THE FALL AND RISE OF THE GRAPEFRUIT SPOON
It was my grandmother who first introduced me to grapefruit. At that halcyon time in my childhood, I was becoming bored with apples and oranges and was ready for something new, a fruit that could stand up and bite back.
And so, with grandmother’s matchmaking, I began a love affair with grapefruit. I loved the tart taste. I loved how grapefruit went, oddly, with almost nothing. I loved how grapefruit came in its own carrying case and provided two servings per fruit. And after munching on the slivers of fruit from the half-shell, you could still drink the juice right from the carrying case (ok, I’ll stop with the “case” metaphor).
For me, grapefruit was a case of love at first slice. Think about it: “GrapeFruit”? “GirlFriend”? Both initials “GF.” Coincidence? Probably. But the real revelation to me was what my grandmother introduced me to next:
The Grapefruit Spoon!
To my adolescent mind this was a technological marvel. How it sliced effortlessly between skin and pulp, a little scooch right and left, then a perfect portion of fruit popped into the bowl of the spoon. I even discovered a number of other, practical uses for the spoon; more on that later.
Ok, you might say I have a thing for spoons…