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a2z, a2z blogging, AprilBlogathon, challenge, fruit flies, fruits, postaday
Is there anyone who is not fond of fruits? I am afraid there are, but let me tell you, I am NOT one of them. I LOVE fruits and am hard put to identify one I hate. Of course I haven’t yet tried ALL the fruits on Earth and so that statement cannot qualify as absolute. But whatever fruits I have come across my span of life, I have a loved them all, some a little less than the others and a few others a whole lot more than the rest.
It amazes me how there can be anyone who hates fruits. For example, take the case of mangoes, a fruit I can never get a enough of. Never ever. But there are people who loathe it. The juicy and fleshy variety of jackfruit we call varikka in Malayalam has an intoxicating aroma that drives me nuts, and there are those who’d throw up at the mere mention of it. Then there’s litchi. How can anyone say ‘no’ to the pearly litchi? Beats me. But in a way I am thankful to the fruit-haters. It leaves the fruit-lovers with more on their plate.
At one stage of life, in my teens, I was a huge orange fan. Water melons are such thirst quenchers in summer (but it is the musk melons that has my heart). Guavas, papayas, grapes, rambutans, figs, apricot, rose apples, pomegranate… the list of my likes goes on. Other fruits like dragon fruits, peaches, black berries, blueberries, persimmons (another hot favourite!), longans, mangosteens (LOVE it!) and such were introduced to my tongue and tummy much later in my life. Durian is a fruit I have heard much of, in disgust mostly, but haven’t been introduced to as yet. I mean to form my opinion about it only after.
You must be wondering why I haven’t so far mentioned apples or bananas. Truth be known they figure a bit lower in my preference of fruits. If there are other fruits around to choose from I’d rather leave these two alone. But then bananas are what the dietician decreed that I need to include in my diet on a regular basis. The irony!
When the doctor declared that I was diabetic, I was outwardly calm, but in my mind I went ‘Nooooooooooooo!!!!!’ In my mind’s eye was this picture of fruits retreating from my life with a sad wave of their hands. But apparently things weren’t so bad as yet for me, or else the approach to diabetes itself has changed in recent years, whatever the reason, I was not asked to give up fruits, just to control portions. So yes, I had to put a stop to my habit of gobbling three mangoes at one go and neglecting to have a proper meal. I learnt to also not mix fruits with meals (it spikes the glucose levels).
Now to fruits flies. They are a nuisance. You leave a piece of fruit or even whole fruit in the fruit basket without a net covering it, you can be sure they will be there. Their presence is more noticeable in the rainy season. If there are no fruits lying around for them to swarm over, they will congregate on whatever is around, even a washed utensil. I mean tell me this, WHAT do they want to sit on washed utensils for? Are they meditating for fruits to materialise?
Whatever, I found them really annoying. Useless whatchammacallits, the same as houseflies and mosquitoes, was my verdict on them. Why wouldn’t they just vamoose from the face of earth and leave us alone? (Lizards and cockroaches too, but that’s another story). We wouldn’t even miss them! AND THEN, I read some books on genes and genetic research and my perception about them underwent a radical change. I still think they are annoying BUT… they are the useful-to-humans-but-annoying kind which is a wholly different category.
You see, its like this. Fruit flies and humans share 75% of genes, and not just any genes mind you, but those causing disease. Do you see how that helps in research regarding human diseases? Moreover, they have a very short lifespan, about 40 to 50 days, which means they breed quickly enough for scientists to have the opportunity to study changes and mutations in successive generations. Isn’t that amazing?
Suddenly the thingamabobs that irritated me no end by their persistent presence in my life acquired new respect in my eyes. We needed them and how! Anyway though, I can afford to be magnanimous now. You see, unlike my previous home, where they were ubiquitous, they are nowhere to be found in my new place. Perhaps they haven’t yet realised I have moved 😉
©️ Shail Mohan 2024
Shail's Nest 
I share your love of fruit. Just the mention of mangoes makes my mouth water! We used to live near litchi orchards when I was young and grew to enjoy the strange looking fruit very much indeed.
Good to know that, Anne 🙂
Mostly with you on the fruit side (I too adore mango and lichis) but I am not keen on bitter fruits like grapefruit – horrid! Yes, fruitflies are much beloved of scientists but they also have their place in nature too – annoying though that is!
I recall reading of a a village where they managed to wipe out mosquitoes much to everyone’s relief. Then the lizards died off because they had no food. So the dormice that lived in the rafters of everyone’s homes died off too as there were no lizards to eat. Several years later, all the buildings were collapsing as woodworm flourished with dormice keeping their numbers at bay. So the village had to reintroduce mosquitoes again!
More and more I’m learning what an interconnected world we live in. Much though I dislike one where wasps are needed. I’ll still kill them if they come near me, but with reluctance I know they are still needed alas.
Oh my! Yes indeed, we live in an interconnected world.