But onwards. The fact is, lemons have gotten a bad rap. They are the ugly duckling of the citrus family. The orange reigns supreme. The grapefruit is less popular, but its vaunted cholesterol-lowering virtues and sheer girth have attracted it a similarly sizeable following. Limes are the cocktail-maker's best friends, and wow with their exotic taste, eye-catching bright green colour and the aforementioned association with liquor (not least with tequila).
But what of the lemon? The best it can hope for is the status of home remedy. To ward off a cold, for a bit of vitamin C. And to top it all off, to be in the saying:
"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."Isn't that just great. Just plum. But let's stick to the fruit-du-jour. Who would want to be a lemon? It means sour faces, shoddy equipment, and general unhappiness. Sour grapes for all. Uh, but let's get back to the main fruit.
The lemon has been maligned for far too long. It represents the very foundation of western capitalist society. So make that lemonade. Set up that lemonade stand. Proudly hock that lemon's watered down sweetened juice for 25 cents a glass. Heck, make it 50, these are tough economic times and with the threat of swine flu, you can work the vitamin C angle.
And remember: when life gives you lemons, squeeze every last drop out of them - after all, nature provided it for free. It's a lesson that'll get you far.
Just ask the Chinese.
