Anticipation, or An Apple a Day

I was in HEB the other day, doing some shopping in the produce department, when I saw them. Piled in a big crate, set in the middle of the floor, so as not to miss them. HUGE, beautiful, shiny green and red apples. I picked one up. I gave it a couple of nice hefts in the palm of my hand, awed by the weight/volume ratio. That extra poundage, of course, means that the water content is high. High water content = juicy apple. Yum.The sign above them said "Honeycrisp" in a way that made me absolutely sure they would be sold out within a few minutes, so I had to get one while they were there. Of course, the sign also said "$2.99/lb" in a way that made me absolutely sure that they would completely blow my budget for the week. So I only bought one.

This beautiful specimen of an early fall apple was just shy of an entire pound. It cost me $2.63. I took it home and gave it a quick polish before giving it the place of honor in the fruit basket. It made the Jonagold apples there seem puny by comparison. I thought about eating it right away, but knew that anticipation is half the enjoyment. So I just admired. And waited.

I was right about the anticipation. I was enjoying it, perhaps too much. Last night, I had a nightmare in which someone mistakenly ate my Honeycrisp beauty. I felt bereft when I woke up. I was only pacified when I went downstairs to ensure that it was, indeed, a terrible, terrible dream.

This afternoon as the boys napped, I decided that the time was ripe. I sharpened my knife. I gave the apple one last scrub. I set it on the cutting board and took a deep breath. As the knife sliced through the skin, I could hear the pop! as the juice squirted out. My water/volume ratio theory was confirmed. This was a succulent one. The anticipation was climaxing. I just knew that this was going to be the kind of apple that caused the fall of mankind. I couldn't wait.

I cut it into manageable pieces and took a final look. Mouth watering, I took my first bite. Yes! It was juicy! As those apple juices reached the various tastebud locations in my mouth, I felt...........

Disappointment.

For all the good looks & hefty weight (and hefty price), this apple rated a 4.5 on the sweetness scale. Rats. What a waste of anticipation. I guess that taught me it's best not to expect the best. No matter how good something looks, it probably isn't.

Filipe says I'm a pessimist. I think I'm a realist. Either way, the apple was mediocre. Better to expect mediocre and be pleasantly surprised than to anticipate greatness and be disappointed.

Oh, and by the way, those "puny" Jonagolds were about the sweetest, juciest apples I've had in a long time. And they were on sale.