What to do when punked by an orange

When I went to the Osh Bazaar last weekend, I came across a fruit stand that was selling the most beautiful looking oranges I had ever seen.  They were a bit more expensive than the usual orange for sale in Kyrgyzstan (about 40 cents each), but they were so alluring I had to buy a few.

When I returned home, the first thing I did was peel one of these luscious oranges.  I took a big bite, only to discover...the most horrible, wretched tasting piece of citrus I had ever placed in my mouth.  Never had I had tasted anything so intensely sour.  To make it even more unpleasant was the fact that this vile orange also possessed the strong flavor of perfume.  What could be worse than something that tastes like sour orange perfume?  These were an item Santa Claus places in the stockings of only the most extraordinarily miserable and mischievous children who deserve something even worse than a lump of coal.

My initial impulse was to open my sixth floor apartment window and hurl these foul oranges as hard as I could toward the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border.  But, then I got to thinking.  These oranges must be something more than the ultimate prop for practical jokers.  I got online and found my answer.  I had purchased three very precious bergamot oranges, the kind whose essential oils are used to flavor Earl Grey tea.  How these oranges made it from their traditional home in the Mediterranean to the heart of Kyrgyzstan I still have not yet determined, but when used properly they are a treasure.  I used the bergamot zest to add a nice tangy zing to my plain yogurt.  Even better was the assertive citrus flavor their juice added to my black tea...I had stumbled across a way to make my own homemade version of Earl Grey.  Sadly, I am now down to my last bergamot and I will miss them when they are gone as I don't get to the Osh Bazaar often and am not even sure I could trace my way back through the labyrinth that is the Osh Bazaar to find the fruit stand where these sneaky fellows were hiding.

As I sip on my impromptu Earl Grey it has occurred to me that bergamot oranges could be a metaphor for living abroad or for encountering anything new.  When living in an unfamiliar place, life may seem shiny and sparkling at first, then you encounter unexpected shocks and surprises.  You then have a choice to respond with irritation or to respond by re-examining the situation, because often the unwanted surprise turns out to be pretty cool after you've placed it in its proper context.  It's kind of amazing what an assertive little orange can tell you, if you're willing to listen.