Strawberry season

It's strawberry season in Morocco. For the past few weeks, big, sweet, juicy red strawberries have been plentiful and cheap. Since February, they have represented a promise: Spring is coming.

They have gotten me to thinking about seasons--more specifically, food seasons--and the associations we make between specific foods and places. This is something that hardly seems to exist anymore in the U.S., where you can get almost any fresh produce anywhere at any time--asparagus in winter, mangoes in Wyoming, lemons in Alaska, whatever.

This seems like a great thing. In fact, accessibility of a variety of fruits and vegetables is one thing I sometimes miss being here in Morocco. Fresh produce is always available, but exactly what is available is dictated by the season. A friend warned me that, by midwinter, I would be very tired of turnips, and she was right. I haven't seen edible eggplants for months. The only apples that are available right now are bruised and grainy. and yet when they were in season, I was growing very tired of eggplant and apples.

But isn't it the seasonality and association with place that makes many foods so wonderful? I know one reason I love and crave pumpkin pie is that, as a child, I only got it twice a year, at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have memories from my childhood of anticipating the first juicy watermelon or ear of sweet corn of the summer. I remember picking and eating strawberries and raspberries from my parents' backyard. We did the same with asparagus, peas, and other garden fruits and vegetables. Throughout my childhood, the only time I got those foods was when they were ready to eat straight from the garden.

In my adult years, I have seen an increasing variety of produce become available year-round at grocery stores in the U.S., including childhood favorites like watermelon and strawberries. but I think buying and eating those foods regularly causes them to lose their emotional associations and, yes, some of their tastiness. I have thought about this each time I have bought a package of fresh strawberries. I am enjoying them while they're here; I recognize that it is the limitation on their availability that allows me to enjoy them so much.