I’m grateful for learning something new: how to open an avocado without a knife. I saw it on Instagram and couldn’t resist trying. It worked brilliantly! Not as clean a split as with a knife but perfectly adequate to give me two halves. I’m grateful for avocados. They’re nutritious and delicious, and I’m glad I learned to enjoy them decades ago.
But I’m sad to learn that avocado cultivation is destroying natural forests in Mexico. Of course it is: Like every tropical treat we crave — coffee, chocolate — we overindulge, at great cost to our planet. Another conundrum. Will me not eating avocados save Mexican forests, or simply deprive me of a staple ingredient? Maybe if they weren’t so available all year long, maybe if we could enjoy them seasonally in moderation, they’d be sustainable.
I was also very dismayed to read recently about avocados from Mexico. I need to do some research- aren’t avocados grown in California? If so maybe our grocer can source them from there. Because I too love them. My daughter says that one thing she learned from me culinarily is that very few things could not be improved by the addition of avocado 🥑🤣!