My brother and me, Christmas 2003

For whatever reason, one of the Christmas stocking stuffers we had growing up was a kiwi. One explanation I remember hearing was that kiwis are in season at that time of year; if that’s true or not, I have no idea. I’m sure kiwis are also fairly easy to slip into stockings, allowing St. Nick to make a quick getaway, upon finishing his milk and cookies. And, of course, kiwis fall in line with the traditional Christmas gifts of oranges and other citrus fruit (and our family often got a special box of those to share).

With all of the changes our family went through over the years, all the places we lived, the different family members and other people we lived with, my parents’ divorce and their second (and third) marriages, kiwis were just about the only constant, the only real tradition that remained.

So kiwis, besides being delicious, always make me happy and nostalgic, and I always insist that we have them during the Christmas holiday.

—Sidebar—

I remember being told that kiwis were a man-made hybrid fruit produced by combining the DNA of strawberries and bananas. Those dirty liars. Unless the Wikipedia entry on kiwifruit is wrong, that would appear not to be the case. Then again, perhaps someone told me it was “the combination of strawberries and bananas,” meaning taste-wise, and I just took it to mean production-wise. As the Wikipedia entry says, “The texture of the fruit is soft and the flavour is sometimes described as a mix of strawberry, banana, and pineapple.” So there you have it.

—End Sidebar—

My wife’s wonderful parents have taken to buying me kiwis just about every time we visit them. I’m not used to eating kiwifruit at other times of the year, but it’s growing on me. And until recently, I had always considered actually eating kiwifruit somewhat of a chore.

Mom would always peel away the fuzzy skin, then cut them into thin slices and sprinkle a little sugar on top. It tastes great that way, but it takes some time to prepare, not to mention plenty of skill (kiwis happen to be quite slippery without the fuzzy exterior).

If you only eat them once a year, it’s not hard to be patient; but if you’re eating kiwi more regularly, that method can grow tiresome.

Last year, I offered a kiwi to a friend of ours named Mike, and he introduced me to a different way of eating kiwifruit; he simply cuts off one end, then takes a spoon and digs into the fruit, using it like a bowl. The peel is thick enough to remain intact, as long as you’re careful and don’t stab it too hard with your spoon.

Then just a few weeks ago, we were visiting the in-laws again, and they had purchased some kiwis that were already chopped in half. I decided to try eating them Mike’s way, only in halves rather than as a whole. It worked beautifully.

So when I saw that my company had supplied its employees with some kiwifruit this week, I felt I should share my special new, efficient way of eating them. Assuming Youtube starts working again, my video is below the fold. It was created using a Flip Video and Windows Movie Maker. Bon Appétit.