You always see old Italian men like my grandfather sitting on a stool, leisurely slicing up a piece of fruit with an ancient knife. They'll hand you a piece of apple still held to the blade with their thumb. I used to think "why don't they just eat it?"
Well, it could be because sometimes there's a horror inside. The other day I had the most perfect nectarine - firm, sun-dappled skin, fragrant - flawless. I took it to work. I decided to slice it up so I could eat it at my desk from a bowl and not have it get too messy...when I sliced through it, the big knife went effortlessly all the way down. As I twisted the halves apart, there was NO PIT. Just a hollow cavity where it should have been. And also, TWO FULLY GROWN ANTS CLIMBING AROUND IN THERE.
Trust me, there was no hole by which they could have entered. I inspected every millimeter of it. There wasn't so much as a bruise. So unless you want to get halfway through that next peach and have ants run out all over your face, get yourself an old knife and a stool.
