The Ubiquitous Tomato :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Ubiquitous Tomato Each year, millions of Americans, anxious after the confinement of winter, are excited when spring begins. Home improvement stores and nurseries entice gardeners with announcements of special sales on items for the home garden. People converge on the nurseries in throngs, looking for the best plants to purchase. Much of the frenzy focuses on plants that yield edible products; one favorite American pastime is backyard gardening. Many backyard gardeners say that they don't have sufficient yard space to grow fruits and vegetables, and restrict their hobby to vegetable gardening. The backyard gardener may have more growing space than he/she thinks. If you eat ketchup with your hash brown or French fried potatoes, you know that ketchup is produced from tomatoes. You may enjoy a marinara sauce with pasta, and you know that the sauce contains tomatoes and tomato products. How about the sauce on the last pizza you ordered? The sauce is derived from tomatoes. The three items described are products of tomato plants, possibly the most common vegetable grown in home gardens. Perhaps you enjoy some of the many flavors of jams and jellies with your toast. Have you tried the tomato jam? I enjoy fruit with yogurt, but I have not been able to find yogurt with tomatoes. If I tell you that the tomato is a fruit, does it sound odd to suggest a slice of cheesecake covered with a sugary tomato glaze? You may think, "The tomato is a vegetable, not a fruit!" I reply, "Let's check the dictionary for a definition. We should be able to clear this confusion easily." The dictionary describes fruit as: "(1) a product of plant growth, (2) a succulent plant part used chiefly in a dessert or sweet course." The dictionary describes vegetable as: "... a herbaceous plant (as the cabbage, bean, or potato) grown for an edible part (e.g. stems, leaves, or roots) that is usually eaten as part of a meal." After we compare the definitions in the dictionary, our search for a solution to our dilemma has become more puzzling. A tomato is a "product of plant growth," but we don't think of the tomato as a "dessert." The definition for a vegetable appears to describe the tomato better than the definition for a fruit. Is this enough information to draw a conclusion? If tomatoes were fruit, we might find chocolate covered tomatoes in the candy store! Let's bring this issue to closure quickly and look for the definition of tomato in the dictionary. The Ubiquitous Tomato :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers The Ubiquitous Tomato Each year, millions of Americans, anxious after the confinement of winter, are excited when spring begins. Home improvement stores and nurseries entice gardeners with announcements of special sales on items for the home garden. People converge on the nurseries in throngs, looking for the best plants to purchase. Much of the frenzy focuses on plants that yield edible products; one favorite American pastime is backyard gardening. Many backyard gardeners say that they don't have sufficient yard space to grow fruits and vegetables, and restrict their hobby to vegetable gardening. The backyard gardener may have more growing space than he/she thinks. If you eat ketchup with your hash brown or French fried potatoes, you know that ketchup is produced from tomatoes. You may enjoy a marinara sauce with pasta, and you know that the sauce contains tomatoes and tomato products. How about the sauce on the last pizza you ordered? The sauce is derived from tomatoes. The three items described are products of tomato plants, possibly the most common vegetable grown in home gardens. Perhaps you enjoy some of the many flavors of jams and jellies with your toast. Have you tried the tomato jam? I enjoy fruit with yogurt, but I have not been able to find yogurt with tomatoes. If I tell you that the tomato is a fruit, does it sound odd to suggest a slice of cheesecake covered with a sugary tomato glaze? You may think, "The tomato is a vegetable, not a fruit!" I reply, "Let's check the dictionary for a definition. We should be able to clear this confusion easily." The dictionary describes fruit as: "(1) a product of plant growth, (2) a succulent plant part used chiefly in a dessert or sweet course." The dictionary describes vegetable as: "... a herbaceous plant (as the cabbage, bean, or potato) grown for an edible part (e.g. stems, leaves, or roots) that is usually eaten as part of a meal." After we compare the definitions in the dictionary, our search for a solution to our dilemma has become more puzzling. A tomato is a "product of plant growth," but we don't think of the tomato as a "dessert." The definition for a vegetable appears to describe the tomato better than the definition for a fruit. Is this enough information to draw a conclusion? If tomatoes were fruit, we might find chocolate covered tomatoes in the candy store! Let's bring this issue to closure quickly and look for the definition of tomato in the dictionary.