Who thought that was a good idea?
Earlier this week, I found myself frequenting a local Asian market. While leisurely strolling through the produce section, I came across this little gem; the lychee. Pronounced Lie-chee, it’s also known as the Rambutan and hails from Malaysia. I’ve seen them before but, this time, they stood out.
Who was the first person to look at this weird little thing and think, “Hey, I should eat that”? Seriously, it looks like someone tried to crossbreed a hedgehog with an acorn and got something much worse. Of course, the real fun starts when you open one of these. Once you get past the questionably hairy exterior, you’re greeted by the white, slimy, semi-gelatinous goo (the fruit) which is secretly hiding a potential dental crisis with its almond sized pit. The more I thought of this, the more I started to question other foods.
There’s the artichoke. Covered in layers upon layers of thorny leaves that have a small amount of fleshy goodness you have to scrape off with your teeth (easier to do if you’ve steamed them first). Once past the potential lip-piercing doom, you find yourself at the “heart” – a shallow bowl of pasty stuff covered in a peculiar layer of hair. Shouldn’t hair be on the outside? Then, there’s the coconut; a fruit (not a nut) that requires a contractor’s license to get into. Let’s not forget the lobster and crab. Both are giant sea spiders that take longer to get into than they do to actually eat. And, let’s round out this list with the Durian; a fruit that looks similar to the lychee but comes with the added awesomeness of smelling like rotten onions or raw sewage.
Who was the first person to look at any of these things or the litany of other bizarre and scary-looking foods and think, “Hmmm? Maybe I should put this in my mouth”? Apart from the possibility that it was someone so hungry this was a better option than eating their own foot, maybe this was someone who wasn’t focused on the obstacles and downsides but more on the reward and the positive aspects. Maybe it wasn’t someone who shied away from challenges. Maybe it wasn’t someone more concerned with the effort than the payoff. I think it was someone like that; someone who recognized the most valuable part of anything is often hidden behind or within something that seems scary or intimidating. I think it was someone not afraid to fail or make mistakes because those are learning experiences that make people better and stronger. I think it was someone who believed, despite the challenge, the reward was far greater.
Or…maybe it was just someone who didn’t want to eat their own foot. Just something to think about when facing your own artichokes, lobsters, and durians. And, but the way, the lychee still kinda freaks me out.
