To All,
I decided to try an all-fruit lunch and see how it turned out.
First, I cut up a whole pineapple and ate about a quarter of it. (I have long been eating pineapples and do not consider them exotic, so they will not be treated in this series.) The only problem with pineapples is disposing of the top, which is large and spiky. It takes up almost an entire trash bag, and if you need to reach into the bag to retrieve something, you are likely to get stabbed.
Second, I ate another ataulfo mango. This was my third encounter with this fruit; you have already read about the first two unsatisfactory encounters. This mango was given to me by Mei-Ling, and this batch of mangoes had already been certified as primo by that gastronome extraordinaire, Mei-Mei. It appeared to be perfectly ripe. I cut a slice, scored it, turned it inside out, admired the presentation, and ate it. Sadly, I was indifferent to it.
Third, I had that workhorse of fruit, the banana. Again, this fruit is not exotic and I don't plan to report on it. (I will note that back in the eighties, wondering about the truth of the cliche that banana peels are slippery, I designed an experiment. I went out into the parking lot of the Civil Air Terminal at Hanscom Field, put a splayed banana peel on the pavement with the inside part facing down, and gingerly stepped on it. I found it to be slippery in the extreme. Cliche confirmed.)
Fourth, I was going to have an orange but decided not to since I was full. I prize the large navel oranges, and they are my staff of life for four months a year, but we are at the end of the season, so I decided to conserve my dwindling stock and not pile yet more fruit into this meal.
The verdict: Though full, I found an all-fruit meal to be unsatisfying. I guess I would not have been a success as an early primate. Henceforth, I will use fruit as a side dish, dessert, or midnight snack.
