Caught in the act... again...

Like I said earlier, I bought some unknown, interesting-looking fruit the other day from the store, and I decided on Thursday that today was the day to engage with the maracujá (aka Passion Fruit). I love the picture of the maracujá cut in half, looking at the inside... it just screams passion, right?

So I got all prepared - did my research on line (wait until it's wrinkly, cut in half and eat seeds... check check check), got the plate, found the right knife, found just the right mouth-sized spoon, cut the sucker in half, (pause for the picture), scooped up a not so brave spoonful, looked closely, smelled the seeds, opened my mouth... and then this voice behind me interrupted, "você vai comer isso???" (or something to that effect... all I really needed to hear were the three question marks...) Busted - Zairinha has such great timing. I explained (successfully, I

think!!!) that I read online that this was how you ate it, and she gave me that classic "dear, sweet child" smile, took the fruit from me, and told me she doesn't think it's good to eat that way and she'll show me how to make juice. As she was scooping one half out into the blender I pretended to examine the fruit and again not-so-slyly ate a couple seeds. They had flavor and were fairly sour - I had to think about a parallel for a while, but think it's close to a pomegranate experience (flavor with a little pucker... mostly pucker for my maracujá.)

So Zairinha made me juice (maracujá, sugar, water, blender), and it was AMAZING. She wins food points on this one, for sure.

I'm learning (slowly, but nonetheless) that half, and possibly more than half, the battle with the enjoying the fruit here (other than knowing how to eat it) is knowing how to pick it out, and

knowing when to eat it. At the store I usually just wait until someone else goes to buy the fruit, and they try to pick out fruit that looks like the fruit they picked out, aka fruit stalking. Sometimes it works... the knowing when is another story, we're currently employing the trial by fire method there... I killed a couple papayas I tried to buy the other day - apparently you shouldn't put them at the bottom of the grocery bag, even if they are currently harder than all other fruit. I've never seen bruised fruit grow mold that fast...

I think Zairinha's inspired, though - she has put together a mental list of fruit and is on a mission to find them so I can try, and I think I'm going to like this game.