Some things make you realise others, like how Akwugo’s love and appreciation for her mother shone through in her piece on Lessons and oranges.
As I read through it, it occurred to me that there were so many different ways of partaking in the orange goodness, and how it is different across the world. It triggered this graphic, showing a few ways – and this article exploring the peculiarities of each one.
It also reminded me that for the longest time, I didn’t have words for how we ate oranges in Nigeria. How we drank the juice and ate the pulp. We describe it in so many ways – lick, suck, drink, eat and I guess everything that’s a combination of these. We drink orange juice, yes, but nowhere better than from nature’s own vessel – the orange skin.
Here are 6 ways to eat, drink, engage ? with an orange:
1. Peeled with a small cut on top. Generally, the cap is the tiniest precursor of the juice to come. You press and suck and lick the juice out of the base and when you’re done, you eat the flesh because we unanimously agree that it is roughage!
2. Peeled, and a cone cut out of the top. Similar to the method above, except the well from which you drink the orange appears deeper. Trickier? Sweeter? I don’t know.
3. Peeled and cut in half Or 1/3 and 2/3rds. Great for sharing, especially for siblings ?
4. Quartered, washed orange, cut in four and ‘eaten-drunk’ 
5. Quartered, coins off the top and bottom As above. And one Akwugo’s teen/ early adult self liked for the slim work involved ?. Thanks AK.
6. I call it fish mouth for want of a better word but the idea is you have a shape that allows you eat it without you lips touching the skin. Not exactly the lazy man’s approach but exactly *crying with laughter*. The bitter citrus oils scaring your mouth. You ‘eat the top half, folding it out and you ‘drink’ the bottom half, pressing and sucking.
So, what other ways do you know, have to eat, drink, engage with oranges? Share all!
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