A Memory of Food

When I was young, my parents always drilled my siblings and me on selecting the best ingredients in the grocery store. It was a routine every time we wandered around the produce or meat sections. From determining which lemons had the thinnest skin and thus more pulp to finding the crispiest cucumber or knowing a pork belly is at its best when the piece you purchase has at least three distinct layers of fat and meat: what used to be constant nagging has now transformed into a wealth of knowledge that I carry with me every time I shop. Sometimes, I find myself spending a considerable amount of time among the lemons to find the best one, wondering what others might think as they watch me meticulously pick up, compare, and put back lemons—after all, isn’t one lemon just like any other?