Hubs and I sat on the couch last week, discussing that massive cucumber our neighbor gave us.
“It’s the biggest vegetable I’ve seen, except for a pumpkin,” I said.
“Cucumbers aren’t vegetables – they are fruits,” he replied. “Fruits have seeds inside, like tomatoes.”
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
'Scuse?
I knew tomatoes were fruits, but somehow, I thought they were some kind of freakish exception.
“If cucumbers are fruits, then so are zucchinis,” I laughed kind of nervously. “That’s ridiculous, you’re full of baloney.”*
Blank stare from Hubs.
“If everything with seeds inside is a fruit, then peppers are fruits?!” I’m shrieking now. “Jalapenos are FRUITS? Strawberries have seeds on the OUTSIDE, how are they fruits?!” I felt like that dude in the Matrix. My reality was zipping past me and now I have to live with the knowledge that most things I think are veggies aren’t.
Hubs was right. The difference between botanical fruits and culinary fruits is vast and mind-bending. I should have been paying a little more attention during that whole genus/species session in 7th grade science.
*Possibly not my word of choice, but this is a family show.
I didn't know that. Well I mean I knew the tomato thing, and I think I've heard about cucumber but that just threw me off big time haha... I am just as shocked as you! I feel like my whole knowledge of edible things has been one big lie ;)
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend is a science geek too (geology, but he still knows quite a bit about biology) and to top it off, his twin is getting his Ph.D. in Biology/Botany. Whew! Anyway, my point is that I hear crap (I mean- useful stuff) like this all the time. Did you know that cherries and raspberries aren't technically berries? They are drupes. Yes, DRUPES. And strawberries are some sort of freak of nature that isn't berry OR drupe... etc. Sorry, I didn't mean to further expand the matrix for you.
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