golden delicious. I like gala, fuji, and similar types. So picky, I am.

And sweet blueberries *rock*... they're just, well, rare.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

My grandmother always grew raspberries and blackberries, so I'd pick them with her. Sometimes we'd get them ripe, and sometimes they were so squishy they'd stain our fingers. I think my issue with a lot of berries is the seeds (which is precisely why I choose jelly over jam. No seeds.)

I think I'm OK with plums. I remember eating some when I was younger, and they were all right. I may have to get some. I'm not big on fresh pineapple, but if it's loaded down in heavy syrup, I'm all about it. Same goes for pears.

Oh, man...I forgot about artichokes. Loooooove artichokes. I don't like raw onions in the least (primarily because I'm not crazy about how they taste, but I "relive" them for hours afterward.)

It probably is easier to get around not liking fruit. I mean, most of the time when you eat, well, anywhere...you're gonna have some veggies on the menu. Some people do offer fruit for dessert, but it's often IN something, such as a pie. I'd never thought of it that way. So I guess if there's a major food group I need to (mostly) dislike, fruit is an easier one. :-)

[theldara.livejournal.com]

And if you like sweet, have you tried pineapple?

Oh yes, fresh pineapple is so good! I am kinda so-so on canned pineapple, but fresh ripe just cut? It's amazing. Kills my stomach (hello acids!) but so very good.

I'm the same way with peaches ;) Take-or-leave the canned, but the perfect fresh ripe one is heavenly.

Onions are of the devil

AGREED. EW. Peppers are right there too. EW.

[aamusedinatx.livejournal.com]

I have just one word for you:

MANGO

Sweet, tasty, good texture, not slimy.

Foodgasm!

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Yep, I have to slice apples. I cannot bite them right off the core. I have a nifty apple slicer that nips the core out of it and cuts wedges for me. Loooove it.
I have to have very sweet apples...Red Delicious is my favorite, although I have found that Gala are almost as sweet. I've not branched out much beyond that. Granny Smith are the really tart ones commonly used in pies, right? I've never known anyone who just ATE them!

I think one reason I'm trying to get into fruit more, is because I DO like sweets so much. I am one of those people who simply must have dessert after a meal, but instead of reaching for something like chocolate or whatever, I'm trying to do healthier stuff like fruit and yogurt, y'know? I figure if I'm gonna get sugars, they might as well be natural ones.

People feed their reptiles fruit all the time? I'd think one consistent diet of ANY food would be bad, wouldn't it? I mean, they need to get other stuff, right?

I don't think I've ever had a sweet blueberry (and I've looked), so they MUST be rare. :-P

[baseballchica03.livejournal.com]

Clementines are small like tangerines, but they're sweeter than regular oranges. (I'm not a tangerine fan; there's a bit too much tang for me.) But clementines are seriously like candy sweet if you get good ones. And they're healthy for you! I'm pretty sure I got so sick a couple of weeks ago because I'd been eating like 4 clementines a day and seriously upping my vitamin C intake, then I went away for the weekend and didn't have any extra C at all. My body didn't know what to do with itself.

Anyway, they still do have that "white stuff," which is what holds the skin to the orange. I always peel all of the little bits off meticulously.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

OK...I'm taking notes here. I'm going grocery shopping this weekend. I will buy one, so I can try it. Then if I do like it, I can get more..if not, I'm only out one.

Uhhh...how do you..*do* them? Do they have to be peeled, sliced, cored..? Help!

[baseballchica03.livejournal.com]

YES! And menus at restaurants almost never bother to warn for onions. They're in practically EVERYTHING and it is so yucky and awful.

I am allergic to peaches, so I cannot share the love. But if peach cobbler with fresh peaches didn't make me itch so much, I'd be aaaaaaaaaall about it.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I've seen them in the store, but from what I've noticed, you always have to get like a box or bag of then...you can't just get one to try, which is what I'd like to do.

If I could get rid of the white stuff, I might be OK. Hey...I'm going home this weekend. My mother loves fruits of all types. I may see if she'll get a box or bag of clementines and just let me try one. :-) So devious!

