Blue Jean Chef

Of all the summer fruit that fills the supermarkets, my favourite by far are cherries. They are the kind of fruit that takes my breath away when I walk into the grocery store and see them sitting there in all their deep ruby splendor. Of course they are placed at the very front of the produce section in order to be the first beautiful item you see. How could you not pick up a bag and start filling it? They are not inexpensive, but having a bowl of cherries at home is a luxury that I cannot resist. I excitedly add them to my basket and have to use real self control not to pop one into my mouth before I get to the cash register, let alone before I get home – it doesn’t always work.

My brother and his family are currently in Michigan, near Traverse City, the Cherry Capital of the World and host to the National Cherry Festival, which wraps up tomorrow. This festival, on the shores of Lake Michigan, includes over 150 events from all-things-cherry recipe contests, to cherry pie-eating contests, to air show performances, to parades, to sporting events and constant stage entertainment. It seems even the pets of Traverse City join the fun with an event called “Dock Dog Jumping” – any dog with $20 saved up can enter the competition to make the longest jump off a dock. I wonder if they jump after a cherry, tossed into Lake Michigan. The National Cherry Festival is a busy week of celebration and was actually selected as the #1 Top Amazing Celebration in 2003 on the Food Network’s Top Five with Bobby Rivers.

So, it seems I am not alone in my love of cherries, and yet, I was surprised to learn that in 2003 the per capita consumption of cherries in the United States was merely 1.8 pounds. That seems low to me, for I know that I consume more than 1.8 pounds of cherries a year – indeed, I consume more than that some weeks! Perhaps cherries are a fruit that you either love or hate, but those that love them do love them so!

What is it about cherries that I find so appealing? Well, initially it is their beauty that attracts me. The deep red skin and purple-red flesh of the ever-popular Bing cherry has the lure of a sweet promise. I’m also captivated, however, by the yellow-pink skin of the more exclusive and expensive Rainier cherry, which is even sweeter than the Bing.

Then it is the lack of commitment and ease involved with eating cherries that appeals to me. Eating a cherry is a short-term commitment. A cherry doesn’t require peeling or cutting, and therefore needs no preparation. It takes no time to enjoy a cherry or two. A few cherries are something you can enjoy as you walk around the kitchen, or as you walk out the door, or chat on the phone – they are easy to eat at anytime. You don’t have to deal with juice running down your chin when you eat cherries, as you would with their drupe cousins, the plum and peach. The only thing you must deal with is the pit, but that can turn into the entertaining sport of cherry-spitting, as long as you’re appropriately situated. With a big bowl of cherries out on the table, you don’t have to eat more than one, but you’ll want to.

It takes a conscious decision to stop in the midst of a cherry eating indulgence, but even that appeals to me. An over-indulgence is just that – it spoils the experience, makes you “over” the indulgence. Why would anyone want to ruin the pleasure that comes with eating cherries? An over-indulgence must be avoided at all costs, and the restraint required to do so is a great exercise in self-discipline, building character in every cherry-lover.

Finally, what I adore about cherries is their individuality. They may look similar, but no two cherries are the same. Some are a little darker than others; some a little softer; some a little sweeter; some with a blemish; some joined to another at the stem; some joined to another at the flesh. Their differences make each and every cherry unique. I always find myself playing the game to finish with the perfect cherry, wondering if I should take the risk of tasting another to see if it might be more “perfect” than the last.

It is this last characteristic of cherries that, in my opinion, gives meaning to the phrase “life is a bowl of cherries”. Life IS a bowl of cherries. How so? Consider each cherry in the bowl as a day of your life. Some days are darker than others. Some days are sweeter than the one that came before. Some days have a blemish or two on them, but you eat them anyway. Some days run into the next as though they were attached. Some days seem perfect, and yet they just make us want to experience another such perfect day. You never really know how each day will turn out until you’re halfway into it. What about the pits, you say? Well, if you’re one like Erma Bombeck to say “if life is a bowl of cherries, what am I doing in the pits”, I say you’d better get sporty and practice your spitting!

This entry was posted on Friday, July 8th, 2005 at 10:18 am and is filed under Ingredients, Personal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.