It might surprise you, but until today I had never had a fresh apricot. Dried, yes. It was one of the things I learned to like in the last phase of this whole process of becoming a "perfect omnivore" (or at least a better omnivore than I've previously been). I figured, since I've learned to like the dried version, the fresh version would be a cinch. So today, I tried one.
I'm going to give this apricot the benefit of the doubt. The fuzzy skin was off-putting, and the flesh was not nearly as flavorful as expected, and kind of mealy. This leads me to believe my apricot was not fully ripe. I don't know. I mean, I love apricot beer (the unfiltered wheat kind from Pyramid--yum!) and I feel like I know what an apricot is supposed to taste like, but maybe I'm assuming it should be sweeter because the more candied/manipulated versions I've had are sweeter. I don't know.
The best thing, though, about today's apricot experience comes from Wikipedia. I like to do a little research on the food I'm eating (let's hope this page is reliable) and I discovered a little apricot tidbit (besides how much they love them in the Middle East): apparently, US Marine Corps tankers think they're bad luck. They won't eat them, transport them, or even say the word "apricot." Supposedly this is because there were apricots around when some Sherman tanks broke down. If you happen to know the fuller version of this story, I'd be very curious to hear it.
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