How To Peel An Orange

I have no secrets on how to peel an orange.  In fact, I never thought about it much.  You just remove the outer skin and get to the inside.  Pretty simple.

But then I saw a couple memes pop up on social media from people who seem concerned that their orange is peeled “properly”.  Like completely.  Like “get those nasty little bits of white stuff off my orange” peeled.

I will admit, I eat a fair number of oranges this time of year.  Fruit has become a larger part of my diet in recent years.  I would pretend that it’s because I am trying to be more health conscious, but the stuff tastes pretty good and it’s pretty convenient.  So the health factor is more accidental.

I never really thought much about my orange peeling habits.  If I’m just sitting down to eat an orange, I likely won’t take a lot of time.  Although if I have the time to enjoy the process, I will enjoy the zen of orange peeling.  Carefully removing not only the outer skin, but also all of the little bits of the white inner skin that I can possibly get my fingers on.  There’s just something satisfying about a cleanly peeled piece of fruit.

I can understand those who feel the need to rid themselves of all hint of that inner rind on a orange.  There is some bitterness to it, which distracts from the taste of the orange itself… a bit.  But it’s not an absolute.  I can still enjoy an orange not fully peeled to just orangeness.

So if you are one of those fully, completely peeled type of people, I admire your artistry.  I just may not demand the same from myself.