“EAT MORE FRUIT”

Evening Star, Issue 19893, 15 June 1928, Page 14

“EAT MORE FRUIT”

lino of the first criticisms that our Latin visitors—and often cur American visitors—utter bears upon our poverty iu the matter of fruit. The automatic presence of dessert on tho lunch and dinner tables of France and Italy does not exist hero, and is missed. And when, in a restaurant, in obedience to an order, it conics, the price is staggering. And yet the odd thing is that, although the ordinary caterer and housewife treat fruit as a luxury, the casual stranger in tho busier London streets would assume that wo ate it all the time, so many barrows of it would he sec, which shows how unsafe it is to generalise. Office boys and office girls bring to fruit a respect, that is almost Continental, but it is doubtful if they carry it, into maturcr life. As husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, they will probably bo as little fruitarian as the rest of the race. They will forget, just ns, on returning home, English travellers in France and Italy and Spain forgot. While wo are abroad how often do wo remark: “Aren't those little grapes a joy!” "Why on earth can't wo be as sensible as these people, and always have fruit?'’ “illy dear, do let us always have fruit on (ho table; and real fruit—something besides bananas.’ “Of course, darling!” But for bow long are such good resolutions remembered ? Sly first taste of pineapple—(.lie true fruit, not the tinned variety, although 1 am casting no stones at that; at many a meal in a. week-end cottage that once I rented has the delirious chunk come to our aid—my first taste of pineapple dates from the 1870's, at a cattle show in Bedfordshire. A raa.ii was selling slices at a penny each, and I bought ono and thought that I had never tasted anything so exquisite. The pineapple still seems to me one of the Creator’s happiest thoughts; but as I have enjoyed since then (he keenest, rarest gustatory thrill with which the palate can be surprised it has been displaced from the hisbeet rank. In other words, I have eaten a. mangosteen.—E. V. Lucas (‘ A Frondcd Isle, and Other Essays ’).