Jelly Bellys Friend or Foe.

It was when I found myself in the line up at a big name box store buying computer ink cartridges that I was overcome by the need (okay want) to purchase a tube of Jelly Belly jelly beans. I had a long drive to work ahead of me and thought I would appreciate the distraction, little did I know what new discoveries lay ahead of me. I was unaware, but in that tube were both Friends and Foes. For those who are unaware, Jelly Belly's label themselves as the first gourmet jelly bean, they have countless flavours of various tasty sensations, so many in fact that each package of beans comes with what I call a flavour menu!

I popped the top off the tube and poured out 4 beans. I put the first one in and savoured the experience, it was Sizzling Cinnamon bean..HOT DARN!!! this one turned out to be my favourite of the day, what a great start. Next, lemon lime, ZING! Then bubble gum, POP then cream soda YAHOO! I was on a role, each bean brought such excitement of flavour. I had made new four friends in those beans and I was so joyful!

Then it happened, WHAMMO.. toasted coconut. To be fair the concept is decent but once it mingles with human saliva and coats the taste buds it is more akin to licking your fingers after applying sun lotion. Totally unacceptable. But I decided that in order to rid my mouth of sun lotion flavour I ought to try again. So I poured out 3 more. The first was brown so I thought maybe just maybe a chocolate bean, but no..it was coffee. Folks that flavour needs to stay in a cup. It must never be hardened and formed into a sugary bean shape and yes I see the irony that coffee beans are actually real but I think they would have been more palatable than this little brown curiosity. Next two beans brought with them an overwhelming yawn, they were just okay but not spectacular. The first yawn was a variation of something strawberry the second was boring old orange. Blah Blah blah. Foe's had made their presence in the tube known, and they were powerful, and according to the menu, I knew I had not yet encountered the most deadly of foes, the black licorice flavour. EWWWW! A flavour so strong it takes 2-3 friend beans to counter attack the assault on the taste buds.

Fearing what flavour was next I began to visual inspect each bean before consumption. I was so afraid of these unsuspecting foes that even my darling sizzling cinnamon was looked at with suspicion causing me to wonder if it was a pomegranate in disguise. The result, I never regained the original joy of the first four beans. Paranoia, suspicion and lingering bad tastes even tainted my enjoyment of the next sizzling cinnamon bean.

Why the story, well it occurred to me that some of you would like a lighter story for a change. But more than that, I wondered if I was doing the same to people and experiences that I did to my jelly belly beans. I used to dive right in and savour life but after a few bad experiences I find that I hesitate suspiciously and examine carefully, trying to detect any foe like qualities before enjoying it. Yes, even things that I wholeheartedly love are often pushed aside for a later date so that I might feel safer or more ready to enjoy it. I want to savour life like I did with the first four beans, I miss that energy and excitement.

Sure I might encounter a foe once in a while but that is life. Much like a tube of beans, life also has blah moments, unpalatable moments and moments that make you cringe (black licorice). Life is worth the risk and now faced with the onslaught of a whole bunch of new people and experiences II find myself wanting to actively seek out and savour the awesomeness of what life can bring in Nassau. So onward I go, ready for the new!