The Tropics in a Box

To my delight, the other day, I received a package full of fruit from my brother, who lives in Okinawa, a tropical island in southern Japan. Inside were bananas, pineapples, and lime-like citrus fruit, all in perfect condition to be consumed momentarily. Of course, it would be. My brother is what I would consider a perfectionist, especially when it comes to food. He knows his fruit and chooses them well for shipping. With the use of a refrigerated shipping service, the package was kept in a 0~10 degrees C (32~50F) compartment all through the delivery process. Supposedly, the low temperature slows down the reaction inside the fruit that makes it ripen. When you think about it, the whole idea of the tropics, the symbol of unyielding vigor being delivered in a box, is an intriguing one. The package was taken out of the controlled chilled environment and sat at room temperature for a while before I got to open it. That distinct alluring smell was oozing out of the box ever so slightly.