Cheater, cheater, Clementine eater

I have a confession to make… a deep, dark secret I keep from my “green” side. I love Clementines. These “e-z” peel cuties that travel to my Missouri supermarket from California… or even worse, Spain. The Boyfriend and I have become obsessed, eating about 3 a day and gobbling up nearly 5 boxes in the past month.

I feel guilt. I do, but at the same time, I can’t stop. An addiction? I don’t think so. It’s actually something mildly nobler (I said mildly).

I am a sugar freak. There’s not a day that goes by I don’t drink pop, and barely a day goes by that I don’t eat some horrifically sugary candy like Nerds or Starburst or Skittles. I have been obsessed with candy as long as I can remember—so much so that friends joke about this very fact and my boyfriend buys me bags and bags of candy for most occasions. Sugar is a drug, and I’m a very happy addict.

But, something amazing happened with our first box of Clementines. I had finished lunch, and instead of reaching for a sugary handful of candy, I wanted fruit. I had to do a bit of a double take. Body, you want what? But my body was adamant, it didn’t want candy—it wanted a Clementine.

Since we’ve been buying the well-traveled Clementine, I’ve barely touched my candy stash (I’m still a pop addict). Instead, for snacks and even desserts I reach for a Clementine. I like fruit a lot, but Clementines are the only one’s I’ve ever reached for over candy.
So the dilemma becomes, be good to my body or be good to the environment? I suppose it doesn’t have to be a choice… I could cut back on my sugar with sheer willpower, but that doesn’t work for me for very long. I could find a more local fruit to bow to my sweet tooth, but where’s that going to happen in January?
And so, we buy the Clementines and I feel guilty, but rationalize that it’s good for me! I believe the Clementine season is coming to an end; the last batch wasn’t so good, so until next winter I can be free of guilt. But, hopefully I can come up with a suitable replacement for the Clementine for the end of ’07.