Exchanging a Rotten Pineapple: An Unexpected Lesson

Hello dear friends,
I hope you all are doing well and spending a beautiful life with your loved ones. I wish you all happiness and peace.

Pineapple has always been one of my favorite fruits. On a hot summer day or during Ramadan, a glass of chilled pineapple juice feels like pure bliss. Since childhood, I have loved its sweet-and-sour taste and its refreshing aroma. Although it’s not pineapple season right now, hybrid pineapples are widely available in the markets. These large, brightly colored fruits look quite appealing and are often sold at a slightly higher price. But sometimes external beauty can hide inner reality—something I recently experienced firsthand.

Yesterday, on my way home from the office, I bought a large hybrid pineapple from a fruit seller. It cost 80 taka and weighed around three to four kilograms. At first glance, it looked like a good-quality fruit. I was delighted, imagining how I would share and enjoy it with my family after dinner.

But fate had other plans. When I got home and cut the pineapple open, my excitement turned into disappointment. A large portion of the inside was rotten. Instead of bright yellow sweet fruit, I saw soft, brownish-black spoiled sections. It was hard to believe that such a beautiful-looking pineapple could be in such poor condition inside. At that moment, I realized how difficult it is to judge the quality of fruit based on appearance alone.

I decided to take photos of the rotten pineapple as proof. Today, on my way back from the office, I went to see the same fruit seller and showed him the pictures. He expressed regret and said, “Brother, we sellers have no way of knowing what’s inside a pineapple. Your luck was bad, and so was mine. The pineapple cost 80 taka. If you pay 40 taka, I’ll give you another one, and this way I can recover some of my loss.”

Initially, I felt a bit upset, but then I thought, he didn’t sell me the rotten pineapple on purpose. It was indeed an unfortunate situation for both of us. So, I agreed to his proposal, shared the 50% loss, and he gave me a new pineapple.

I brought the new pineapple home and cut it open. Compared to the previous one, it was much better. However, I still noticed a slightly soft area on one side. It was edible, but the earlier experience had already shaken my confidence.

From this incident, I made up my mind never to buy large hybrid pineapples again. No matter how attractive they look, they are risky. It’s better to buy smaller, seasonal, local pineapples instead. Local pineapples are usually fresher, richer in flavor, and sold without long-term storage. Hybrid pineapples, on the other hand, are often artificially grown larger, sometimes treated with chemicals for preservation, which can even pose health risks.

This experience taught me an important lesson: never rely solely on outward appearance when buying anything. Especially when it comes to food, safety and quality matter most.

My pineapple story was not just about buying a fruit—it turned into a small but meaningful life lesson. Sometimes we get attracted by appearances, only to discover that the truth inside is completely different. That’s why awareness, patience, and trust in fresh local produce will always guide us in the right direction.