We got off to a poor start, didn’t we lover? You would show up in a salad, with your slimy seeds and your weak flavor. You were shoved into a sandwich or onto a hamburger only to cause the bun to slip and slide.
I liked you best when you had been cooked down to your concentrated best and spread everywhere, on my burger as ketchup, a dip for my fries. You made pizzas, well pizzas. Lasagna wouldn’t be loved as well without your paste and sauce and you’re a regular staple with basil and garlic sauced up over pasta. I don’t know what I’d serve most nights without you.
But you in your purest form, right off the vine, you, you became my friend that summer Dad had planted a cherry version of your plant in our front yard. I happily would grab a few of you and pop you in my mouth, always laughing as your juice squirted over my tongue and sometimes past my lips. After that summer, I stopped being afraid of you. Stopped picking you out of food when you hadn’t cooked beyond all recognition.
As the years went by, my love for you deepened. You were present in all of my favorite cuisines, Greek, Italian, Mexican and even Chinese. When you joined with tobasco and tequila, you made one naughty drink. You even made me fall in love with seafood. Yes, if it wasn’t for you I may never had tried cioppino.
You sealed your fate when your beefsteak variety was placed before me on a plate drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, only leaving room for some fresh mozzarella and basil leaves. Oh my, Insalata Caprese stole my heart and secured your place in my kitchen for all eternity.
By the way, did you see the sun this weekend? Spring has sprung my friend, now which variety of you shall I plant this year?
Editing note: I wanted to share the article my friend John shared in comments below, a fun read and now I have a new column to follow: You Say Tomato by Gene Weingarten in the Washington Post.
Today’s post was brought to you by the Red Dress Club where we were asked to write about our favorite fruit or vegetable.  We were to share our memory of first tasting it etc.  I enjoyed writing this, you know because as a 6month pregnant lady, food is a favorite topic.  And yes, concrit is welcome.  I know I missed some of the key directives for this prompt but hit me up anyway.
That was so delicious, I’m pretty much ready to lock the doors and make out with a tomato right now.
Yum.
julie gardner recently posted..Today call me chosen
Cucumbers, right? Oh! Red! Okay! Tomatoes. I get it now.
Coffeypot recently posted..Climimb Every Mountain- Search High And Low
My mouth is totally watering right now. Get over here you yummy tomato and get in mah belly
Kimberly recently posted..Thank You For Loving Me
Yay! We’re making out with tomatoes!
Only in Cali, my darling. Here in frosty New England tomatoes are a long time coming…
CDG recently posted..What Happened
I pick the tomatoes off of everything.
I even like alfredo sauce on my pizza instead of the red stuff.
But this….this love letter to the tomato, makes me want to give the cherry version a try. At least once.
Tracie recently posted..Artichoke- Made With Love
I can’t stand raw tomatoes.
Growing a crap load of them this season, hopefully I’ll find a variety I like.
Jessica recently posted..The Time I Screamed for Joy
And now I want a big, lusicious, wet, juicy tomato.
Natalie recently posted..Monster Mommy Moment – Kate Style
See? I still can’t get into tomatoes on their own. I’m fine with them as an ingredient, but raw, they make me get cancer-y sores in my mouth!
I’ll tell you though, your writing made me want a caprese salad!
Lizz recently posted..Make Mental Note
Wow.. you almost made me want a cherry tomato – and I despise the slimy suckers, preferring them in their boiled down ketchup or sauce form..
An amazing feat actually – they sounded good – like me describing my favorite steak.
I’m usually one for only eating tomatoes cooked and created into a sauce etc. But I’ve been trying to push myself to eat them raw
Oh, the tomato with balsamic vinegar…now that sounds heavenly. Isn’t everything better with balsamic?
Carrie recently posted..Remembered- Sweet Cherry
I started out being a tomato hater to. Love em now though. Seems I love a lot of things I didn’t care for as a child. Usually they are more calories than tomatoes though …. 6 months already, really? Geesh this is going by fast. For me.
I am a tomato freak as well…you gave them a well written, well deserved tribute. Bring on summer!
gigi recently posted..I Was A PBS Kid
I just like the “LOVAH” , it was the perfect way to set the scene for me about tomatoes. This was just wonderful, simple and short and just right. Yummy.
visiting from TRDC.
