A common discussion in our house centers around the question “who was the first person to eat an avocado – and why?” It’s a fair question; after all, even if you like avocados (and I do) you have to admit that were they an unknown plant pod, their lumpy greenish-black exterior concealing their mushy, slippery, lighter green pulp doesn’t exactly give them them an appearance that most would consider appetizing. The same question could similarly be asked, “what went through the mind of the first explorer to see a penguin, or a pineapple, or for that matter a pangolin?”
In writing her new book Penguins, Pineapples, and Pangolins; First Encounters with the Exotic, Claire Cock-Starkey did indeed ask these very questions – as well as quite a number of others in a similar vein – and took the time to comb through the collections of the British Library to discover if any of these first experiences were committed to writing. From those that were, she has assembled what looks to be quite an intriguing collection of journal entries, letters, and other records describing these first encounters.
Whether or not she has included anything about avocados remains to be seen.
