I grew up in the rural Northeast, where fresh fruit was something that came along seasonally and with few exotic varieties. Because of this, and growing up in poverty, I rarely had experience with fresh fruit growing up and I certainly never got my hands on any oranges that weren't the cheapest and most readily available. Because of this, I grew up disliking oranges because they were bland and often stringy and a bit dry (as the older, cheaper oranges are likely to be). It wasn't until I came to Japan and started sampling mikan that I learned to like any type of orange. These small, sweet, and often quite juicy oranges bring to mind clementines, but I believe they are even sweeter. I will also always associate mikan with Japan and the celebration of New Year's as one is often placed on top of mochi as a decoration.
During the winter, mikan are available cheaply and in abundance, and I'm going to miss have such easy access to them.
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