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The Incredible Fig

nautil.us

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Re: The Incredible Fig

#41

Post by msrenee »

bin_bash wrote: post #40
msrenee wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suppose if you want to narrowly define it in that way. But again, if figs are not fruits, then neither are the closely related mulberries. Pineapple is also not a fruit when defined like that. I've definitely heard it as a tongue-in-cheek thing the way arborists complain about palm trees and call them "glorified grasses". That actually makes more sense to me though, as they're monocots. -They're not fruit. -What ar…

Right, my dad would say none of those are "true fruits" I'm pretty sure. Also, some botanists say apples aren't technically fruits because they come from a different part of the flower. Also, did I really misspell "meet" as "meat" in my other comment? Ugh.

I think I didn't do a great job of explaining what bothered me about the author's statement. There's botanical definitions and by some of those, a fig is not a fruit. What they wrote is that it's deceptive to call a fig a fruit when there's basically no situations outside of academia and propagation where that distinction matters.

Re: The Incredible Fig

#42

Post by coolgeek »

SideburnsOfDoom wrote: post #35

I never did like figs at all. It's the bland, peppery taste that closes up the throat. It was many years later when I discussed this with a friend who was telling me how wonderful his fresh figs were, and found that there was no peppery itching in his experience of figs. And came to the conclusion that I most likely have a mild fig allergy. It doesn't make them dangerous to me, just unpleasant; unless maybe I ate 100…

> that closes up the throat

That sounds like an allergic reaction. Anaphylaxis ranges in severity from minor discomfort to life threatening. The reaction depends on the sensitivity of the person, the triggering substance, and the amount of the substance they came in contact with

Re: The Incredible Fig

#43

Post by SideburnsOfDoom »

coolgeek wrote: post #42
SideburnsOfDoom wrote: post #35

I never did like figs at all. It's the bland, peppery taste that closes up the throat. It was many years later when I discussed this with a friend who was telling me how wonderful his fresh figs were, and found that there was no peppery itching in his experience of figs. And came to the conclusion that I most likely have a mild fig allergy. It doesn't make them dangerous to me, just unpleasant; unless maybe I ate 100…

> that closes up the throat That sounds like an allergic reaction. Anaphylaxis ranges in severity from minor discomfort to life threatening. The reaction depends on the sensitivity of the person, the triggering substance, and the amount of the substance they came in contact with

I agree, but it's an odd thing to realise much later, when reluctantly trying a food for maybe the first time in 10 or 20 years. (when a kid says they don't like figs, figs are stinky, you stop giving them figs and move on.)

Friend was one of those enthusiastic "go on, they're so fresh, try it you'll like it!" guys.

So I said: "all right then. Nope, still tastes like figs do"

Q: "What do you mean?"

A: "you know, all peppery and rough. Figs."

Q: "uh, what?"

A: "Figs are peppery, itchy, right? Right?"

"Nnnoo. It might be just you."

I don't have a serious reaction. I still don't like figs though.

Re: The Incredible Fig

#44

Post by coolgeek »

SideburnsOfDoom wrote: post #43
coolgeek wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> that closes up the throat That sounds like an allergic reaction. Anaphylaxis ranges in severity from minor discomfort to life threatening. The reaction depends on the sensitivity of the person, the triggering substance, and the amount of the substance they came in contact with

I agree, but it's an odd thing to realise much later, when reluctantly trying a food for maybe the first time in 10 or 20 years. (when a kid says they don't like figs, figs are stinky, you stop giving them figs and move on.) Friend was one of those enthusiastic "go on, they're so fresh, try it you'll like it!" guys. So I said: "all right then. Nope, still tastes like figs do" Q: "What do you mean?" A: "you know, all…

FWIW, I've never before heard of anyone allergic to figs - or to any fruit. So I suspect that it is a rare dysfunction. The unusual nature and the mild reaction make your situation non-obvious. The link to wasps (noted by others) adds an additional potential dimension.

I know one person that is allergic to chocolate, as well as to "Christmas trees" (don't know whether it's all pines or only some pines). Other than that, all the food allergy cases I know of fall into the common categories - dairy, poultry, shellfish, nuts/legumes...

Now that I think about it, I have to wonder if the "soapy" cilantro phenomenon is a mild allergy. But that's also correlated to the "supertaster" phenomenon.

Sensory phenomena are fascinatingly complex.

Re: The Incredible Fig

#45

Post by SideburnsOfDoom »

coolgeek wrote: post #44
SideburnsOfDoom wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, but it's an odd thing to realise much later, when reluctantly trying a food for maybe the first time in 10 or 20 years. (when a kid says they don't like figs, figs are stinky, you stop giving them figs and move on.) Friend was one of those enthusiastic "go on, they're so fresh, try it you'll like it!" guys. So I said: "all right then. Nope, still tastes like figs do" Q: "What do you mean?" A: "you know, all…

FWIW, I've never before heard of anyone allergic to figs - or to any fruit. So I suspect that it is a rare dysfunction. The unusual nature and the mild reaction make your situation non-obvious. The link to wasps (noted by others) adds an additional potential dimension. I know one person that is allergic to chocolate, as well as to "Christmas trees" (don't know whether it's all pines or only some pines). Other than th…

I think it started with the milky sap of the fig tree, actually.

A reaction to that is quite common

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30745641/

https://www.livestrong.com/article/546672-fig-allergies/

Re: The Incredible Fig

#46

Post by coolgeek »

SideburnsOfDoom wrote: post #45
coolgeek wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW, I've never before heard of anyone allergic to figs - or to any fruit. So I suspect that it is a rare dysfunction. The unusual nature and the mild reaction make your situation non-obvious. The link to wasps (noted by others) adds an additional potential dimension. I know one person that is allergic to chocolate, as well as to "Christmas trees" (don't know whether it's all pines or only some pines). Other than th…

I think it started with the milky sap of the fig tree, actually. A reaction to that is quite common https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30745641/ https://www.livestrong.com/article/546672-fig-allergies/

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