How To Peel a Pomegranate (and Pomegranate Salsa)
Have you ever gone to yoga with underwear stuck to your mat?
….
…Anyone…?
Well, I have. Several times actually. The undies were actually stuck to my yoga towel, not my mat. And yes, they were clean.
I practice hot power vinyasa yoga which equates to a lot of sweat, so a yoga towel is mandatory. Towel covers mat during class, towel gets sweaty, towel goes into the laundry… towel comes out of the dryer a more powerful panty magnet than George Clooney.
The first time the “underwear incident” occurred, I was completely clueless. Forever running late, I dug my yoga towel out of the clean laundry pile, gave myself a pat on the back for actually WASHING it, and raced to class. At the studio, I rolled out my mat, flicked my towel on top of it, and laid down… with my yet-to-be-discovered undies perched just to the left of my head. It wasn't until I stretched back into my first downward dog that I spotted my underwear, in all their lacy purple glory, stuck to my towel. I thudded into child's pose, swiftly snatched them up and tucked them under my mat. Awkward.
You'd think I would learn a lesson from “the day I brought my underwear to yoga class”. Nope. It happened again. In my defense, I DID make an effort to leave my undies at home this time. Running late (again), I grabbed my towel out of the laundry and gave it an aggressive shake. One pair of panties flew off. Ha! I saved myself from another embarrassment! As I hurried to the door with my towel in hand, something fell at my feet. Another pair, adorned with bows no less! Phew, that was close. I gave my towel another little shake. Nothing. Off I went.
At the studio, I squeezed my mat in to a spot next to a friend. As we chatted, I spread my towel out onto my mat and plopped down. Her eyes fell away from my face and on to the ground. “Um, you have a thong on your mat.”
Noooooo!
I recounted the backstory and we laughed together. Then she shared her own story involving an underwear-loving sweatshirt and a restaurant. I instantly felt less alone in my public underwear exposure.
Guess what? Shit happens, and it happens to everyone. Sometimes you slip in a puddle of soda in the middle of a cafeteria when wearing white pants (true story), sometimes you are chosen to play Mary in the Christmas play and forget ALL of your lines (also a true story), sometimes you fling your underwear around in public places.
The moral of the story: we are all human, we are all imperfect. Embrace the imperfections in yourself and in others. Let vulnerability and compassion be fluidly exchanged between you and your friends (I was vulnerable- not too difficult with my underwear making an appearance- and my friend showed compassion by sharing her vulnerable moment).
Another vulnerable moment: the time I tried to be a good future-daughter-in-law by contributing a festive pomegranate salad to Christmas dinner. In a hurry (probably late…), I decided it was a good idea to separate the pomegranate seeds while wearing my Christmas best in my mother-in-law's kitchen right before we needed to walk out the door. I'm sure you can imagine how this ends: bright red pomegranate juice stains on everything from my sweater to the kitchen counter. Luckily the damage was not permanent. In the case of the “pomegranate incident”, I learned my lesson.
How To Peel a Pomegranate
Step 1
Quarter the pomegranate by carefully scoring the peel with a knife all the way around in both directions, being careful not to cut all the way through into the seeds. Twist it apart to break it into quarters.
Step 2
Fill a bowl with water. Submerge the pomegranate quarters into the water and separate the seeds from the white pulp and skin. The pulp will float, the seeds will sink.
Step 3
Skim the floating white pulp off the top of the water. Drain seeds in a colander.
Now what do you do with those sweet little seeds? You make Pomegranate Salsa, of course.
- Seeds of two pomegranates
- 1 avocado, cut into chunks
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup vegan cheese crumbles like Kite Hill Soft Fresh Original (optional)
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and gently fold
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Serve with tortilla chips or pita chips