The problem with living in paradise is well, the “living” part. There is so much I look past every day. At the end of a tour, I tend to speed between two extremes, sometimes multiple times daily. The first is a wave of panic that I have missed things followed by a frantic rush of sightseeing and last minute purchases. The second is a crushing desire to be done with it all and flying away. It feels as schizophrenic as it sounds, accompanied by grief, excitement, and used car sales.
I know from past moves that I will intentionally block this week out of my memories of Okinawa—the refrigerator cleaning, the last day trash frenzy, the numbness and grief. I want to be intentional about remembering now, so this week, I’m hoping to put together a small series of small wonders to remember Okinawa.
Small Wonders: Cucumbers and Carrots
I will miss the produce here. We’ll ignore for now the $4 peach, $2 apple, and $14 watermelon, but the Okinawan carrots and cucumbers are out of this world. I loved English cucumbers in the states, but they were usually pricey compared to the waxed variety. Japanese cucumbers are just the right size, never waxed, and inexpensive to buy. And the mushroom varieties available year round in the markets! Pineapple is abundant, along with kiwi. Oh, and okra—if you are an okra fan, okra is available almost year-round here and is affordable and fresh in the farmer’s markets. Produce is truly seasonal—some things are shipped in, but more often than not, people go without and then pounce on produce as it comes into season.
Although some types of produce are more expensive, the care they take with produce reflects how valuable it is to them. It’s not uncommon to buy a peach wrapped in a bubble sleeve to protect it. Strawberries are displayed in straight rows in their containers. All produce is handled carefully by the cashier as they ring up purchases.
I’m looking forward to peaches, watermelon, Granny Smith apples, and more, but I will miss these carrots and cucumbers, and the example Okinawans set in valuing fresh produce.