THE APPLE AS A SPECIAL FRUIT

If the rose can be spoken of as a special flower, then it can be said that the apple is a special fruit. American culture is filled with references to the apple. American folklore speaks of Johnny Appleseed who went throughout the American countryside planting apple trees. His real name was John Chapman and he had a great love for nature. He traveled through Pennsylvania and Ohio and collected apple seeds which he later distributed to farmers along the Ohio river. He wandered through fields and farms adding richness and beauty to the American landscape. Those who met him simply called him, "Johnny Appleseed."

One of the first proverbs taught to all school children is "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." This short proverb encourages children to eat fresh fruit to keep healthy and what fruit is more accessible in America than the apple? Likewise a young pupil can gain the admiration of a favorite lady teacher by bringing her an apple and placing it judiciously on her desk before class. Furthermore, should someone every get on someone else's good side by flattery, people will call him an apple polisher. This, however, should not be taken as a compliment.
Yet, if someone is very dear to us, we say that he or she is the "apple of our eye."
Most people believe that the forbidden fruit which Eve gave to Adam in the garden of Eden was an apple even though the Bible never mentions it as such. The apple, therefore, is deeply embedded in the language and folklore of America, but it is also the one fruit which is most favored among the people.

While an apple may be the forbidden fruit, it is also one of the most delicious and finds its way into the American diet with much ingenuity. Apples can be baked as they are with cinnamon and syrup or they can be fashioned into a pie with raisins and spices. They can also be glazed-over with a candied syrup and serves at parties. During the holiday season they also can be made into a sweet sauce to be served along with roasted pork or as a simple dessert for young children.
For breakfast one can enjoy apple butter spread generously onto toast and washed down with apple juice. Likewise no Thanksgiving dinner would be complete without apple cider, a sweet juice heated in the cold season and spiced with cinnamon drink around a warm fireplace.

In many parts of the country during the harvest season a popular activity is to go into the apple orchards to pick apples. The states of Washington and New York are especially famed for their apples. The whole family loads up in the car with several empty baskets and takes back with them all the apples they can eat.

The humble apple has also entered the age of high-tech where the number one choice for a computer might very well be the Macintosh Apple.
Finally, when it's time to take a vacation, one can always visit New York which is called the biggest apple of them all.