All my life I’ve eaten Imperial mandarins, I guess somewhere along the line I got it stuck in my head that when it came to eating mandarins they were the best. I can’t tell you why I formed that opinion, but when it came to trying other varieties I would simply shake my head and decline. After all nothing could compete with an Imperial.
And, most of the time that was a justifiable statement, the Imperial was sweet and juicy, very satisfying. But there were also times when they were terrible, inedible in fact. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve unwrapped an Imperial only to throw it out because it was dry and tasteless. Yet dispite this hit and miss relationship I continued to buy Imperials. It even got to the point where I would buy extra Imperials in case I got a bad one.
Recently my son began eating finger food, as opposed to blended up mush, and one of the foods we have been giving him are mandarins.
Because he’s still learning to eat my wife buys him a seedless variety of mandarin called Delite. I wasn’t a fan when I saw this happening, after all the Imperial was the superior choice, however I understood that the need for a seedless choice outweighed everything else. I decided I could be ok with this because I knew that my son didn’t know about the different types of mandarin, so when it came to the day he could eat an Imperial, that would be a new and exciting experience for him.
Meanwhile I continued to buy Imperials for myself.
Then, one day I found there were no Imperials, and no other fruit, in the house besides a Delite. I really needed to eat some fruit, so out of desperation I tried one of my son’s Delites. It was delicious. I might even say it was better than my beloved Imperials. It was sweet and juicy an absolute delite. So the next day I ate another one, then another one and I’m yet to stop.
Not only were they more tasty than the Imperial, they were also way more consistent. I’m yet to come across a bad one, which I would have encountered many times over by now with an Imperial.
Having now tried and loved the Delite I can’t work out why I didn’t start eating them earlier. In fact I’m a little frustrated at myself for not doing so. So what caused this misguided passion for the Imperial? At some point in the past I probably did try another variety of mandarin and had a bad experience with it. As a result I guess I shut myself off to the potential that other varieties could offer because of that one bad experience. But that closed minded approach has meant that I’ve been missing out for all these years. I was convinced that I was on to a winner, but really there was another option out there that actually suited me better. If I’d been willing to give another variety a try I could have been getting more out of my mandarin eating. Sure, I might not have stumbled upon the Delite straight away, but sometimes it’s the journey that’s involved with the discovery of something new that makes it more rewarding.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is like a box of mandarins, you never know what you’re gonna get. But seriously, it is kind of like eating mandarins. Just like there are lots of varieties of mandarin out there, there are also lots potential CFS solutions out there that people should try. What I talk about on my blog are the things that worked for me, and the steps on that journey that either didn’t work out, or were a stepping stone on the path to being the version of me that I wanted to be. For a long time I closed off possible recovery options because I was convinced that I was on the right path. However, once I opened up my mind to the possibility that another treatment option could be superior I turned the corner and never looked back.
So what type of mandarin are you going to try today?