Fruit Ninja’s of Los Angeles

On a mission to eat more fruit, and never suffer the scurvy, I took my lunch from a fruit cart on the sidewalk in front of a Chase Bank. These bright spots of color dot the sidewalks and street corners of Los Angeles. They pop up in front of banks and bus stops. Their rainbow umbrellas and neatly stacked melons and mangos cheerfully advertise the healthiest portable food in the city. They are quintessential L.A. (along with bacon-wrapped hot-dogs carts and chile-lime corn on the cob vendors).

For $6, the aproned attendant will slice and dice whole pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon, mango, jicama, cucumber, and fresh coconut, filling a large plastic bag with fruit. The fragrance takes me on an imaginary tropical vacation. Next, whole limes are sliced in half and hand squeezed over the fruit. A few shakes of salt and chile powder, a white plastic fork, and it achieves perfection.

Angelenos, I urge you to stop more often when you pass our technicolor fruit carts. You should probably be eating more fruit, anyway. Share a bag with a friend (who, let’s be honest, could eat more fruit too). Visitors to our fair city, don’t miss your chance to be charmed and refreshed in only 5-minutes. You’ll look local. It’s a perfect snack while sightseeing, and you won’t spoil your appetite for dinner at Animal.