The genuine apple-eater comforts himself with an apple in their season
as others with a pipe or cigar. When he has nothing else to do, or is
bored, he eats an apple. While he is waiting for the train he eats an
apple, sometimes several of them. When he takes a walk, he arms
himself with apples. His traveling bag is full of apples. He offers
an apple to his companion, and takes one himself. They are his chief
solace when on the road. He sows their seed all along the route.
He tosses the core from the car-window and from the top of the
stage-coach. He would, in time, make the land one vast orchard.
He dispenses with a knife. He prefers that his teeth shall have the
first taste. Then he knows the best flavor is immediately beneath the
skin, and that in a pared apple this is lost. If you will stew the
apple, he says, instead of baking it, by all means leave the skin on.
It improves the color and vastly heightens the flavor of the dish.
The apple is a masculine fruit; hence women are poor apple-eaters.
It belongs to the open air, and requires an open-air taste and relish.
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