Fruit vs Vegetables

My father is returning home today after a lovely weekend visit. As usual, we went to breakfast before his four-hour drive back to Western Nebraska. And, since his small town is short on culinary variety, we always hit the nearby breakfast buffet.

Breakfast for me usually consists of some eggs and bacon, a waffle, a sticky cinnamon roll, and whatever else looks good enough to eat that morning. Today I had: honeydew melon, pineapple, watermelon, grapes, a blueberry muffin, and a waffle with strawberry syrup (with actual strawberries in it). Notice what's missing from that list? Before you forget the title of this post and jump straight to protein, let me give you the answer: not one vegetable.

I am most definitely a fruit person. Given the choice between fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, I will almost always choose the fruit (with the possible exception of tomatoes, which are technically fruit, not vegetables, so there you go). When I'm at the grocery store, I spend time wandering through the fruit and looking at the apples, strawberries, and grapes, among others, and (unless I have a list) very little time contemplating the vegetables. If you look in my refrigerator right now (which I don't recommend!), you will find fruit, but no veggies.

Why is this, I wonder. Is it because fruit is usually sweet and vegetables are not? Could be, but that doesn't really explain why I prefer green apples over red and green grapes to purple, i.e., the sour versions over the sweet. But even a Granny Smith apple is sweeter than broccoli which, in its natural state, is bitter and (let's be honest) boring. I prefer to eat broccoli that is really hot but still a little crunchy (or pureed and mixed into a thick, cheesy broth).

The fact is, I like fruit fresh and vegetables cooked. I rarely eat a plain, raw vegetable. I'm not opposed to vegetable juice, but there better be some fruit in there to sweeten it up and make it not taste like dirt. I don't like spring mix "lettuce" because it's like eating weeds. There are few "greens" I can tolerate, some of which have to be cooked (like kale) and others which absolutely must not be cooked (like spinach). Carrots are OK in small doses, cooked or raw. Celery is boring without something on it, like dip or cheese or peanut butter. Cauliflower? Boring. Brussels sprouts? Yuck. Asparagus? Boring and Yuck (and irritatingly popular).

So, I'm not sure what any of this means to my general health and well-being, but I'm pretty sure that my sister will have a thing or two to tell me about why I need to alter my preferences to include more leafy greens and other fibrous and antioxidant-filled veggies. And I might try, but the fact is that I'm a fruit eater (unless, of course, the fruits are too health beneficial - don't get me started on everything I don't like about bananas and coconut!).