Orange Slices = Love?

This morning I was slicing a navel orange to eat for breakfast at work.  I love oranges - the sweet-sour citrus flavor coupled with the juiciness of the fruit makes them one of my favorite things.  The best navel oranges are available in the winter.  Although winter is probably one of my least favorite things, fresh and delicious oranges can provide a bright spot on a bleak wintry day like today. 

When I was growing up, the best fruit oranges came direct from Florida.  If you were lucky, a traveling friend or relative could bring you some Florida oranges direct from the grove.  As a secondary option, we could purchase oranges and grapefruit from the Indian River Fruit Company.  Of course, oranges are normally available at the grocery store, but oranges brought or shipped to us direct from Florida were always superior.  

My grandmother, whom I will refer to as "Nanny" for the rest of the entry, loves oranges as much or more than I do.  When I was a child, there was nothing better than spending the night with Nanny and Pa.  Not only did I have a huge, fluffy bed with a canopy (pretty much the ultimate for an 8-year old) to sleep in, there was always a special breakfast.  I wasn't left to fix my own cold cereal or oatmeal at Nanny's - no siree, Bob!  At Nanny's it was always French toast.  Slabs of bread (if you were lucky, homemade sourdough) dredged in egg, sugar and cinnamon then cooked to perfection and served with butter and maple syrup.  Nanny, a former home economics teacher, is obsessed with nutrition and makes it her business to ensure everyone gets their recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables (this is a woman, who at 82, has a better bone density than most 35-year olds, so it really has paid off). So, this delicious French toast was often served with a fresh orange.  

If you have ever eaten an orange, you know that everyone like theirs sliced differently.  My mother always sliced oranges in quarters, my father always sliced his in "pinwheel" slices, and Nanny always cut hers in eighths, often cutting off the edge if there was a lot of membrane.  THIS IS MY FAVORITE WAY TO CUT AN ORANGE.  It is the way, in my book, they taste the best.  After an overnight adventure at Nanny's, I would return home and request that my parents cut their oranges like Nanny's.  Of course, they rolled their eyes and cut the oranges how they wanted to cut them.  I firmly believe if they would have cut their oranges like Nanny cuts hers, they probably would have enjoyed their oranges much more.  

When I became old enough to wield a sharp knife and cut my own oranges, I exclusively follow Nanny's technique.  This morning as I was slicing my orange, I couldn't help but think of Nanny and her French toast breakfasts accompanied by exquisitely cut oranges.  To many people, food is love - it has always been Nanny's particular brand of love.  From breakfast foods to chicken and dumplings and from green beans to chocolate cake, Nanny stirs, kneads, snaps and mixes every dish she creates with a tremendous amount of tenderness and sentiment.  And it shows - Nanny's orange slices always tast better than anyone else's (even the ones I cut myself), the savoriness of her green beans can't be matched and don't even get me started on her cornbread dressing.  I (as well as my mother and sister) have tried to recreate many of Nanny's dishes, and while they are tasty, they never quite taste the same.  The missing ingredient won't ever be found or replicated - because it is Nanny's love.  And they don't sell that at Trader Joe's.  

From left to right:  My mom, Edna, me, Nanny, and my sister, Sara