The Big Metal Bowl

I have a son that's a picky eater. It makes me crazy, but at the same time, I can remember turning my nose up at foods. One of them was avocados. They were just so ... so green! I grew up in South Texas and for parties my parents would always make a giant bowl of guacamole. And they'd always encourage me to try some. But I kept my distance for years and years and then...

I got married.

Now, when you're married, you really try to make your spouse happy, even if sometimes you know down to your boots that you don't like something.

You can see what's coming, can't you?

Yeah, that's right. My new partner in crime made guacamole. Not only did he make guacamole, he used some of our oh so tiny paycheck to buy riotously expensive avocados. With love he chopped the tomatoes, added extra cilantro just like I like it, and then proudly presented it in a miniscule bowl with a side of tortilla chips.

Well, even if my pride wasn't at stake, we'd spent good money on that bowl of guacamole and by golly I was going to try it. I mean, how bad could it be?

I loved it. I absolutely totally and with every fiber of my being loved it. The creaminess of the avocados, the tang of the lime, the gentle bite of the red onions. What was this food of the gods and why had I never tried it?!

*crickets*

*clears throat*

I suddenly remembered all the parties my parents had growing up. I remembered that giant bowl of guacamole that they made and offered every time. In that moment I wanted to cry.

Fast forward twenty years (yes, we've been married that long) to our new home in Fiji. In case you're wondering, I moved here in October. I'm a newbie.

A friend of mine was giving me a ride and asked if I minded stopping by her house on the way. No problem! While she ran inside I walked around her yard. Look! The avocados grow on trees here!

She gave me a couple of avocados and I excitedly brought them home. I've been buying a couple at a time from the market, but this was the first time I'd had avocados fresh from the tree I saw them growing on. 

I tucked the avocados into a paper bag at home and then went to get dinner started. I opened the fridge and found...

We really need to be able to insert sound effects into blogs. I need a minor chord here to be followed by a choir singing Hallelujah! No, I'm not making this up. 

I opened the fridge to find a bowl as big as the one I remembered from childhood filled with freshly made guacamole. 

Isn't that a thing of beauty? 

Now if I can just get my son to try it.