Q is for College

Back when I was a freshman in college I had this thing, I would try whatever new fruit or food I could find. I figured if they were selling it in grocery stores or farmers markets it must be safe, right?

Maybe I should take a step back, I mean, trying odd fruits probably aren't what most people think about when reflecting on their first year at Uni. But you have to understand, I grew up very poor. Like food stamps and school lunches poor. We always had a roof over our heads, and there was always food, but it wasn’t always healthy nutritious food, except in the summer when our crops were ready for harvesting, then it was alot ALOT of yellow squash and tomatoes and peppers.

Then when I was a teenager I was on my own, living in a variety of places, eating alot of fast food and things from cans and things from cafeterias. But then when I got to college, I had a place to live, and it wasn’t going to disappear as long as I kept my grades up. And loan money, as well as some extra scholarship money and money that I’d saved from working.

And the mess hall or food hall or cafeteria or whatever had good food, most of the time. But I did have to go to the grocery store on occasion for other things, the mess hall wasn’t opened all the time afterall. So for the first time in my life I went to the grocery store with money and space to buy more than bananas(they keep forever and can be frozen and eaten from frozen, and they can get dirty cause you peel the skin anyway, bananas were my wonder fruit).

So now I’m back to thinking if they were selling it in the grocery store it was safe. Typically I’d buy just one of something, eat it, and if I really liked it, I’d google it, or just go back and buy more. I learned I really like Kumquats, Kiwi, Starfruit, Dragon fruit (which I think is overpriced) Muscidines...I learned Coconuts are not worth the effort (I finally managed to open mine by throwing it out the window of my dorm). Yet perhaps the most important lesson I learned from any fruit is the Quince.

The Quince looks a bit like a pear/apple/lemon. It’s shaped like a pear, with the skin similar to an apple blended with a approcat, and its colored like a greenish lemon. It’s bitter. Very bitter, and hard. Imagine something like a lemon, except more bitter. I’m not sure even how to explain how bitter it was, I ate about half of the quince, cause even though it was bitter I’m stubborn, before I decided to go online and google Quince.

And I found out, first of all, you really aren’t supposed to eat quinces raw. Second of all, they are most commonly used as a constipant. Meaning, its like imodium for people that don’t believe in modern medicine. Luckily I hadn’t eaten enough, remember you don't eat quinces raw, to make myself very sick, You’d have to eat like two hole quince’s (?).

Some random, but interesting facts about the Quince:

Quinces can also be used, or quince seeds, can be used as cough suppressants.

Quince jelly is pretty popular all across the world

The Quince comes from the middle east and its resistant to frosts.

Quince gives of a strong perfume scent, and you can use them (while they are ripe) as air fresheners.

Here’s a recipie I found for quince jam: http://www.yogurtland.com/2006/05/23/quince-jam/

Have you ever eaten/tried a quince?