Dear Curiosity Journal,
We’re on the cusp of tomato season, and everyday we scan the greenhouse rows for ripened fruit. The swelling green spheres gradually give way to soft crimson tones, transforming before our eyes and cuing their readiness. Have we impatiently eaten a few tomatoes that were not quite ripe? Certainly. However, that first ripe one hits differently – delectable, ambrosial, toothsome. You know I love my thesaurus, but today I was legitimately shook when I learned one of the definitions of tomato is “Older Slang: Sometimes Offensive. a girl or woman.” Synonyms include; “beauty queen, bunny, centerfold, cupcake, fox, pin-up, and sex kitten”. What! Wow! How, in all of my literature laden AND veggie farming days, have I never heard of this! Shook. How would I respond if someone compared me to a tomato? Flattered or offended? They are curvaceously beautiful, but also intended to be consumed, so that’s a bit troubling. Well, I’ll never look at a tomato the same again. Thanks Thesaurus.
~Joy
