Never a vegetable guy, always a fruit guy, I never got into peaches. Even when my dad happily ate a seemingly daily peach down to a dry pit, the powerful taste forever eluded me. Too sweet, I thought. I’m fine with my apples, oranges, watermelons and grapes. Hold the fuzz. That just leaves more for you.

But here I am now in peach country. Chilton County certainly prides itself in an abundance of deserved qualities, but any time you find a county logo either on a brochure or website, you’ll definitely catch a peach, too. Am I to waltz into this area with my anti-peach arrogance and blithely refuse the offering of a newly picked peach from a native who knows much better than I?

I echo your “How dare you?” sentiments.

A picky eater like me rarely changes his routine 25 years into his life. I’m settled. I like what I like. My favorites are labeled, and I’m stubbornly unwilling to branch out even if words like “succulence” and “perfection” describe what I’m missing out on. I reckon it’s my loss.

Normally, I’d tell you to go ahead and have mine if a peach is all that’s available at a given moment. But this is Chilton County. Peach season approaches, and I’m not willing to tell my kids that their dope of a father opted for the generic dessert product instead of a lovingly and locally grown peach that added to the personality of a community.

But what if I don’t like it? It would reinforce every thought I had about the fruit. My instinct to resist what I’d normally do will have failed me. I’ll continue to be that guy who simply doesn’t like or eat peaches. At least I can bring a batch home to my dad and other family members, those who can fully appreciate the mouthwatering majesty of peaches.

I guess you never know whether you are that guy until you’ve tried a Chilton County peach. My time has come.

–Ben Flanagan is a staff writer for The Clanton Advertiser.