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

nonspecific is allergic to onions, and any sort of onion product. So whenever I cook for her, I have to make sure that there's not even any onion powder in sauces or spices that I'm using. Even if she wasn't allergic, I'm pretty sure she'd just hate them. But yes, they're in a whole lot of stuff.

I wonder what it is about the peaches that you're allergic to? I'm actually curious to go to South Carolina to get some peaches this summer when my family goes down there (SC peaches are, I think second only to Georgia peaches for their quality.) The only peaches I've tried are ones that are shipped in, not in season. Apparently the peaches that they go down there to pick are the best thing since sliced bread, so I'm gonna give 'em another shot. I will think of you, and eat one in your honor, if I do go. ;-)

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Onions are of the devil

No wonder you and Kara are friends. ;-)

I can do canned peaches, pears and pineapple (most likely because of the syrup), but fresh just doesn't do it for me.

[baseballchica03.livejournal.com]

I wonder what it is about the peaches that you're allergic to?

I don't know, but it's not just the fuzz like everyone always suggests because I get itchy eating/drinking anything peach that even has "natural and artificial flavoring". My grandma is allergic to them, too. I hope that my allergy doesn't get worse over time like hers has. Right now, I can't eat peaches and I steer clear from apricots because they're so similar, but she has also developed an allergy to plums, which are in the same family. I love plums like crazy, so I hope I don't get that, too. (She also said that she used to eat peaches anyway even though they made her itch, which is prob what made the allergy worse. So hopefully avoiding them will keep it at bay for me.)

[ex-calicoey.livejournal.com]

I am much the same way, only I didn't realize it until I moved out of my parent's house and started grocery shopping and cooking for myself (more than 15 years ago). I noticed that I would buy veggies, but I never bought myself fruit unless it was fruit juice. I'll eat fruit if somebody serves it to me, but I don't choose it on my own. I think my favorite way to have fruit is baked in a pie, but if I ate pie all the time, I'd get fat, soooooo, well, you get my point....lol.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

OK...mandarin oranges. Are they that sweet because they're in syrup, or are they REALLY that sweet? Because I like mandarin oranges (I've only had them in "Asian" salads, but I've gotta admit, they're pretty good.

You are now my Citrus Authority.

You know what's funny? I love lemons. I was complaining that most fruit is too tart, but I really, really love lemons. I think because they remind me of vinegar.

[theldara.livejournal.com]

I've got one of those cutters, but I've no idea where it is! I haven't been able to find it, I need to go to the dollar store and get another.

It's not the sweet that gets me with red/golden delicious, it's the texture. I like a firm apple, and both those as smushy to me. Gala are more firm.

Granny Smith are the VERY tart green ones! David loves them - oddly enough, it's mostly men that I've known that do love them!

I have to have a sweet after a meal too :)

Yea, people think they're doing great feeing iguanas/dragons/uros a lot of fruit, and it's really bad. Empty sugar calories. Igs/dragons/uros need loads of healthy calcium rich greens (mustard, turnip, collard, and dandelion!), plus calcium rich veggies. Fruit shouldn't be more than 5% of the diet. You've got to balance goitergiens and oxlates, too (i.e., spinach and broccoli aren't good ig/dragon/uro foods). Lettuces are rare occasion items too (and iceberg NEVER!), but people are always confusing "lettuce" with "greens". Romaine is not really green folks! Nor is buttercrunch, or green leaf... oy. See, this is why I don't do reptile education much anymore, LOL. It's so hard to convince people that there is a difference in green things, just because it's green doesn't mean it's healthy for your critter.

[angelsmom.livejournal.com]

Hm. What about pears? To me, pears have the consistancy of a very soft apple. I only bring them up because we just got some pears here, and I'm really really enjoying them.

I think it's really fun to start liking something as an adult. I had that sort of food epiphany while on vacation in San Fran w/asparagus. Didn't realize how good it was until then. Course, haven't convinced Ken yet. :-)

[theldara.livejournal.com]

The only peaches I've tried are ones that are shipped in, not in season.

If you put 'em in a brown paper bag and fold the top over for a day or two, the off-season peaches are greatly improved. Nothing like in-season though, that's for sure!

[theldara.livejournal.com]

I do believe a mutual hatred of onion came up early in our getting-to-know-you stages. ;)