Once again, I find myself book-ended somewhere between the great mountains of the Himalayas and the South China Sea. Amid these two borders is a vast and ancient land. Like a table cloth strewn with crumbs, countless villages compose the jigsaw that is China.
The car slows down over the gravel covered road. Someone recognized this as being the place where the celebrated orange fruit will meet our party’s expectations. We exit the car and make our way to the great woven baskets where an abundance of these sweet and succulent fruit await. Each of us scrutinizes the freshly picked fruit, judiciously selecting which orange will be ours to try. The entire experience takes on a corporeal consciousness as we each start to peel the skin from these spheres and consume the moist and ripe flesh. Each segment discharges in my mouth. Never has such a simple little orange tasted so wholesome, so authentic. I promptly devour the balance. We all lean forward as the juices overflow on our chins. Smiles, laughter, contentment. Eager to please, I am offered another of what I now deem to be the forbidden fruit. I accept with much humility.
Yes, this is the right spot. Negotiations begin, concessions are made, and payment is settled.In the background a red cheeked, pigtailed little girl watches the proceedings. Her eyes incessantly falling on me, perhaps the first white man she has ever seen.
The car slows down over the gravel covered road. Someone recognized this as being the place where the celebrated orange fruit will meet our party’s expectations. We exit the car and make our way to the great woven baskets where an abundance of these sweet and succulent fruit await. Each of us scrutinizes the freshly picked fruit, judiciously selecting which orange will be ours to try. The entire experience takes on a corporeal consciousness as we each start to peel the skin from these spheres and consume the moist and ripe flesh. Each segment discharges in my mouth. Never has such a simple little orange tasted so wholesome, so authentic. I promptly devour the balance. We all lean forward as the juices overflow on our chins. Smiles, laughter, contentment. Eager to please, I am offered another of what I now deem to be the forbidden fruit. I accept with much humility.
Yes, this is the right spot. Negotiations begin, concessions are made, and payment is settled.In the background a red cheeked, pigtailed little girl watches the proceedings. Her eyes incessantly falling on me, perhaps the first white man she has ever seen.
The overfilled van is rearranged to make room for the large basket bursting with my new favourite fruit, ready to continue the journey with us.