Kir recently posted..TRDC- RemberRED – The Cocktail
I wrote about tomatoes as well. I LOVE them fresh and in almost all forms, but I still don’t like them cooked up and squishy in stew. The taste is fine, but the consistency bothers me. I loved the part about you picking them right off the vine when you were young and how you enjoyed them.
I love tomatoes – always have (though I’ve never been a picky eater). I remember getting into tons of trouble as a kid because I would have picked all of the cherry tomatoes off of my mother’s plants before she could sneak out to harvest them. In fact, to this day, there’s no more “summer” feeling than a trip to the garden, in bare feet, and popping a freshly picked cherry tomato into your mouth.
John recently posted..Im Stylish- Dammit
I could mash with a tomato any ole’ day.
can’t crit your writing, you know that, but i’m hungry – does that count?
MommaKiss recently posted..Nusis Prsin
And one of my favorite writers is Gene Weingarten, who wrote this, about the decline of tomato flavor which I think you’d find amusing.
Love the pop of a fresh picked cherry tomato. Nice job! TRDC
Kris recently posted..Tomatoes eleven ways
Grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes…SO many varieties. Jersey tomatoes were the best plucked from the garden and touched with salt. Glorious tomatoes!! I’m starving.
Pamela recently posted..Keepith The Doctor Away
I like your take on the prompt! It was a fun read!
Amy recently posted..winter
Cherry tomatoes are my fav!!
I can eat a whole container at one sitting!
Great post
Leighann recently posted..Whats That on your Lip
Fresh off the vine tomatoes with Paul Newman’s vinaigrette.
Nothing better.
Alexandra recently posted..Beautifully Bilingual – Your Child Talking Guest Post
I love them as well…..green and fried.
Tee aka The Diva’s Thoughts recently posted..I Got Ambushed
Love raw tomatoes. I can just slice them, add a touch of salt and pepper, and I’m good. I don’t need anything else except for maybe a little water to wash them down. Excellent post!
LOVE caprese and pretty much anything with tomatoes. Great job with the prompt and weaving a story within. Now I’m hungry!
Jessica recently posted..Hooked
tomatoes are absolutely amazing, and this is one hell of a piece. and now i am crazy hungry. caprese must happen.
magnolia recently posted..crush redux
Perfect! That is the perfect way to go with this prompt. I too did an ode to a tomato, my perfect food. But I love the way you did it. Congratulations.
HonestConvoGal recently posted..Its the Great Tomato- Charlie Brown!
This is quite possibly the most delicious thing I’ve read. Ever. You had me at “lover” and I’m a total believer in the greatness of tomatoes. Great post!
I’m going to start using the word “lover” when talking to my food.
I feel as though it’s going to revolutionize my world.
Megan (Best of Fates) recently posted..Pierce Me- Baby
Oh, I’m with you on the insalata caprese! Molto bene! What a great idea to get kids into tomatoes by planting them in the garden and just popping ‘em into your mouth! And they’re so good for you too.
I am hungry!!!
Paige Morgan recently posted..Un-Crafty Family Meets Green Potato
I only ate tomatoes when they were cooked to death, too, until I crossed paths with the margherita pizza. Love at first bite.
Love that you chose to write this as a love letter.
I LOVE that you wrote this as a love letter. so unique. well done!
I like tomatoes in salad, cooked, and on a sandwich but I can’t just pop one in my mouth and eat one. I’m not sure why either!
I do love growing them & canning them to use all winter long! Hopefully spring comes soon!
Jackie recently posted..A Snack with Grandpa
Yes! Tomato starting time. You reminded me. And you so perfectly described the true potential of the tomato.
Renee recently posted..Flavors of Summers Past
Oh tomatoes! I can never resist the siren call of a tomato plant. Berkley Tie Dye, Tumbling Tom, Early Girl, Amish Paste, Cherokee Purple…they’re my favorite garden item.
Don’t tell the peas.
Mandyland recently posted..The Fall of the Blueberry
I’ve only grown to love tomatoes in the last 4 years. Very good job!
Jill recently posted..Postcards from the Effinghamptons vol 9
This was a fun post! And I’m giggling at the thought of calling a tomato lover, what will my husband say? Sigh, love me a good tomato chopped up and peppered, yum.
[...] a result of participating in the writing prompts, this week I wrote a memoir post confessing my love of tomatoes. For those of you who love the Mad Woman, I’m doing my best to use her voice in these prompts [...]