Collection

Lemons

As we walked through the garden, talking about the world I came from, I notice a tree that was unlike the rest.

"What is that one?" I asked, pointing to the tree in question.

"The girl gave a small smile and jogged to the tree, reaching up to pluck one of the odd yellow fruits from a branch, and a leaf. I caught up to her and she offered the leaf to me. "Smell it," she said. I did. "Mhhm, it has a... how do your people say... tangy scent." I folded the leaf in half until it broke and sniffed the ridge I created. "Yes, I'll go with tangy." The girl giggled and raised the hand holding the fruit to me. As I took it, she said, "This is a citrus fruit."

"What, like an orange?" She nodded. "Is it called a yellow?" This made bubbles of laughter rise from her throat.

"No, it's called a lemon. We use them to give extra taste to some dishes, like fish, or chicken. The outside of it, the peel, or zest, can top off dishes. And, we make drinks out of it with sugar and water, called lemonade. When you put it in teas, it gives extra flavors, and if you put it in hot water with honey, it is an aid for sore throat." I raised my eyebrows at the many functions a single fruit can bear, and she nodded, and continued. "Mmhmm, also, it could be used to clean things, too. It's the acid, it helps clean."

"So I just bite into it?"

"No, well some people eat the rind, too, with salt, but no, it's to be peeled, here," She took the lemon from my hand and sauntered to the small wire table that held our sweet teas. She sat in one of the two chairs and used a knife to slice the lemon in half, further slicing one of the halves. She took my tea and squeezed some of the juice into my glass, stirring it with a spoon, then handing me a slice of the lemon. "Eat that" she commanded. I bit into it and instantly regretted it. My face screwed up and my eyes watered" The girl thought it was comical.

She then handed me my glass and giggled when I shook my head no, thank you. I've had quite enough of that.

"Just trust me, dear, nothing to fear," she assured me.

"Hesitantly, I took the glass and took a small sip from the tea. To my relief, it did not taste like the lemon, not at all. In fact, it was sweet, but not as sweet as before. She took a slice for herself and ate it without her face screwing up.

"What's the taste of that lemon called?" I asked.

"That's called sour, or tangy, or bitter." She answered.

"So," She said, resting her chin on her palm. "Tell me about your home planet, PajeDahn.