One hot day, I decided to savor a grapefruit. I plucked the chilled fruit out of the refrigerator and cut it into eight semicircular slices. I held each slice between the fingers of both my hands, but did not immediately bite into it. Savoring involves all the senses.
I examined it first. I observed its chatoyance. I saw how light glistened off the moist carnelian facets of this gem of a fruit. I spread the rind so that sections of the meat separated from each other, and I inhaled the citrus scent that sprayed from the parting sections.
I tasted the texture and tanginess, but without yet biting into it. I just ran my tongue along the glossy, bittersweet surface.
Then I bit it. And the piquant tartness bit back. It made my lips pucker.
I chewed slowly and winced as each astringent droplet coursed down the back of my throat, burning like a Fourth of July sparkler. It forced me to pause in mid-chew, to allow the bitter to fade into sweetness.
I swallowed, and each fleshy lump of citrus burned and cooled my stomach, all at the same time.
That is how I immersed my hot summer day in zingy cool sweetness.
(This post is meaningless. But I hope it helps you feel a little cooler today.)
Categories: Food
Chasing Unicorns 
Thank you. I love grapefruit but can’t eat it any more. Thanks for sharing yours with me 😉
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Same here.
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Geez, I didn’t know grapefruit was such a difficult fruit. How about grape nuts?
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Did you say you’re nuts?
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Nutty as a scoop of Rocky Road ice cream. Can you eat that?
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Yes but I prefer blueberry cheesecake ice cream
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I’ll bet you have all kinds of dietary restrictions. It must feel frustrating at times.
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Sometimes. But others have it much worse. And from time to time I can sneak something by my gut without problems. I am probably the only person who sneaks salad!
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Beautifully written!
“Then I bit it. And the piquant tartness bit back. It made my lips pucker.”
“I chewed slowly and winced as each astringent droplet coursed down the back of my throat, burning like a Fourth of July sparkler. It forced me to pause in mid-chew, to allow the bitter to fade into sweetness.”
BTW: I have never used “chatoyance”or “carnelian facets” in a post before. Fun words.
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Thanks. I find that it is less expensive to use the word “chatoyance” to describe a grapefruit, than to describe jewelry I may have bought for my wife. For our anniversary, I think I’m going to get her a grapefruit.
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Exactly what I was thinking! It was so exquisitely written, I was practically eating the grapefruit myself!
Actually, I can’t even remember the last time I had a grapefruit.
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Thanks. Does Toronto get much grapefruit? Or is it in pretty bad shape by the time the trucks ship it up to your northern realms?
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Citrus fruits in general are pretty hit-and-miss here. Maybe that’s why I’ve never been much of a fan.
When we were in Spain once, we were given oranges fresh off the tree and OMG! OMG! OMG! … that’s when I discovered what all the fuss was about.
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Oh yeah, fresh oranges are delicious!
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But does grapefruit go with Cheezits?
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Oh yes. It cleans them off your teeth.
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Perfect
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I’m not a fan of grapefruit (or anything that makes me wince as I chew), but when life gives you grapefruit, what can you do but admire its the chatoyance of its carnelian facets and test its piquancy and astringency by running your tongue across it? I was right there with you, Tippy, feeling the same level of torture. A+ description! 🙂
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Thanks. Maybe grapefruit should be considered a delicacy, just like fish eggs or cow stomach. It’s one of those things that’s bothersome to eat, and yet there’s something alluring about it.
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Definitely the way to enjoy a coffee… but grapefruit is poison! “Furanocoumarins” in grapefruit inhibit the CYP3A4 enzymes responsible for breaking down several drugs, so that blood levels can rise and become toxic. In other cases, it blocks the transporters responsible for getting the drug to work. Coffee is much safer!
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I think you’re right (about grapefruit). I’ve been advised not to eat grapefruit while taking my anticoagulant (Eliquis). But coffee is still poison.
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I love grapefruit and grapefruit juice. Think I’m sticking to aspirin… and coffee. 😉
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I like a grapefruit now and then, but I’m not a big fan. It’s a beautiful fruit, though, and I love the scent of a grapefruit.
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