Don't Bruise the 'Cado
The avocado.
Ah, food trends. It is interesting and a little weird that we have food trends and, even more, that there are foods that are considered trendy.
Bacon had its time in the spotlight for at least a year. I do like bacon--it is tasty and when it is cooked just right (In the oven. Let’s say 20 minutes at 450? Slightly burned, pretty darn crispy, and oozing oil when bitten into), it is satisfying to say the least. But I was never a crazy bacon-in-everything lady.
Sriracha has had its time in the sun recently as well. I’m not even sure why or how, but it has been found in everything from potato chips to pudding (okay, I made that second part up) and I was really sad when Cheez-It replaced their Tabasco cracker with a sriracha one. I’m sure they are just as good, but I don’t want to try them and I don't want to like them.
The avocado, however, was embraced as a trend among the others, and it is one well-deserved spot.
I didn’t grow up eating avocados and probably didn’t try them at all in non-guacamole form (exposed to at parties, of course) until my late teens. Avocados were just always the expensive and fancy food that my parents didn’t want to buy, amiright?!
Even trying it for the first few times was a little disgusting, and I would proudly proclaim that I hated avocados--the taste, the texture, the hint of it in my sinuses--because circa 2004 it was cool to dislike whatever was otherwise well-liked.
One day that all changed. I don’t even know WHEN! I wish I had a cool story for you about it. But perhaps, like dark chocolate or hoppy beer, adulthood makes you appreciate what was previously inedible.
So back to the avocado itself--what makes it so great?
Well for starters, the color of the flesh of a healthy, perfect avocado is freaking gorgeous: A 1970s shag rug-green that fades to honeysuckle yellow. The fruit has been featured in commercials. It was made into earrings.
The perfect Saturday morning breakfast for me (you know, when pancakes are just not an option because jeans) would be fried eggs with runny yolks--I have to be VERY careful on this step because if I break a yolk in the pan it casts a dark shadow over my whole day--along with some kimchi or kraut, sauteed spinach, and one whole avocado. None of that quarter or half business. Who even eats less than a whole avocado?! That’s crazy talk. It wasn’t designed for that. It rebels against that almost immediately, forming an unappealing brown cast, to let you know you effed up.
Speaking of the insanely short life of an avocado, I think it is kind of adorable that the fruit is so finicky, and it makes for great memes (see above).
If the fresh, creamy taste doesn’t entice, if the beautiful green pulp doesn’t dazzle before your eyes, know this: Never forget this! Avocado is good for you. It is full of heart-healthy fats and is naturally nutrient-dense. It can do incredible things for your hair, skin, nails, and happiness.
If I may be so bold as to say, an avocado a day...
