Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Something That Makes Me Happy...And Something That Doesn't

The thing that makes me happy:



They come every year around April and in different colors. I seek them among the branches as I would  a delectable treasure. They are good at hiding under the leaves, but I find them. Sunshine yellow. Lime green. Sunset orange. And a vivid scarlet.




The best ones to eat are the red ones. I love it when the plump, accordion ridges are ready to burst after they have ripened on the bushes that line the fence.




I silently revel that they are almost the same shade as my nail polish.



As I wash them, my mother tells me childhood recollections of these fruits. In her hometown, there were a series of trees that towered several meters above her. After a rainfall, the emerald blades of grass would be dotted by splashes of warm colors as she and her siblings would scurry to collect them for their home.

I bite into each sumptuous cherry. The best ones, the ones to have reached their peak, have a flavor that is a subdued mixture between Ranier cherries and mangoes. I think back to my Mother's youth and wonder if her child self felt elation from eating something that was undeniably pure.

Having missed out on this little pleasure, that of eating Surinam cherries and sharing the moment with my family for almost three years, I had substituted my tropical cherries with a different variety when I lived in a temperate zone. While the flowers were more aesthetically pleasing, the taste simply wasn't the same. I often take the little things for granted.

As for the thing that doesn't make me happy:



No comment.

Barb the French Bean

32 comments:

  1. I have never seen those kind of cherries! Does that make me terribly sheltered? Maybe? And also...that window looks very not good. :/ Eek. That wouldn't make me happy either.

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    1. I don't know why but I can't find the comment box, so I'll click reply to Joanna! Sorry! I too have never seen those cherries before. They look amazing. And they're very pretty! Sorry about the window. What the heck happened?

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  2. Okay, we need to sneak over to FIU one night because those Surinam cherries are all around the stadium. I have not had those since I was a kid and they are awesome! :D

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  3. At first I thought those were peppers, but they're beautiful nonetheless, as is your description and your memory of them.

    The window? Not so much. There needs to be an update on that one...

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  4. Gosh sweet Barb the Green Bean does this qualify as one of them 'blessing and a curse' situations. You need a hug!
    * * *
    I would have never known about Surinam cherries if not for you! I'm @grammakaye on twitter.

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  5. It was a giant cockroach wasn't it? They're coming back for revenge. I'm not a huge fan of cherries myself personally. Maybe I've just never tried the right ones :)

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  6. I've never such delicious looking fruit. I have seen such disturbing looking glass.

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  7. Add me to the list of people who were unaware that this type of cherry even existed. I know now. Too bad about you glass, i hope it doesn't lead to someplace important.

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  8. Hi Barb.
    Thanks for dropping by my blog. However, your comment mysteriously disappeared! Anyway, glad you "popped by" as I have now discovered your lovely blog.
    By the way, bummer about the window :( But yay for cute cherries :D

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  9. Did someone throw a ball through your window. Sue them. Sue them, I say!

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  10. Funniy enough, the cherries and the window remind me equally of childhood. Didn't have cherries where I grew up but we had guavas - and for some reason we'd chuck stones at them instead of climbing the tree like normal kids. Leading to many unhappy window-memories for my neighbor.

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  11. Oh those cherries look super yummy. We used to have those purple cherries with the big round pips in and my Nanna taught us this pre-war time game of throwing them up a drain pipe?! We were simple and poor children! I am sorry for your window breakage. I am just off to clean glass out of my freezer... I left a bottle of cider in there. Not the same I am sure, but the hassle of the clear up and knowing I've lost a bottle of booze probably hurts just as much :) Love Elle xo

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  12. As long as they don't taste like nail polish

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  13. Uh oh about that window. Yum and wow about those cherries!

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  14. Never had those cherries before but now I really want to. And about the window, looks expensive to fix :(

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  15. I'd never even heard of Surinam cherries--and I'm pretty close to Surinam :) Will have to look for them--they sound delicious! Sorry about the window :(

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  16. Broken windows don't make you happy? Crazy talk. Also, those are some cool looking cherries.

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  17. I've never seen Surinam cherries either, they look divine! I'm so sorry about the window - ugh!

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  18. Those are very pretty!! I've never seen those kinds of tropical cherries either! I love all the photos, ... except the last one of course. What happened to the window? A loose baseball maybe? A crazy bird?

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  19. I am sorry about your window. :(

    Those cherries look amazing.

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  20. I've never seen cherries like that in my life. At first glance I thought they were some kind of baby bell pepper. Those look awesome. Your window on the other hand, not so much. It wasn't caused by a brick with a note attached to it from the mob demanding you pay up your debt, was it?

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  21. I always hate a cracked window

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  22. I have never seen a cherry except in a grocery store and certainly never saw that kind. I do love them, though!

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  23. Oh my gosh! Seeing your pictures brings forth a flood of memories! I used to pick those too but I can't remember where. I'll have to ask my mom next time I talk to here.

    Sucks about your window. :(

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  24. We have those cherries on island. Love em. Bummer on the last pic.

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  25. Good job on focusing on what makes you happy. :) I hope the last picture wasn't caused by cockroach reinforcements!

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  26. Clearly, you pissed off some bluejay that likes to eat those fruits. Quit stealing from Mother Nature, Mother Nature doesn't mess around! She sends her evil bluejay pawns to breaks windows to show you who's boss (hint: not you).

    Other than you upsetting the balance of all things Nature, it was quite a poetic and beuatiful post........

    best,
    MOV

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  27. I feel good for you to find what you like to eat. It could've happened for me too, but chicken pizzas don't grow on trees.

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  28. First of al...Omanomnomnomnom!! And second :O how on Earth did that happen?! x

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  29. Maybe someone was so excited about your cherries they tried to climb the tree and their shoe fell off and flew into the window and broke it and then they had a mouthful of cherry and one shoe and broken glass on the ground and then they too had one thing that made them happy and one thing that did not?

    It wasn't me or anything. I'm just saying it could have happened.

    These cherries look delicious, as does your nail polish, frankly.

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  30. They ARE the same colour as your nail polish! That's the sort of thing that would make me happy too. Sorry about your window. Ugh.

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  31. I had no idea those little guys were edible. Hey, by the way, did I see Pish Posh in your yard? She had red juice on her sneakers ...

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Apparently, leaving comments on this blog is a hit-or-miss game of Russian roulette: you are either lucky and can comment away, or you are required to log in when the settings are CLEARLY set to allow trouble-free commenting (sorry 'bout that, folks). If anything, the Facebook page is always a viable option. :) -Barb