July 29, 2005

Dragon Eyes

While making my afternoon cup of coffee, I spotted strange and unusual fruit being washed. Now, I'm always curious to try new and unusual foods, exotic produce, rare delicacies. Being a Curious George, I, of course, had to ask what the young man was washing.

"It's Dragon Fruit," he said, "A very popular Asian fruit. Similar to Lychee, but a bit sweeter. Here try some!"

How could I say no?

Ben, the young man, deposited a few round fruits into my cup. "Enjoy," he said on the way out.

I peeled the fruit as soon as I got to my desk. The fleshy part, tight and slippery, looked like an eyeball. I know, slightly unappetizing. Still, I decided to try it.

It did taste a lot like Lychee, but sweeter and more subtle. In fact, I liked it better. The flavor grew inside your mouth and then, like perfume, lingered ghost-like before disappearing completely.

I was hooked instantly. And I wanted to give you all a picture to see, but Google is lacking in pictorial representation of Dragon Eyes, and I don't have a camera on my phone. So forgive me for a text-only post.

However, those of you who do like Lychee, do go out there and try it - you'll find another food stuff to adore, and it just might put a smile on your face. It did on mine.