27 September 2008

Tonight while I was at the gym my mind began wandering as it does when I exercise. I began thinking about canned peaches. First I began to wonder how canned peaches get to be that perfect solid color of yellow-orange (not peach) and are completely smooth and absent of any evidence that there was a giant pit in the center, strange and oddly unnatural. I then began to think about how common it was for us to eat canned fruit when I was a child - peaches, pears and fruit cocktail were the most common. How is it that a farmer would allow his family to each such things? One day we would eat fresh fruit straight from the orchard out of a crate that would sit atop our dryer in the laundry room and the next day it was canned peaches. I then remembered a more recent conversation with my Dad where I learned of his love of canned fruit (anything sugary, really) and then remembered seeing him eat peaches right out of the can. How could he like those sickly sweet versions of the real thing? Generation gap. When my dad was growing up his mother preserved jars and jars of fresh fruits so there would be fruit for the winter. It makes sense now, produce wasn't flying in at record speeds from around the globe all year round, so if you wanted peaches in the winter you'd preserve them in the summer. Somehow I feel like Grandma's peaches were probably a lot tastier then the "Del Monte" variety. This got me through about 10 minutes of my work out.

4 comments:

Ducky said...

I like reading this type of post - just the things you think about. It's fun to get that bit of day-to-day feeling with someone I love and miss so much. It's also cool because we all have these inner worlds full of miscellaneous wonderings, and I forget that when I'm so involved in my own. Very cool post, Sweetie.

hannah m said...

Funny. I just ate some chilled canned peaches a few weeks ago. And as I ate them I was both intrigued and repulsed, being a non-canned fruit person in general. I had bought them to replicate a tasty dessert my cousins in TX had made (canned peach with a spoonful of ricotta in pit, sprinkle w/ cinnamon, put under broiler, yummm), but instead found myself eating the peaches out of the can, chilled, on a hot day. It was a weird moment.

So, did you have a craving for canned peaches post-workout? :-)

AmyK said...

Thanks Ducky! Counting the days until your visit...around 40, right?

H - my childhood fondness faded and the idea of them made me cringe (ever so slightly). But somehow you've made them sound yummy again. I didn't have any cravings, but if you decide to buy more peaches and make the recipe tell me what time to be there ;)

Anonymous said...

amy, this is brilliant writing. seriously. the last sentence makes me laugh out loud. and i think i've re-read this post a couple times. i like it that much.

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