my first Pomegranate experience

Gilbert flipped out when he saw a bag of Pomegranate at SM Hypermarket last week. He was like a fulfilled deep-sea treasure hunter with his energetic smile glowing from ear to ear. He was telling me about this "mysterious" fruit several years back. Tasting it first when he was just seven, he searched here and there. He actually claimed buying a Pomegranate (Granada as they call it here in the Philippines) months ago but he insisted it was not the one he tasted as a young child. With a twinkle in his eyes, he was assuring me that it was the right fruit this time. It was a bit expensive (Php 350.00 for two pieces) but I couldn't resist Gilbert's pleading charm so I placed the plastic bag in our grocery cart without hesitation.

So we bought the fruit and true enough, the experience was rather amazing.

He was trying to do two things at the same time when we reached home - his right hand was quickly scanning through some online sites about Pomegranate and his left hand was itching to open the fruit. The reddish, leathery-skinned fruit is nearly round and crowned at the base, similar to a guava. He was very impatient so he opened it by cracking it into half with his bare hands, making a mess, squirting some of the juices. You'll notice a white, spongy covering. Remove that carefully and you'll be surprised to see lots of vivid red sacs filled with very sweet and juicy pulps.

He handed me the other half, reminding me not to swallow the sac because it has a small seed inside. I ate it just like how I eat oranges. His eating style was unique though. He popped out the seeds using his fingers (much the same as how you remove corn kernels from the cob), pierced and sipped all the juice in his mouth and then spit the tiny seeds. Eating it was such a mess but it was "bloody" awesome.

It took him only about three minutes to finish his part. I gave him a stern look then he laughed so hard. I know him so well and I know he wants to get a piece of my share. I'm certainly enjoying the fruit too so he's not getting any. Well, not really. I handed him a few pulps after a couple of seconds.

While we're both savoring our Pomegranate moment, I took the opportunity to search images online about the fruit that he bought months back. It turned out to be a Dragon Fruit. He must have gotten confused at that time because both fruits are roundish and red.

We then collected all the tiny seeds and our next goal now is to plant them. It's difficult to find Pomegranate in the Philippines. I'm curious why this amazing, nutricious fruit is not readily available in our local markets. It's a tropical fruit and I think it's best to plant them here. We're looking forward in growing them successfully so we don't need to ransack every market.