The Avocado Incident

(This photo is of me at around the same time/age as the avocado incident, enjoying a nice ‘99’ ice cream with my Dad.)

I have a lot of food memories, but my first and favorite food memory was when I was around a year or two old. Although my memories of my early childhood are fairly hazy and often blur together creating a fog of jumbled thoughts, I remember that at this point in my life, I’d developed a love and craving for avocados. Looking at them from the outside, the creamy fruit really doesn’t look that appetizing, all wizened, dark green and crinkly, but once you know the secret of opening one and then consuming it, you know that an avocado’s looks deceive it’s goodness.

Of course at that age I couldn’t cut my own avocado so my mum prepared a pre-cut and sliced avocado in a plastic bowl, with a plastic bendy-spoon for me. The inside of the avocado was a mixture of green and yellow slices, rich and creamy and ready to be eaten. Being a strong and independent eater, I refused to be fed by her or my dad, and insisted upon putting my food in my own mouth. Naturally, I ended up with mashed up bits of avocado all over me. There was a thick green paste of it covering my face like a beauty mask, and my arms and legs were smeared with sticky green fingerprints. The high chair I was sitting in was a disgrace, no longer a bright shiny white and yellow, but a greeny-brown pulpy mess. I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t have chunks of the stuff in my hair too. Upon seeing the state I’d gotten myself into, my mum and dad tried to be serious and tell me off for getting so messy, but instead started laughing hysterically and set about to clean me, and the furniture around me, up.

As time as passed, I have become a more adventurous eater, and have tried many new dishes that feature avocados, ranging from avocado salads and sandwiches to crostinis and tortillas. Although I love anything with avocado in it, I have to say that my all time favorite would be guacamole. I love the freshness of the cilantro and lime combination, and the ripe crispness of fresh tomatoes. Of course my favorite part of guacamole is the rich creaminess of the avocados combined with some sour cream, which creates a whole new kind of guacamole. I highly recommend the mild guacamole that can be found at any Whole Foods store, and of course my mum’s guacamole is amazing too.