tomatoes...

such a simple word with ("toh" - "may" - "toes") three syllables. but it stirs up so many memories, and of so many different varieties too. one is the attack of the killer tomatoes (atttaaaacccckk ofthekillertomaaaatooooees...). this was a cartoon from when i was younger...it involved a world where mutant tomatoes grew mouths and teeth (i dont remember if they grew arms and legs, but they must have or else they wouldn't be much of a threat, hanging from stalks until they became overipe and plopped to the ground). Anyway, these mutant tomatoes or killer tomatoes (hence the latter part of the title) began attacking (hence the earlier part of the title) humans everywhere, threatening our very existence (what doesn't these days?). And the only hope for humanity was a ragtag bunch of...i can't remember exactly...but there was a guy, a tomato who was good, and a girl who looked normal enough (even cute for a cartoon character), but would turn into a tomato when she got wet, or something. weird memory...

i used to dread tomatoes when i was younger. i'm not really into vegetables, and the ones i utterly despised, were okra (i still hate okra), eggplant (i also still hate eggplant), green beans (don't make me say it), and tomatoes (i LOVE tomatoes). i used to hate tomatoes so much i wouldnt let the rest of my food touch the portion of the plate that a tomato slice rested on, even after the slice had been removed...i hated tomatoes so much, if my parents made me eat it, i'd stay behind at the dinner table, staring at my plate for up to two hours in silent protest...

that all changed when my mom made me try this tomato dish...here's how it is...imagine a dish, around two inches deep...now cut up a few medium sized tomatoes, not all the way mind you, just make cuts, like you're quartering it, but only halfway down the tomato, so that it opens up. now arrange several such tomatoes in the dish. stuff a few basil leaves into the cavity of the tomatoes, sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese on top, making sure that they cover the cracks of these over-sized berries. (because, that's what tomatoes are, closer to berries than any other plant, more fruit than vegetable) now, bake the dish of tomatoes until they are soft and the cheese has melted. now, be prepared to enjoy heaven...spoon out a single tomato, or eat out of the dish, the tomatoes should be soft, merely poking a fork into the skin causes some of its juices to squirt out. the cheese, should have filled the tomato and run out through the slices on the sides, while the basil leaves lend their flavor to the entire mixture...it's nothing short of heavenly.

this dish alone caused a revolution on my tastebuds...suddenly i had a craving for tomatoes...one of my favorite tomato dishes is the tomato soup in kitchen, called i say tomato you say tomato...when i first read it i thought, what the? then i realized that it's from that phrase, "i say tomato (pronounced to-MAY-to) you say tomato (pronounced to-MAH-to)" but i never pronounce it that way when i order, of course, lest someone overhear and think that im trying to act all saucy and stuff. hehe.

but then again, i dont care if anyone should think that. they'd be judging me prematurely. i know im not saucy or feeling or anything, so it shouldnt bother me. i know that if they got to see the real me, then they wouldnt think that way at all. but why do i still feel bugged by it then?

the answer: because i do that myself. i have a tendency to judge things right away. thinking that my limited perception and experience (if any at all) is the sum total of the entity, and i proceed to neatly summarize its existence, stubbornly believing that my verdict is flawless and absolute. who do i do this to? well, many such examples spring to mind, places i didnt want to visit, movies i thought weren't worth watching, books that i considered a waste of time, and people that i didnt bother to get to know. such instances remind me how wrong i was to pre-judge and make me regret all the wasted time and opportunities i had with these people, places, and things.

of all of these examples, one stands starkly in the foreground. the epitome of all the times that i havent given something a chance and judged it wrongly, only to regret my actions in the end. and that example is...




THE TOMATO

no other object or person has suffered more from my prejudices...the derision i had showed, the repulsion i had expressed at the mere sight of a slice on my plate, the way i would recoil from any dish with the slightest presence of tomatoes (except spaghetti of course, i love spaghetti) like superman from kryptonite...and all the while, the lovely, delectable, sweet, gentle tomato was patiently waiting for me to mature beyond my irrational behavior, till i was finally willing to open my eyes (figuratively of course, i had always SEEN tomatoes. so maybe i should say "...willing to open my tastebuds." but that just sounds silly).

so i guess the lesson is, don't knock it till you've tried it. who knows whether or not that new person might be one of your best friends ever...or that movie may turn out to be your favorite...or you might fall in love with that new book and buy all of the author's other works...or that one dish, cuisine, or food product might just be the one to set off the fireworks on your tongue.

but i still hate eggplant, okra, and green beans.