Seeding a lifelong love of autumnal 'super fruit'

Seeding a lifelong love of autumnal 'super fruit'

从拒绝到挚爱，我对石榴“路转粉”了

The arrival of autumn has left me enchanted once again with its bountiful harvest of pomegranates. And as I savor this gem of the fruit world, I can't help but reflect on how living in China actually introduced me to the wonders of this unique food.

秋天降临，石榴又丰收了，我心生欢喜。当我品尝石榴--果中之“王”--的时候，我不禁回忆起自己在中国生活的时日里，是怎样领略到这种果实的珍奇之处的。

While pomegranate juice had always been a favorite of mine, for a long time, I couldn't say the same for the actual fruit. Admittedly, appearances played a big role in my anti-pomegranate prejudices. It's a bunch of pulpy little seeds, I had thought. How could anyone possibly take pleasure in eating that?

我一直都很爱喝石榴汁，但并不喜欢石榴本身。我承认，自己对于石榴的偏见很大程度上来源于它的样子--一堆带肉的籽儿而已。怎么会有人喜欢吃这个?

But by chance, my bias was challenged, thanks to a family gift several years ago.

但几年前，一个偶然的机会撼动了我的这种偏见:我收到了一份家庭礼物。

A handful of small, spindly pomegranate trees grow just outside the gate of the family home in rural Zhejiang, and the branches were pendulous with the fruit every fall. So one autumn, my mother-in-law gave me and my husband a bag heaped with pomegranates she had picked herself.

我婆婆家在浙江农村，家门口长着几棵高高瘦瘦的石榴树，每年秋天一到，树枝上就挂满了果实。有年秋天，我婆婆给了我和我丈夫满满一袋石榴，都是她自己摘的。

At first, I shunned the seemingly burdensome pile of fruit on our dinner table, as well as my husband Jun's every attempt to cajole me into taking a bite. But with each passing day, where he continued to nibble on pomegranate and offer me a taste of the seeds, eventually curiosity prevailed.

石榴在餐桌上堆成小山。一开始，我总是躲着它们，也躲着我丈夫俊(Jun)的每一次“怂恿”，他老是想让我尝一口。日子就这样一天天过去，他自己啃石榴的时候，也总是剥几粒給我。最终好奇心占据了上风。