turkish green almonds taste like spring
i love to eat fruit and draw it, draw it and eat it
i saw these in the fruit section of the grocery store. it took me weeks to realize that in english, they are green almonds. the outside is fuzzy, and tastes green, fresh, and crunchy, like a very unripe peach. not sweet. a little sour, a little bitter — like something freshly picked off a tree, something new and wild. the inside is pale, the color of a pine nut. when you bite into it; it’s tender and jelly-like, faintly sweet. the newborn almond.
i did a little research and found that they are fleeting fruit - lasting a few weeks of spring. in istanbul, unlike in new york, spring feels distinctive, stretching out for months. these green almonds reminded me of that spring i spent i japan, when i went mountain vegetable picking with a neighborhood dad, lost in the forest, looking at edible wilderness. i am grateful for seasons, and strange fruit i can draw.