As I work my way, day-by-day, through this strange and unpredictable thing called life, I’m constantly struck by the number of things I don’t understand. And then I had the most brilliant of revelations. There are heaps of things that I have no way of comprehending. And every week, I find myself struggling to figure out what to post in this blog.

Can you see the synergy? Can you see the perfect fit?

I’ve just landed on a perfect strategy for producing more content for my blog. I don’t just have to focus on writing and music and being grumpy. There’s a massive new avenue I can explore. One that should provide fertile ground for years’ worth of posts. I can start a new series, titled ‘Things I don’t understand.’

So here we go. Here is episode 1, proudly titled ‘Why do people ruin fresh fruit?’

I love fresh fruit. Fresh fruit is one of my all-time favourite things. Strawberries and raspberries. Pineapple and passionfruit and peaches and plums. Not to mention apples (though only the green ones) and pomegranates, and mmmm mmmm mmm blood oranges.

I would have to say that fresh fruit is one of the absolute joys in my life. Especially in this time of lockdown, the thought of fresh fruit is enough to get me out of bed and keep me motivated through the day.

There’s nothing better than that first moment when you put a piece of fresh fruit in your mouth, and then you bite down slowly. All that sweet juice comes flooding out, filling your mouth with fruity joy. And then you bite again and again, chewing on that lovely pulp while still savouring the juicy goodness. Life doesn’t get any better than that.

Except, here’s the thing I don’t understand. Every time I see a cooking show on the telly, or read a recipe in a magazine, what do I notice? People ruining fresh fruit. They’re pureeing it and compoting it, or boiling and flambeing it. Why would you do that? Why would you ruin the beauty and simplicity of fresh fruit in such a way? Why would you make it all mixed up and complicated and mushy, when it’s so good in its most simple and unadorned form?

I even see it when I go to parties (remember them?) or afternoon teas. Fruit mixed into cakes, or sprinkled with sugar, or even (gasp) smothered in cream (yuch).

I don’t get any of these things. To me, the only thing you want to do with fruit is eat it in its purest, freshest form.

I guess it’s one of those things I’ll never understand.