IN PRAISE OF LEMON

Pity the lemon, a word oftentimes associated with mediocrity, worthlessness or misfortune.

"A lemon of a car," for a below-par-functioning vehicle.

"When  life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, " seems okay at first blush—because a lemonade is actually quite refreshing; but it really insinuates someone getting a raw deal in life.

"So just suck it up," is your only recourse—because though sour, lemon is juicy. Mapag-titiisan (bearable). Consuelo de bobo (mock consolation).

How did lemon get such bad press?  

Per english.stacexchange.com, lemon has since the mid-19^th century been used as a metaphor for something leaving a bad taste in one's mouth,"and as a colloquial term for someone with a 'tart' or acidic personality, or more significantly, for 'sucker' or 'loser' or 'dim' person."

Enough of this, don't you think? Because to a lot of women, homemakers, chefs and food lovers, lemon is a God-sent.

Love pho, a Vietnamese comfort food? Lemon, plus the scent of basil, make it oh-sooo heavenly!

Arroz caldo, porridge Pinoy-style? Perfect match with lemon or calamansi, its Pinoy version .

You a pancit-lover? Apart from lemon or calamansi, our traditional noodle dish can be pretty bland.

Even cakes can be tart-ified with some lemon zest. Refreshing!

Need to detox, lose weight or whiten your teeth. Lemon-ize it!  

It would take book volumes to sing praises to lemon—from making us healthier,  to turning our dishes divine, to functioning as a cleaning and hygiene agent.

And because it can be raised in abundance, this gem of a fruit is not priced like gold. And here in the US of A, we're blessed to have friends surprising us from time to time with these golden treasures. (Waiting for our lemon tree to fruit.)

So this is a shout-out to Reggie and Nyorly. We're feasting on your lemons! Thanks. 

"Good!" That's how God described the plants he placed in Adam and Eve's garden.

Genesis 1:12 "And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after its kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after its kind; and God saw that it was good."

Just like salt, lemon is a flavor enhancer. Jesus calls his followers salt, earth flavorers.  

Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?"  

Not on our own but by His grace—to touch others' lives for Jesus.

There's a nice ring to this too: "You are the lemons  of the earth. But if lemon loses its juiciness and zest, how can it be made juicy and zesty again?"   

Here's a tart "Never again!" to lemon slander.