Oranges are Orange
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Every fruit has a story to tell. The story of the orange can be a little confusing as you wonder which came first – the colour or the fruit? Coloured and shaped like the rising/ setting sun, it is stunning to see the fruits shining like scores of tiny suns rising on the trees. These fruits are not subtle like apples or pears - even the subtlest orange offers a punch to the taste buds. Oranges deserve their reputation as liquid sunshine, given their energizing taste.
Darjeeling has always been well-known for its oranges. Come winter and everyone in Calcutta starts looking for the sweet Darjeeling oranges. I love a marketplace with its overflowing abundance of bounty. However, it cannot be compared to the sensuousness of watching oranges ripen on the tree. Until autumn, it seems no different from the many other trees that stand on the Himalayan slopes….after that there is an altogether different vibe to the tree.
The tree puts out a huge flower show of fragrant white blossoms. The exhibition invites are out! As I watch the honey bees buzz in and out of the flowers, I know my honey will have an orange flavour to it. Very soon the small green fruit appears which brightens up as it becomes juicy and lush. Was the Indian National Flag inspired by the green, white and saffron of the orange tree?
As a child I remember feeling scared that if I swallowed on orange seed, a tree would grow inside me. Now, I wish I could just become a tree, any tree. Have you ever squirted the orange peel juice into your eye? It is not just fun and games, the orange is indeed very good for the eyes. A beautician’s delight, the orange has anti-aging properties and keeps you looking forever young.
People are often known by the company they keep. Orange peels kept at the bottom of your garbage bin take away the stink and keep your house smelling fresh. At the end of the day, you know what you are made of only when you are squeezed.
"When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out -- because that's what's inside. When you are squeezed, what comes out is what is inside."
Orange trees symbolize stability and prosperity, while the fruit symbolizes love and luck.
‘The Godfather’ movie uses oranges that spill onto the street to speak of the life being drained from Vito as he is shot in the street—a metaphor for the blood being spilled, stands for the disarray of the family as well; the fruit of labour that is disregarded and strewn away carelessly.
One of the twelve tasks of Hercules was to get the golden apple from the island of Hesperides. They say the orange was the golden apple that was much sought after. The brilliantly coloured, large Mormon Butterfly keeps distracting me as it constantly hovers around the orange trees sharing the spotlight in the sun.
The very structure of the fruit tells you – Don’t eat me alone. Share! While the mango is my favourite fruit, the orange always reminds me of my dearest friend. I raise my cup of Dorje Teas to her who is as zesty as the orange.
Write to me at Editor@Dorjeteas.com
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