Prickly Pears

I was at the grocery store earlier this week and saw prickly pears on sale. It reminded me of a story my mother used to tell me when I was a little girl. She would share with me about going hiking with her mother, my grandmother. She said they'd go to the top of the "serro" where all the cacti grew. At the top, they would find a place to rest. Her mother would cut off prickly pears from the cactus. My mother said she would peel away the skin from the pears revealing wonderfully delicious fruit. Mother claimed the fruit was so good and these little adventures were a highlight of her childhood.

I eagerly purchased four of the prickly pears and took them home for my family to enjoy. I carefully washed the fruit, peeled them, and sliced them up for my family.

What my dear mother failed to share with me is that the "wonderful" little fruits are full of invisible little splinters! I have spent the day pulling hairlike daggers from my hands!! The moral of the story? Stick to watermelon.