Going back to my childhood in Germany, my mother always had a bowl of fresh fruit sitting on our dinner table. Fruit was just one thing that was always available, so no big deal. But things changed drastically when I fled with my parents to the United States at age 13. Suddenly, we were poor. No more bowl filled with fresh fruit on the table. Fruit became a special dish—still available, but not always. At that point, when I got an apple or a pear or a banana, it was noticed and enjoyed. However, so many other things also became special—like a schnitzel or a steak—and those were even harder to come by. In the scheme of things, fresh fruit had gained some recognition, but I deemed other things more important.
Then came the army in World War II. In the mess hall in the States, we often received fresh fruit with our meals. It was not a remarkable change, until I was sent overseas. Then, fresh fruit again became a luxury. The only way to get some was in a trade with a local farmer—an apple for a couple of cigarettes, a pear for a couple of cigarettes, or a banana (no way, they did not grow there!). Yes, fresh fruit was something very special, and it was particularly difficult to get in the big cities of Germany, where, during the war and also during the occupation, many local citizens were hungry and certainly did not have any fresh fruit to share. The packages from home, when they arrived, had some fruit cake, and I enjoyed that, but it was certainly not fresh fruit.
When I finally returned home, things had improved. My mother again had a bowl of fruit on the table. But then I noticed it more and commented when it became empty: “Can’t we get some fruit?” Later, when I got married, my uncle gave us a crystal bowl as a wedding present. We immediately placed it on our dinner table and filled it with seasonal fresh fruit. We were married for 72 years, and during that time, fresh fruit was always on our table. And now, while I am only by myself, my uncle’s crystal bowl is still on my dining room table, and if you come to visit me, there is always fresh fruit in the bowl, which we can share.
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