As I walked through the Wegman’s produce department the last time I went grocery shopping something caught my eye. A bin of what appeared to be oversized grapefruit sat among the other citrus fruits. A sticker informed me that they were red pummelos. Since I work with plants I am a sucker for unique fruits and plant products. I knew I had to buy one. Sure they cost $2.99 each, but if I didn’t get one now I would always wonder what red pummelo tastes like.

I picked one up. And it was seriously heavy. It was the size of a cantaloupe, though it seemed to weigh more (I later learned that the heavier the pummelo the better it tastes).

Tonight I posed for a portrait with my red pummelo.

A citrus fruit of unusual size.

Here is a lineup of household items that give some perspective to this defensive tackle-sized hesperidium.

A baseball, film canister, red pummelo, and gallon of milk.

Since the pummelo looked like a grapefruit I decided to eat it in that manner. I sliced it in half and used a spoon to remove the endocarp. The taste was exceptionally good. While strong hints of grapefruit flavor were present, the bitterness usually associated with grapefruit was not. Instead a light, sweet sugary flavor predominated. Based upon the taste of this fruit, if pummelos were not so expensive I would purchase them frequently.

A sliced and cansumed pummelo (it makes the full-sized dinner plate look small).

After eating the fruit I decided to look it up to find out more information about it. It turns out pummelo is Citrus maxima, and that red pummelo is a cultivar of that species. The fruit is high in potassium and vitamin C. Most people peel the fruit like an orange to eat it. Pummelos also go by many other common names. Citrus maxima is one of the parents of grapefruit (Jamaican sweet orange + Pummelo= Grapefruit) , and it is also one of the parents of tangelos (Tangerine + Pummelo = Tangelo). I wonder why grapefruit is more common than pummelo? It must be easier to produce and/or ship. I think the taste of pummelo is superior.

Red pummelo was just added to the list of things I like.

*Note: The image preview for this video is a terrible selection. It totally ruins the comedic effect of the surprise ending. You should see a picture of the little girl just looking at the camera.

At State College E-Free Church the current sermon series is a chapter-by-chapter look at the book of John. In the past few weeks hunger and thirst have been discussed. I’ve been thinking about hunger and thirst lately (hopefully this post isn’t too disjointed, there are many ideas bouncing around in my head right now).

A major part of life is seeking satiation. First of needs, then of wants. People have all sorts of appetites. Some struggle to get enough literal food (something many of us in the US have a heard time identifying with). When food is plentiful the appetite is diverted to other things. Things like money, luxuries, toys, fame, respect, sex, excitement, meaning, family, entertainment, and so on.

Humans have a collection of appetites, some noble and some not. In an unchecked setting I suspect the less noble appetites are usually stronger than the noble ones. We all have an appetite for destruction.

This is where I think it is interesting to think about satiation. To an onlooker Christianity may appear to be full of rules and regulations. Yet I see many of the perceived rules and regulations as common sense. When a Believer spends time reflecting on the Gospel and reading scripture the result is the development and filling of a noble appetite. And this makes other appetites pale. In many cases the less noble appetites are revealed to be worthless or harmful, so they become less enticing.

So rules and regulations do not exist to make life more difficult or less fun. They point to the most fulfilled life, to the healthiest life. The goal is to cultivate a healthy appetite.

When it comes to food we learn this skill. As children most of us have an affinity for foods high in sugar (and probably foods high in fat too). Initially parents oversee the diets of children, some more strictly than others. Hopefully at some point we mature in our diet. Even though we could, we do not eat exclusively desserts  (maybe because we know it’s a bad idea in theory, maybe because we tried it and felt lousy). Once we start to eat a healthy diet much of the junk food loses its appeal.

My prayer lately has been something along these lines: Lord, teach me to desire the things that I should desire. Remind me of the Gospel. Help me to see things for what they are and to appreciate true value.

Starving myself is not a good way to begin making healthy food choices. As my appetite develops, suddenly everything begins to look good (and by good I mean good to eat). If I’ve skipped two meals turning down junk food that suddenly presents itself will be much more difficult than if I’ve consumed a reasonable meal or two. In the same way, if I fail to reflect on the Gospel and do a poor job cultivating the right appetites I will be more likely to make stupid decisions when faced with lesser appetites.

Food for thought.

Someone recently directed me to the Cyanide and Happiness web comic. I think this post is rather funny:

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net