For the third piece in this citrus series, I had to add a lime. Although limes also grow everywhere in California, I decided to travel back to the east coast and take this one to the Florida Keys. Towns like Key West have become famous tourist destinations for their great weather and beautiful beaches, and they’re also known for their local variety of limes.
Years ago I was on vacation in Miami and we decided to drive a rental car all the way from Miami to Key West. It’s a long road which is better paved in some areas than others, with occasional signs that read “Caution: Alligator Crossing.” Surrounding one such sign were dozens of real live alligators, their enormous scaly bodies crouching flat across the road. We slowed the car to a crawl and carefully maneuvered around them, trying not to run off the road into a soggy ditch and risk getting stuck!
When we finally made it to our destination we were starving, so we went out for dinner and drinks. Now the food in the Keys is honestly not much to write home about, but the drinks and desserts are amazing. And when you’re in the Keys, you have to try the fresh local key lime pie. It’s zesty, it’s sour, it’s almost sickeningly sweet. And traditionally it’s topped with a thick layer of soft egg white meringue.
The next day we found a couple beach chairs in the sand and lay out under the coconut trees drinking beer and cocktails with a lime wheel decorating the rim of the glass. It was the middle of winter, and we had come down from Pennsylvania where there was snow all over the ground. But on the tip of Florida it was a balmy 75 degrees, and the soft winter sun was gentle on our backs. It was the perfect tropical vacation away from the rest of the world.
Leave a Reply