papaya
March 31, 2005At the restaurant in Monterey, I ordered shrimp louie, which came with artfully sliced cucumber and tomato along the side of the plate. There was a mystery decorative substance, reddish orange, a bit like carrot, but mushy. Wasn’t watermelon. I asked a son to taste. He did, and spat the word ‘papaya’ in withering disgust.
Years ago, I bought a papaya from a vegetable stand. The elderly man said I was in for a treat, they were just ripe enough. When I served it, no one would eat it because it smelled like barf.
Butyric acid is to blame for the distinct vomit odor that also occurs with parmesan cheese. But I’ve not been able to find much linking it to papayas.
