SO RICH, SO PRETTY.

I know that everyone is probably like way over pomegranates, and it was totally the IT fruit for like 2007/8...but I don't care. I want to talk about pomegranates anyway.


We can first discuss the origins of pomegranate's popularity. Namely, I believe the craze began with the production of POM juice..which was immediately engulfed by the world of YUPPIE - a world that consists of Jamba Juice, organic cotton, and Whole Foods. Squeeze something expensive, dilute it with water, and bottle it in a WEIRD, UNIQUE container??? Or, more importantly, one that is REUSABLE!??!?! LOVES IT.


And thus, the world embraced pomegranate. SO much, that the flavor got picked up by the likes of Pinkberry and Red Mango. In fact - I don't even think I had ever seen an actual pomegranate seed before entering Pinkberry during Holiday 2007, when it was introduced as a seasonal topping.

I never really thought much about pomegranate. Would eat someone else's pomegranate topping, but never order it for my own cup of Red Mango. And certainly wasn't a POM guzzler - I am a proponent of not drinking my calories and stay away from consuming juices unless it is mixed with VODKA.

But when I was in Greece, I was constantly reminded of pomegranate. Which makes sense, now, because according to Wikipedia, pomegranates have been cultivated and naturalized throughout the Mediterranean region.

I heard about pomegranates on nearly every one of my tours in Greece. They are an important aspect of Greek mythology: a goddess named Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, the god of the Underworld. Persephone's mother, Demeter aka goddess of the Harvest, was so upset that the world became barren, producing no food. It was a rule that in the Underworld, you were not allowed to eat or drink, otherwise you would be condemned to live in the Underworld FOREVS. Zeus, highest of the Greek gods, demanded that Hades return Persephone. Hades, ofcourse, did not want to - and tricked Persephone into eating FOUR POMEGRANATE SEEDS...which meant that Persephone would have to spend four out of the twelve months in the UNDERWORLD...which means that during those four months, Demeter will be so upset that the world will become barren AKA WINTER. AKA POMEGRANATE SEEDS ARE THE CAUSE OF THE SEASONS. How clever those Greeks are.


It is so abundant, that they even gave them away as free gifts on the flight between Rhodes Island and Athens!


But who knew that pomegranates were so CRAY-CRAY inside!??!?! My mother and I were in our hotel room, and I was totally SHOCK-ED because I had never seen a pomegrante fruit before, let alone a peeled one!!! How goddamn LABORIOUS it is to eat a pomegranate. I was shoveling pomegranate seeds down my throat while my mother was slowly and painstakingly removing and unleashing the seeds from the rind. My mom was horrified that I would pop the seeds straight up, several at a time (as I had been taught by the Pinkberry culture). These seeds are also known as ARILS, which are seed casings. So inside all that red juicy stuff is the ACTUAL seed - which my mom would delicately remove after eating an aril, one by one. So..I realized that you're not actually supposed to eat the seed inside...but I formed my own method that would allow me to eat several arils at a time (ie: handfuls), while still disposing of the tiny seeds. I officially became a pomegranate monster. Red juices splattered all over me and my hotel sheets. I was manic.


While we are dining at Alexis 4 Seasons in Rhodes Island, we even got served this lovely pomegranate dessert! Which was basically a mold of pomegranate seeds inside a sort of pomegranate jelly. Lightly sweet and refreshing. Not to mention HEALTHY.

I don't know all the crazy terms - but mainly it helps to prevent heart disease and clogged arteries, promotes prostate health, and is chock-full of antioxidants. Apparently it is the only fruit that actually provides MORE health benefits in juice form because more antioxidants are released in the squeezing process. ARGH I can't believe I wasted all those antioxidants on my hotel sheets!!

Well anyways - referring back to the pomegranate dessert picture. Looking at this creation, I totally came up with my OWN pomegranate concoction.

The POM-CICLE.

OMG world. Brace yourselves. Basically - get an ice cube tray and fill it with pomegranate seeds and top each cube off with some POM juice. Let freeze and there you have - a POM-CICLE. A wonderful, antioxidant packed cube - that you can mix with additional POM juice (and vodka) for your own HEALTHFUL POM-CICLE COCKTAIL.

I thought that this would be the perfect addition to my ARAB SHEIK party that Craig and I plan on holding sometime in February (in honor of the song Arab Money)...According to Wikipedia, pomegranates are mentioned in the Koran TWICE for being examples of good things that God creates.

Another wonderful POMEGRANTE-related drink special will definitely be a SHIRLEY TEMPLE because did you know that grendine syrup is actually thickened and sweetened POMEGRANATE JUICE!??!?!?!?

Amazing.

But then I went to Whole Foods last night and tots saw that pomegranate seeds were being sold for $14.99/lb. URGH. The price you have to pay to be SO RICH, SO PRETTY, THE BEST ANTIOXIDANT IN THE WHOLE DAMN CITY.