September 16, 2008

What is Your Favorite Fruit?

I am sure you have a favorite fruit! I certainly do. Even though I love mangoes I think the raspberry is my ultimate favorite. The raspberry melts in my mouth. This fruit is usually so expensive and it is such a luxurious treat that makes me feel special.

What do you feel when you eat a “favorite” fruit? For me, when I eat a raspberry I love the taste so much that my tongue tingles and I get excited just thinking about eating it. I don’t need to add anything to this amazing fruit. I feel that in its natural state it is perfect. It is perfect in every single way that I can imagine. And that in and of itself makes me feel so great so it’s always a positive experience for me when I eat raspberries. I made a lovely mango raspberry cream yesterday and topped it with some of the freshest raspberries I have had in a very long time. The raspberries melted in my mouth.

A raspberry is actually a cluster of many small individual drupelets or fruits, containing their own seed. Raspberry drupelets are hairy and adhere to each other. Raspberries are really rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants, so they are extremely healthy. It’s been really interesting looking into some of the history and physical components of particular fruits and vegetables on this personal culinary journey I am on. What I do love is that now I am paying much more attention to the trees and plants and the fruits themselves.

I have been practicing yoga for many many years and one of my teachers over the years said something that has stayed with me and plays a role in other areas of my life. We were doing a pose where our hands were outstretched. He said to stretch our arms more. He then asked us to stretch our arms even further. My arms were already stretched what I thought was as far as I could reach. He then asked us to feel our finger tips and stretch them further. We did this stretching process for what felt like several minutes. We had to keep the hands and fingers stretched in the new position to really feel them. Up until that day I don’t think my arms and fingers had ever felt so elongated or had so much feeling in them. It was an awakening experience because I could feel my fingertips and hands in a way I had never previously experienced.

So in your process of enjoy your favorite fruit taste it in a way that you have not previously experienced. Close your eyes and taste it fully. Take each piece or each bite and savor the taste. Taste the taste. Swallow it only when you have felt the full sensation of the fruit. Do this again and again until you have really experienced the taste of the fruit you choose. Allow yourself this pleasure and see what happens in other areas of your life. Perhaps you will awaken senses even more fully.

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