"On Assignment" for Melissa! "What kind of fruit is that?"

On Monday, Caleb and I strapped backpacks onto our backs, hopped on our bikes and went fruit shopping in the produce department at our neighborhood grocery store. There are a fair amount of organic selections there that are steadily increasing, so we can always stop in and find something we like.

During that Monday visit, I noticed a unique-looking pink fruit. I held it in my hands for a few seconds -- studying it -- wondering if I should purchase it as I pointed it out to Caleb. I wasn't clear as to what it was actually called since not every label in that section that day seemed to have been clearly aligned with the fruit it was advertising. The produce section was pretty busy at the time we were there, and after chit-chatting with a friend I had run into, and then getting all that we figured our backpacks could comfortably hold during the ride home, Caleb was more than ready to pay for our goods and return to our bikes....so, I didn't bother to track down an employee to get the scoop on that pink fruit.

As fate would have it, the following evening, my friend Melissa e-mailed me with the word "What?" in the subject line of her e-mail. When I opened the message, low and behold, there was a huge picture of that pink fruit I had just seen in the grocery store. The picture also revealed what the inside of the fruit looked like. Melissa asked me: "What kind of fruit is that?" I couldn't recall what possible name might have been attached to it at the grocery store, but turns out, as ready as Caleb was to leave the store that day, he had observed and filed the name of that fruit in his memory. When I asked him if he recalled the name of that pink fruit we had seen, the word "Dragon" eased out of his mouth although he couldn't be completely certain because of that label issue I previously mentioned.

So, to be sure, I told Melissa I'd go on assignment for her and head back to the store the following day -- today -- to get the details. At about 10:45 this morning, I set off for an almost 3-mile walk to the store. I figured I'd get some exercise in while researching that mysterious pink fruit.

Before I could reply to Melissa, however, she had already found out the fruit's name -- Dragon Fruit! However, she was waiting for my thoughts about how it tasted.

In the grocery store I had chatted with Ben, an employee, about the taste of Dragon Fruit. Eventually, he asked me where I was from. When I told him "Bermuda," he became assured I would like the taste indeed! Bermuda is a sub-tropical island.........Ben went on to say that Dragon Fruit is like a tropical fruit and the flesh has somewhat of a peach texture, he thought. "Do you like mangoes?" he asked as he likened a feature of the fruit to mangoes, too. "Yes, I love mangoes," I replied. "Then, you're going to love this," Ben repeated with no doubt in his mind that I would certainly enjoy Dragon Fruit. He generously helped me pick out the ripest Dragon Fruit (the softest one) from the five or so pieces that were there, and then after paying $5.49 for one...wow...I set off for the walk back home.

After a morning of eating cherries and more cherries, I decided to wait to try the Dragon Fruit. As curious as I was about its taste, it wasn't until almost 5:00 p.m. -- after making banana/strawberry smoothies for Caleb and his friend Chris -- that I decided the time had come to taste............Dragon Fruit!

So, here goes, Melissa!

Ben was right. I do love it....
I sliced the whole fruit in half...which made it easier to peel the skin that smoothly peeled away from the flesh -- it was similar to peeling a mango. Underneath that pink skin, a soft-but-not-mushy white fruit with many black seeds was awaiting my taste test. I joyfully cut some slices, said a prayer of thanks, and popped a slice into my mouth. Ahhh, mildly sweet! I thought. Great texture! A slightly seeded-crunch (the black seeds) as you chew...but a pleasant crunch it was! It really is good. I like it.

Now, I haven't as yet done the children's taste test (Caleb and Chris). They're swimming and splashing a whole bunch, but I am curious to hear what they have to say about this unique piece of fruit that quickly caught Chris' attention when he arrived at our house today.

I keep going back to the counter and taking a slice of the Dragon Fruit that I have cut; I hope I won't eat it all before the boys get a chance to sample it! :-)

With the boys, I think the worse case scenario will be that they may not find it sweet enough although it's perfectly sweet for me. But, I can easily fix that if necessary; just pour a tad of Agave Nectar over their Dragon Fruit and they'll be spitting fire (in a good way) like a dragon!:-)

Penny

P.S. Melissa, this "assignment" was fun! Got another one? :-)

About Dragon Fruit, this web site says:

"Dragon fruit is a special fruit with the high export value because of its attraction in the shape, the color, the flavor and the nutrition. This fruit contains a lot of water and minerals with many different nutrition ingredients. It tastes light sweet and it's good for liver, laxative, supplementing fiber and very suitable for diet.

Besides, dragon fruit is also good for a person who has a high blood pressure. According to popular experience, an obese person who has eaten dragon fruit regularly can reduce his/her weight naturally and have a beautiful balanced body...............Moreover, eating this fruit can stop and reduce diabetes. Hence, dragon fruit is a favorite fruit of many people, especially Asian customers."