Today on my way home I picked up some guavas in Chinatown. I knew they were guavas only because they were in a plastic box with a label. I could not identify a guava in a fruit line-up otherwise. (I do know what guavas taste like as I have enjoyed the juice — it’s nice with vodka.)
When I got home I looked up how to eat them. I learned that you can eat the skin but most people prefer to discard the seeds. Great, I’m all set and I’ll eat them with my yogurt for breakfast.
I like shopping for produce in I Chinatown — it’s like an adventure. A cheap one.
But I need help if I want to purchase anything beyond the basics.
For example, there are many leafy green vegetables on display that look very healthy – I bet they are chock full of vitamins — that I am unable to identify. I could ask but I am shy in produce-purchasing situations.
Recalling my dill experience, I have trouble finding produce in a grocery store where I can read the labels written in large print never mind where most things are not marked at all, English notwithstanding.
So I guess I need to stick to pedestrian fruits and vegetables since I the majority of items on display are total mysteries to me.
This makes me sad. Besides the leafy green things today I saw a very large organic object shaped like an eggplant but light in colour. It wasn’t a turnip — that much I know for sure.
After a few tears I bought it anyway. I am going to boil it for dinner. I have a good feeling it will taste fantastic.