Back when Taiwan got liberated from the Japanese, the Taiwanese were living in very poor conditions. Apples were treats for very special occasions...and to think I'm so picky with types of apples I'd eat, Washington mealy apples were considered OMG amazing.
When the kids would get sick, my grand parents would ask them what they would want for a treat. My mom and her siblings always asked for an apple when they were sick. The one special apple they could eat alone, not sharing with the other five siblings.
I guess the theory of apple's magical powers is still around. Mom took her cold meds and then ate her gala, even though we rarely eat apples now. They just seemed like such a plain fruit compared to pomegranates, kiwis, cactus pears etc.
She peeled it even in the old school way, with a paring knife, not a peeler.
And she didn't need to share.
I love to hear things like this. It is amazing that we take fruit and the like for granted. While something as simple as an apple was seen as a special treat.
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