Oh my darling, Clementine.

I’m not really into fruity candy but I love me some orange slices. Now I’ve found a fruit that tastes like an orange slice but it’s good for you like an orange: the clementine.

Our friend Amish introduced us to them. He told of us of its easy-to-peel functionality, its juicy taste and its addictive qualities. Frank and I each tried one (I think Frank tried three) and we were hooked. “Tastes like an orange slice!” I squealed.

I was already planning on going to the store that day so I added them to my list. When I arrived at Kroger (they have that here too!) I discovered my first of two disappointments:

1. Clementine oranges are expensive! $7.99 for a basket of ‘em. And you had to buy the whole basket. Made me feel bad that we gobbled up so many of Amish’s.

Still, I bought the little suckers and Frank and I ate them with our breakfasts, for snacks and basically, every time we passed by that cute little basket (which I later repurposed as a dish towel holder. Just call me Heloise.)

Now, onto the second disappointment: I know this is dorky but I look up everything on the internet. Like if I pass a house in the neighborhood that’s for sale, I have to look it up to see how much it is. Or if I’m about to go to a restaurant, I have to look up the menu online. So when I fell in love with the clementines, I looked them up too. That’s where I found #2:

2. They’re only in season from about Dec-March. Come to think of it, ours did go dundies fast.


So we had fun with the clementines while they lasted. It’s like that song at the end of Pretty Woman, “It must have been love…but it’s over now.” Except that’s about a hooker and a businessman and this is about a writer and a fruit. Although that hooker did have orange hair.