Stumbling Upon

Funny I should stumble upon an article regarding apricots this morning.

(These apricots here were found at a market in Bordeaux while backpacking last summer)

I clicked on the "stumble upon" link on my web browser, a funny little application I discovered in college. "Stumble Upon" takes a quick survey of your interests and traits, then you're off to stumble freely as the app takes you on a ride from site to site. Anything and everything that may be of potential interest for you is up for stumbling upon.

I've often found myself creating recipes from the 4 random contents in my fridge, reading travel blogs of young adventurers who've made their way to Brazil or Singapore, and even making a visit to Etsy- the site for those artistically savvy individuals looking to sell homemade jewelry and lamps made out of wine bottles and recycled coffee cans.

Some mornings are just designed for stumbling. And on those mornings or in this case, afternoons, when I'm a bit under due to what appears to be a cold, and perhaps even a faint of heart, I take the simple click and set my sights on what new wonder I'll come across today.

Funny I should stumble upon an article regarding apricots. I hate apricots. Peaches, even nectarines, yes. But apricots, not so much. I do however have a passion for dried apricots. I am obsessed. They're in my top five. I purchase my favorite little floral designed bag from, you guessed it, Trader Joe's. They are my favorite snack. I love dried apricots. (Mom, if you're reading this... hint hint...send some my way?)

The article went into the life of the apricot in ancient Armenia (gosh I love alliteration), its cultivation in Greece during the time of Alexander the Great, and even in China, Australia, Iran, and Tasmania. Most US Apricots come from California, which I suppose is not so surprising, but even Washington and Utah. Yet Turkey is the leading producer of apricots today. Hence the Turkish adage, "an apricot tree will not grow far from the mother tree." I'm not completely sure what that means.

The Chinese cling to apricots in terms of medicine and education. Apparently Chinese philosophers use a classical word commonly in written language meaning "educational circle", its literal translation, "apricot altar." Some story circulates about Confucius teaching his students in one such educational circle surrounded by Apricot trees.

Nonetheless I like the Turkish idiom, "bundan iyisi Şam'da kayisi," literally meaning, "the only thing better than this is an apricot in Damascus." Today meaning, "it doesn't get any better than this." I take it the Turkish get what I mean when I rave about the deliciousness of a dried apricot...about the wondrous affect such sweetness can have on the spirit (hmm I sound like Shea talking about food). Sometimes there's just nothing better. Though here I've had no apricots... pineapple and mango and peaches seem a bit more popular. Oh and avacado.

Did I really just write a post about apricots? Ha! I think I could write a whole entry on my love of produce in general. Not sure who'd want to read that one though.

Well, till next time.
I'm off to walk the sand and get tangled up in blue.