What if self-discovery is like peeling mandarins?

If you think about it, onion layers sting. They can make your eyes water and leave a sharp, unpleasant taste in your mouth if you eat them raw. Oranges, too, have a thick white layer, and their segments often can’t be eaten in one bite.

A mandarin, however, is a whole other story! You peel and pop. There’s a sweet sensation, followed by a little shock of sourness, giving your taste buds time to process what they’ve just experienced. 

Perhaps what I’m trying to say is that we don’t need to hurt in order to discover ourselves. It can be a curious and graceful experience. Sometimes, we might meet the sharp acidity of a fruit that isn’t quite ripe. But when it’s in season, there is a divine perfection in peeling.

Imagine how it feels to taste the sweet nectar of remembering, for the first time, that you are not alone. After all, the mandarin grows alongside others, in a brilliant nest of branches, on a tree safely rooted in the ground.  

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WiseOwl’s Mandarin Tea 🍊

Ingredients for 2 cups

500 ml water

Peel of 1 mandarin

Juice of 1 mandarin

1 small cinnamon stick

2 thin slices of fresh ginger

1–2 teaspoons honey (optional)

Method

Place the water, mandarin peel and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Remove as much white pith as possible from the peel to avoid bitterness.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat, add the mandarin juice and leave to steep for 2 minutes.

Strain, sweeten with honey if desired, and serve warm.

In-joy!