Good afternoon, class. Today’s lesson is on the importance of looking at your food before consuming it. To illustrate, we have a special guest appearance. This cheerful green pepper was sliced open by one of my coworkers during dinner preparations last autumn. Like the Virgin Mary Toast, all evidence of this miraculous occurrence would have been lost had she tossed the pepper core without a glance. Let us all have a moment to pause and reflect on the tragedy and waste so narrowly averted.
Thank you. I hope each and every one of you now understands why it is important to always look before you eat, or slice, or throw away your food. Any questions? Good. Class dismissed.
Now the details, since I know some will ask. First of all, I can vouch for the picture, since I’m the one who took it. That’s my desk underneath it, and my Christmas cactus blooming in the background. How could I not capture it on, uh, pixels, when presented with such a spectacle on a day when I happened to have my camera at work with me? The only retouching consisted of adjusting the lighting (too dark), sharpening (too blurry), rotating (too vertical), cropping (too big), and resizing (again, too big). You can trust me. I’m a writer. I may exaggerate, but I never lie. And, finally, if you’re having trouble getting your bearings, click here for a larger version of the above photo, or here to see the opposite side of the slice.
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Ilana said,
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Ooo. I think yours is better than the toast.
Icon worthy.
Had I but known, I would have taken a closer look at the apple core I threw away this evening after cutting slices for the kids. Perhaps a miracle was missed…
Dru said,
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 8:17 pm
wow. now I’ll have to look at food that I discard.
Katie said,
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 8:22 pm
I feel fairly certain that the lentil soup I had for lunch was without cosmic meaning, but I guess you never know. That’s a great pepper, Caryn!
pamwritesromance said,
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 8:47 pm
De-lightful, de-licious, and absolutely de-lovely. I once again stand in awed silence at both your prose and your produce.
Caryn said,
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Ilana, I’m probably biased, but I like it better, too.
I couldn’t believe it when my coworker brought it in to show it to me.
Now you know, Dru. Now you know.
Katie, maybe you should have drained it and looked at any of the herbs remaining at the bottom, the way some people read tea leaves. Perhaps there was meaning there, and you simply washed the bowl too quickly.
LOL, Pam! I’ll have to pass on your awe to my coworker.
nomadshan said,
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 9:44 pm
It just looks so happy. Nice
The Muse said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 5:38 am
The other side is priceless! Now don’t ask me why, but the song “Don’t worry, be Happy.” comes to mind. That and Dutch apple pie.
You could have made millions had you guys sold that pepper on eBay!
Have a great day!
David Rice said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 7:37 am
The veggie face is cute!
Robin said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 8:11 am
Cute pepper.
Robin said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 8:54 am
Oh my gosh! I’ll never look at a pepper the same way again. Thanks for the lesson in stop, slow down and Look at your food. And like Pam, I’m once again awed – with a smile on my face.
Kyle said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 10:13 am
I’ve been trying to figure out what it looks like, and (if you squint a little) it kind of looks like Winnie the Pooh. Just go with me!
LOL… Is this a Stop And Smell The Roses kind of thing?
Melissa said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 11:24 am
All hail to the green pepper. *snort*
This just makes me realize I should take a picture of the birthmark I have on the back of my leg. It looks like someone giving you a thumbs up. (or a birdy, depends on your view.)
Erin said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 11:41 am
Now that is just cute when food smiles back at you. My veggies don’t feel the same way, I think. It might be because I’m not part of the Crisper Cult…
Liz said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 12:01 pm
how cheerful
emily said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 12:23 pm
i love it. you brightened my day.
bookmom said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Wow! Who knew food could be as intertaining to adults as it is to kids. *G*
Alyssa Goodnight said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Very cute–I particularly like the brown seed crew cut.
Conda V. Douglas said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Did you know there’s even children’s books published with smiling vegetables?! Yours could be one!
aporia said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 4:15 pm
i like the opposite side.
maxpwnage said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Great Picture. Thank you now I will always have a gander of what I’m throwing away before I actually throw it. It’s a good lesson to learn…
Caryn said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 7:54 pm
By the way, I’m back to answering comments on email this time around.
spyscribbler said,
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 9:20 pm
That is SO cute! Amazing! The unexpected smile is always a gift!
virginia said,
Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 2:39 pm
wow. seriously weird. cool, but weird. and what’s with the little tuft of hair growing out of its head?! insane.
J.L. Krueger said,
Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 7:39 pm
That was a weird one! So far I haven’t had any food quite that…interesting.
lainey said,
Friday, May 9, 2008 at 9:07 am
Nice to get an unexpected smile, but really, peppers with personalities could open up the door to potato people, and who knows what else and cause vegans and vegetarians tol starve to death!
Katie Reus said,
Friday, May 9, 2008 at 9:56 am
That’s so cute! I always always look at what i’m eating or drinking before I chomp into something. Years ago I was staying at this dump in The Keys, and when I went to drink my pineapple juice, there was a huge, flapping, trying to fly, bug in it! I’m pretty sure it was a palmetto bug, which is slightly less gross than a roach. Ick! I just got a chill remembering it
Mary said,
Friday, May 9, 2008 at 6:22 pm
It’s the cutest pepper in the world! Did you name it?
The Sassy Lime » Blog Archive » tales of tomatoes i have known… said,
Sunday, August 10, 2008 at 7:51 pm
[...] me of caryn’s happy bell pepper. er, that would be ‘The Placid Pepper of Eternal Happiness’. she’s a writer, [...]