Wednesday, August 22, 2007

God's fruit

"Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?"
-- The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.

T.S. Eliot was born in Missouri but spent most of his life in Europe. Obviously, he never tasted a Georgia peach or his character Alfred would never have asked such a stupid question.

The ambrosia that floods your mouth upon biting into such a fruit, fresh from a farmer's market, almost makes up for these hellish summers of ours that are required to create peach perfection.

No syrupy, soggy has-been from a can and no hard, crunchy pseudo-peach from some other state, can compare to the real thing.

You know it's real when you don't even have to chew it, you just sort of compress it with your tongue and it squirts its heaven all over your tastebuds.

Peaches came from China, via Persia. Obviously, some ancient Chinese person made God very happy somehow and was rewarded with the world's first peach tree.

I have had a very long, very exhausting day. I had every right to reward myself tonight with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and slices of the most exquisite fruit known on the planet.

9 comments:

molly said...

I just cut out a recipe for the best peach cobbler ever from the newspaper. Guess I'm going to have to hunt down some Georgia specimens to try it out with.....

Eastcoastdweller said...

That You must do, dear Molly.

Anonymous said...

You deserve at least two of them peaches...

StayAtHomeKat said...

ah yes the peaches I have known
the bushel baskets we would stop and buy when I was a kid

Eastcoastdweller said...

Leslie: Thank You!

Kat: Recreate the tradition!

Laura Stamps said...

I didn't know you lived in Georgia. Wow! I grew up in Atlanta (Dunwoody North), and then my family moved to Dalton when I was 12, and I stayed there until I moved to Charleston, SC, to finish the last two years of college, since the college in Dalton at that time was only a Junior College. Otherwise, I would still be in Georgia, because I am a Georgia Girl, and love that state, especially north Goergia and that part of the Appalachain Mountains. Small world!

Hope it hasn't been as hot there as it has been here in Columbia, SC. We have had 3 weeks of temps in the 100+ range and a heat index every day of 105 - 120. Yikes! Today we have rain (which we haven't had any of either), and it is "cool" in the low 90s. Looks just like fall here though, only the trees and grass aren't brown because winter is coming. They are brown, because the heat killed them! I have never seen so many dead bushes. And pine straw and dead leaves all over the ground and trees just like the fall. August really was a Leo lion this year (grin)!

Sending you many faery xoxoxo today!

Mermaid Melanie said...

i have experienced this. yummmmmmy.

Wanderlust Scarlett said...

Vanilla ice cream and peaches.
Perfect summer ambrosia... when blended.

Winters would be strawberries and warm chocolate.


Going for peaches now.

Scarlett & Viaggiatore

Eastcoastdweller said...

Laura: No, I don't live in Georgia but along the same east coast.

Scarlett: The thought of strawberries and warm chocolate -- this post is becoming quite caloric!