Tangerine or Clementine?

As I was trudging through the grocery store yesterday, secretly wishing to have a personal grocery shopper so that I could go home after work and watch awesomely-'80s reruns of The Golden Girls rather than be stuck in a semi-frigid Publix, I spotted a crate of clementines. Well, right then and there my day was made. I know - it doesn't take a lot. But I really do love this little fruit. Unfortunately, I very rarely can find them at Publix. And no, tangerines are definitely not the same! They may look the same. Observe:

Tangerine:


Clementine:


But do not confuse the two (as I have done in the past). Let's go back a few months (or maybe years). I am enjoying a weekend at my parent's home in Pensacola. My dad is a big fruit person and they had all of these little "oranges" in a bowl. I had one and was immediately hooked. It was sweet, with just a hint of sour. Easy to peel. And best of all -no seeds! So when I came back to Tallahassee, I searched for my little piece of happiness in the produce section of Publix. I pick up several tangerines and put them in my cart. Now imagine my surprise - and ultimate sadness - when I got home and dove for one of these delicious fruits, only to find out that it wasn't what I ate in Pensacola. Needless to say, I was devastated. Ok, that may be a little dramatic. But I was pretty darn sad because now I had a bunch of tangerines that I really didn't want.

The thing about tangerines is that they have seeds. And I am adamontly opposed to seeds! I can't stand taking the time to pop them out of things! Take watermelon for example. Most people just flick the black seeds out and eat away. But not me. I can't stand the white seeds either! So eating watermelon is an entire afternoon of picking-out-seeds ordeal for me. Needless to say, I don't eat that much watermelon. Moving on. This is why clementines are so perfect: no seeds!

Eventually, I ask my mom what type of "orange" they had that fateful weekend and she solved the mystery for me. And ever since I have been on the hunt for clementines when I'm at the store. I don't get lucky that often. But yesterday the stars aligned and there was a crate of them. Right there. Calling my name. Who cares if I go out of town in 2 days. I HAD TO HAVE THEM! So I now have what appears to be 3 dozen clementines! I proceeded to eat 4 last night after dinner. And I have 2 for lunch. And I will probably eat another 2 as I cook dinner and then maybe another 4 after dinner. See a trend? I really do love them though. If you haven't had the opportunity to try a clementine, I really encourage you to do so. It's like a little burst of sunshine in your mouth!