A New Fruity Experience

Emmanuel is not really a fan of grapefruits.

He is a fan of funny faces.

It was pretty sour.

I must say they are adventurous kids.

Athena is always aware of the camera, even mid-bite.

All it needs is a bit of sugar.

Even Avi gave it a shot.

Even with all the sugar, it is still too sour for him.

Still willing to try it.

Sugar seems to fix everything for Avi.

I grew up in Utah, where citrus trees are nowhere to be found. I have always had issues with various citrus fruits and their texture. So, it comes as little surprise that I never liked grapefruits. I was willing to try them as a young child, with mixed results. I was put off of grapefruits in my later childhood. My parents often bought grapefruit juice in large metal tins. I will never forget the time when Tia took a long swallow of grapefruit juice straight from the can, only to realize the juice was rusty. I can still see the nasty, dark brown tinge in my mind. Hence, my aversion to all things grapefruit. We are a fruit-loving family. My kids often eat frozen grapes in the summer and cry with delight whenever fresh strawberries are on sale. So, it seems odd that they have never tried a grapefruit. It is simply because I refuse to eat them, and therefore refuse to buy them. Last week Emmanuel's friend, Gabby, gave our family a bag of my childhood nemesis. Since I knew I would never try them, I talked the kids into giving it a shot. Our time in Ghana had prepared the kids for adventurous eating. They were actually excited to try something new. The excitement only lasted until the sour juice exploded in their mouths. It was fun to see them experience something new. That is one of the greatest joys of being a parent. Seeing something I have long despised as exhilarating and fun was quite an event. I was inspired to try a bite myself. In the end, it was decided that with a lot of sugar and an open mind, grapefruits were something everyone could enjoy.