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The hairy raspberry
Had a hungry day today – which happened to coincide with an office meeting next door that had a veritable buffet in the break room. I tried the ‘I’ll just take half a donut, and some fruit’ route – but that didn’t last long. Half a donut and some fruit is an appetizer really.
I traveled back for another half a donut and some more fruit.
Whilst in a sugar stupor, I stared at the raspberries on my plate and wondered “why do they have hair?”
My first thought was, ‘oh – maybe to ward off pests and small critters from nibbling them while they’re growing’. But that hardly seemed a fair hand dealt by nature for the poor, defenseless, bald blueberries on my plate!
I obsess over things like this. I do. Anything I don’t know I HAVE to know.
In a moment of quiet at my desk, I guiltily Googled ‘why do raspberries have hair?’. (A sentence I never thought I’d type).
Well! It’s to help them seed. They are the remnants of the pistils, the female portion of the flower. Big let down. I wanted them to have some really bizarre secret life or something.
I didn’t wonder anything about my sandwich or chips. Didn’t wonder much about the Raisinets I wolfed down after my initial sugar high dissipated either.
Pretty sure I’m skipping dinner.