A friend recently posted on Facebook that she has eaten her bodyweight in cherries over this Christmas period. I would like to raise her quite a few kilos of cherries and state that I believe I am now officially supporting my local greengrocer on my purchases of cherries alone.
I started the season somewhat modestly, watching the price, waiting for it to go down and become ‘reasonable’. I bought the little trays on special, that either lacked a little in flavour or size and was slightly disappointed, not being very reassured by the fact that I was getting a bargain. So it wasn’t long before I began buying the more premium cherries, seduced by their plump roundness, deep purplish red hue and shiny skin. I even started hand picking them, making sure my pennies wouldn’t be thrown away at the sight of a split or mouldy reject.
The final straw was this afternoon when the patriarch of my local greengrocer said with a big grin that I must like this place. I had been in that morning buying ingredients for work. I had to own up that I was really just there for cherries, all the other items in my basket were a cover story. At least it’s out in the open now – Albino the Italian grocer, who is as excited for me about our European holiday as I am knows my weakness and is ordering a new delivery of cherries right now.