Monday, September 3, 2012

Some Days Peanuts, Some Days Shells...



 I love peanuts still in the shell, roasted (better than raw), no salt (s’healthier that way). Some are already split and easy to open, others require a slight bite to crack apart, but they aren’t hard (unlike pistachios, which I like but cannot get open if the shell isn’t already partially opened. You can crack a fang on those!). If you’re a Dragon, you have to be careful about the biting part. You don’t want to crush the contents before you get a chance to partake.

Why still in the shell, you ask? One, if you have to open them, you eat them slower. There’s no grabbing up a handful/ claw-full of nuts to shovel in as one great bite. You select them, one at time, with thoughtful intent.
  
Two, shelling takes time, a momentary focus off of whatever you’re doing (at least it does for me, although I’m certain some connoisseurs can do it without thought), 




which is a nice break if you’re engaged in something you don’t really want to do, but have to do…like work that is required to earn a living. Some boring, non-creative endeavor you simply can’t escape…              





Shelling peanuts breaks up the moment, loosens the mind, the hands, the soul.

Anyway, opening peanuts. A study of the shell is required—its configuration, its hardness, its color (wastebasket those of ‘unnatural’ color!), and the access (partially opened, or not?). 
Does it crush easily between your claw-tips, or is pressure required? Does it require a twisting strength to pull it apart? Does it crunch if you bite it? Squish? Crackle? 


Anticipation makes my wings flutter! The discovery of what lies inside the shell can cause a fleeting spurt of adrenaline…a perfect specimen of peanuthood? 





Or a shrunken little nob of not quite peanutness? 
S’odd to discover some strange blob of lava-hard consistency that dreamed of becoming a true peanut, but didn’t quite complete the journey. 





Does one feel sad for the loss…your own loss, or the poor failed peanut want-to-be? There’s the soul stretching aspect of the process…



A shell with three lumps promises an extra treat; do you know how often that little extra peanut-shaped portion of a shell is empty? Shapes can be deceiving. You learn not to expect too much… although, if you’re a person or a Dragon still blessed with an ounce of hope/optimism/faith, you can’t help but want that third solid eatable little peanut to really be there. To pop forth with its two companions and provide your tongue with a profound peanut experience.

Ah…shelling peanuts. A profound adventure, not unlike life, I think. Requires focus, determination, hope, and pragmatism, and results in a mix of entertainment, sadness, excitement, and, occasionally, satisfaction. 

An experience not to be shunned.

Therefore, I say: “Go forth and shell peanuts. Eat them often and with gusto. Live. And breathe peanut breath upon the world.”

  
And, if you must, dip them in chocolate before consumption.  


The Dragon has spoken.  


(P.S. did you know peanuts aren’t ‘nuts’, but legumes? Just a little Dragon FYI.)