Back to Eden?

"Garden of Eden" is usually used as a metaphor for somewhere you wish you could live in or to describe an excellent, beautiful place. People wish they could "return to Eden".

I don't. And I believe many of us, if we think about it, will decline the invitation as well.

Hubby would hate it because the time in Eden was before man toiled the earth. And if hubby cannot garden, he ain't happy. My oldest child would really hate the place since there were no books there. None. Not even Harry Potter. My youngest would hate it because there were no iPods, no internet and no emails. What's a girl to do? My friend Lisa would hate it because there were no clothes. At all. My friend Mara would probably love the fact that walking was the main mode of transportation but then she would realize there were hardly any people to talk to and not enough things to organize and then she would hate it too. My friend Gail would not like the fact that the only 'apple' around was the forbidden fruit. My friend Elyse would have a problem dancing since there was no music. Every one of my in laws would hate the fact that (in all probability) there was no meat to eat. My brother would hate it because there was no chocolate. My sister would hate it because there were no babies. My mother would hate it because there was nothing to complain about (I mean, hey, it's the garden of Eden, right?)

And I would hate the fact that the only other person there is a.... man. Bad enough we have to put up with the beasts occasionally, but to never have anyone intelligent to talk to? Someone who communicates in more than grunts?


I totally understand Chava. He may have been a snake but at least he spoke to her about interesting stuff. About things that mattered to her (and if not, he convinced her that they mattered to her and that he cared about her well being. How many men would bother to do that if they were the only man in the world?) And he never left the toilet seat up or his shoes in the middle of the living room.

The part that puzzles me is why Adam ate the fruit. I find it is almost impossible to talk hubby into anything he is not interested in doing. I may succeed in making him do something but he will never do it properly. How did Chava convince Adam to not only agree to try the fruit but to actually do it? And when the highest authority he knew forbade it, too? If hubby's highest authority will not want him to do something, I could threaten suicide and he will not be moved. What was Chava's secret? I bet it was because there were no other men around to talk Adam out of listening to her.

And they never repeated that mistake. Notice how all men throughout history have taken Adam's example to heart and decided to never again do anything a woman asks them to do. And how they keep each other in line about it.

Sigh.

Apples baked in honey and pecans

(I found this in an Israeli cooking site. It's really good and all the ingredients could be found in Gan Eden)


6 granny smith apples
4-5 oz pecans (halved)
6 Tbs honey


Core each apple but not all the way to the bottom.

Arrange apples in a baking dish. Fill with pecans and sprinkle the rest of the pecans on the bottom of the dish.

Pour honey over apples and pecans.

Bake at 350F for an hour or until a toothpick can easily be inserted into apples.


Serves 6 (warm or cold)






And, before you all jump on me, I know. I know it wasn't necessarily an apple.