What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?

THE GOLDEN GONG GOES TO …!

In previous posts I have a given mention to Foods that I don’t like and upheld one or two that are quite delicious. However, of all the great foods I have eaten, Nothing tops cherries.

Cherries are without doubt and by far and away my favourite food, always the most delicious whenever they are eaten.

When it comes to determining which are the best cherries I have ever eaten, it’s a case of trying to separate what’s good from what’s good.

In Darwin Northern Territory, cherries are not always plentiful. They come from interstate, are generally sold in cellophane bags Wang a kilo or so, being small, red, usually – but not always – sweet.

On two occasions and probably because of misdirected freight, our local Woolworths supermarket has been supplied with boxed, grade one cherries coming from Tasmania. Fruit of this quality generally finishes up over-flying Darwin en route to Southeast Asia or China. On both occasions I have bought boxes of these cherries (kilogram in each box) for ourselves and family members.

The cost of these cherries at $28 Australian per box was, in my opinion, money well spent. On the home front I have never eaten better or more beautiful cherries than these.

Once when travelling around Australia we happened across some beautiful cherries in New South Wales. We were journeying across the South Australia along the barrier highway through Broken Hill. Unbeknown to me, we couldn’t keep fruit purchased in New South Wales beyond the border and it had to be surrendered. Fortunately we had eaten a good percentage of the cherries we had purchased, and stopped before crossing the border to consume as many more as possible. It broke my heart to surrender those that were left.

The great feed of cherries that I had prior to that border crossing, remained with me for the next two or three days from the viewpoint of digestive awareness.

Without doubt and not withstanding the excellence of some of the Australian grown cherries I have described, the gong for the best ever cherries must go to New Zealand.

During the School holidays at the end of 1978, we went as a family for six weeks of visiting around New Zealand, first the North and then the South Island.

It was in the Lake Taupo District of the South Island that we happened to drive past a number of cherry growing farms, with cherries for sale. We drove into one of the farms and for a most reasonable price bought a container of the largest, sweetest and most lustrous packs of cherries. They were white in texture and skin and were just so beautiful to eat. Before we left the area we bought several more lots of those most luscious fruits.

I love cherries but the ones from the South Island of New Zealand are the best in the world and definitely earned the gold standard award.

Meanwhile, back in Darwin, I look out every day for cherries that may have been bound for China but which figuratively have “fallen from the luggage hold of a freight plane”