My Top Five Fruits

If you scroll down to the previous post, you may see that my partner Miller has listed his favorite five fruits.

However, maybe you shouldn't scroll down at all, because the list is seriously flawed. He has two fruits that I've never actually seen someone eat whole--lime and avocado. He has one fruit that is as insubstantial as food gets--grapefruit. And then, to take all credibility out of his list, he has kiwi number one. This is like ranking Clifford the Big Red Dog as the novel of the century.

Here is my attempt to put some common sense into this debate. I love fruit, and I don't want anyone to be discouraged by Miller's peculiar taste.

First, I'll list out the criteria I took into account for my list. In addition to taste, I considered:
-convenience
-fun factor (the enjoyment derived from eating the fruit)
-color
-durability (what lasts in a backpack the longest without being mashed)
-accessibility (how easy it is to find in a supermarket)

5. Cantaloupe
Probably the most underrated fruit on this list. I love how it feels when you bite down on a nice, firm piece of cantaloupe. The one big problem with this fruit is that it's not all that convenient. In high school, I don't think I ever saw someone come in with a cantaloupe in their lunch box.

4. B-A-N-A-N-A-S
When I was little, I was literally horrified by the texture of bananas--they were too mushy. Yet, once I overcame this fear, bananas became a staple of my diet. What breakfast is complete without a banana? It's also great how you can tell exactly how ripe a banana is by simply looking at it. You don't have to feel how firm it is or cut it open--it is perfectly OK to judge a banana by its cover. Gwen Stefani did a noble service by advertising this fantastic fruit.

3. Pineapples
Good canned or fresh, pineapple is an excellent vegan dessert option. CAUTION: do not eat this fruit with milk.

2. Apples
The second best food on the planet.

I probably have averaged two apples/day since I was about five years old. Apples are the perfect snack. An apple can be left in a backpack for weeks, yet still stay fresh and firm (go ahead, try it). There is also such amazing variety--Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious. You can go across the color spectrum and taste spectrum while still staying in the apple genre. It is also a lot of fun to chuck an apple core into the woods once you're finished with it--very empowering.

1. Grapes
The best food on the planet.

Fun to eat (how many grapes have you fit in your mouth?), fantastically smooth and moist, surprisingly filling. I challenge you to tell my any food that is better than a bunch of grapes.

Honorable Mention: Nectarine

Most Overrated: Kiwi, Raspberry, Lime, Grapefruit, Avocado, and Strawberry

(All photos from www.tomarma.com)