“Entering the Garden of 21”

How does the old television soap opera adage go, or more appropriately, sing? “Like the sands in the hourglass, so are the days of our lives?”

Turning 21 last week provided me with a few unprecedented, majorly minor-restricted experiences, from entering 21+ exclusive bars and what not. The only sand that fell that evening and morning after, however, was sand from my tired eyes that reposed after dawn.

Of course, my parents ensured the special day maintained some sense of order. As such, I found a nice little parcel from gourmet food company Harry & David under my “Welcome” mat outdoors.

From the outside, the unattractive brown cardboard box looked like any other package that suffered traveling pains from truck to plane to mailman’s (or mailwoman) hands. Dents and scratches made for a less than beautiful exterior, but immediately after opening the delivery, a sweet scent reached my nose – an alluring scent hiding within a beautifully decorated box of fruits.

I wonder what rests beneath the pear-printed parcels?

Nearly nothing compares to the nectarous smell of juicy pears – Royal Riviera pears, to be exact. According to Harry & David, the fruits boast such a large size they can be eaten with a spoon. Personally, I prefer biting into pears (as I’m such a traditionalist). Sometimes, so much juice resides within the fruit that it flows down my chin to the floor, which makes for a fun surprise…

Harry & David’s Royal Riviera pears! So juicy and delicious.

I think my parents secretly want to plump me up, so a box of truffles, lemon shortbread cookies, caramel popcorn and candies accompanied nature’s simple dessert. No matter how many times I tell them to refrain from sending me saturated, saccharine-infested foods, the goods keep on coming. You can say these gourmet surprises have become somewhat of a family tradition – the hourglass, if you will, protecting the sands dropping day after day.

Citrus candies.

Lemon shortbread cookies.

Truffles, truffles and more truffles.

Check out those flavors!

Regardless of the inches added to my waist or less than perfect skin tone caused by sugar overdoses, the fact that I can expect a gastronomical wonder each year represents their thoughtfulness. So, who cares if I get “fat”? At least its by gorging raspberry and coffee flavored truffles – no wonder corset’s reigned as Marie Antoinette’s best friend (a royal figure who inspired my 21st birthday theme – expect a post on that soon!).

Yours truly,

Jonathan Ochart