Two Generations. Two Fruits.

By Maxine Jasmin-Green

Tue, 11 Jan 2022
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4 comments
 

From last year I have washed an orange and cut it into four and had a swig from my bottle of cod liver oil. The cod liver oil is still in my mouth unswallow, as the orange is ready in my hands. The second that I swallow the juicy seedless orange is in my mouth, to take away the very awful taste. The taste is disgusting, when we were young, we had it most of the time without the luxury of the orange, life was tough for us kids.

Life was more tough for my Mum, she had twelve brothers and sisters, and this morning as I did my ritual, that I love, cutting the wonderful fresh juicy orange on my small white plate, I remembered something my Mum told me many years ago.

I will just go back, to when I was about to cut into my juicy orange, this morning I thought to myself, if when I cut into this orange, I see that it is bad, I will simply throw it into the bin and get another from the pack.

This morning, as I cut into my juicy orange, I remembered a story my Mum told me, “When I was young, I found an apple, I was very hungry and I ate it. As I ate it, I saw it had maggots in, I was SO hungry I had to close my eyes, until I had finished eating it all.”

Different generation, different times, one fruit for Life, one for Pleasure.

     

 

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Comments

Submitted by Turlough on

My grandmother told me that when she was a young girl her only Christmas present would be a pomegranate.

A different time when good food was a luxury.

Turlough

Submitted by Maxine Jasmin-Green on

Indeed a different time when good food was a luxury. The most I ever spent in one go was just over £400 that was for about 25 people but it was £400 too much so that was the last time I bought Christmas gifts and I told them all that I wouldn't be buying any gifts again, and for them not to buy me any gifts. Life was tough years ago and in your grandmothers time. I think of those who have spent hundreds of pounds for the Christmas just gone and will be paying if off for years to come. 

Thank you for your valued comments it means alot. Keep Safe. x   

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

As a child the only fruit we had (apart from a satsuma in Christmas stocking) was from the garden. Apples would be kept in trays in the garage getting wrinklier and smaller through the winter, and sometimes with maggots growing in their cores. So, like you, I really appreciate exotic fruit from the supermarket! There were persimmons reduced to 10p each this Christmas, clementines in cardboard boxes for 50p. Luxurious :0) Also strange, thinking of the effort and expense of growing them, sending them far away to our cold grey winter. I enjoyed your thoughts on the changes over your two generations of family very much.

 

Submitted by Maxine Jasmin-Green on

I remember when I was about sitting by the coal fire eating an apple and I saw a maggot in it! That was the only time in my life and after that it took me another 5 years or so before I could eat another apple! I like apples, but I don't eat them very often. Oranges eating them the 'old fashioned' way peeling an orange was just too messy, so for years it put me off eating them but recently I have found a better way for me, washing it and cutting it into four with a tissue for my lips and hands and always at home in the mornings. I used to have Jaffa, but I find Tesco's own Emperor to be the nicest. On telly when I was a child I would see for Christmas in the stockings for the children they had an orange. I don't remember as a child every having a stocking and so we didn't have any fruit to put in our stocking as far as I can remember I have had oranges as a child.As an adult now I used to feel guilty throwing away an orange if it didn't look 'right' on the outside, but a few months ago an orange didn't look 'right' on the outside but it was the last one in the pack so I decided to wash it and cut it into fours and when I did , it was the Best one in the pack! WOW you just can't tell, sometimes. I love oranges now and the 'process' of eating them, but I am sure in the back of my mind there is an advert on telly that some fruits they are bad for your teeth, I have seen this for an advert for toothpaste, but I don't care I love them now and they are something I look forward to in the mornings.

Thank you for your valued comments they mean alot. Keep Safe and Take Care. x