Ever since I was a kid, I have always hated fruit. The textures have genuinely freaked me out and have permanently turned me away. The textures are too squishy or soft which I do not like. My friends and family have always tried getting me to eat fruit, but I haven’t usually given in. When I have, it’s usually a single grape or small bite that I’ve immediately had a distaste for and spit it out.  

However, for the comedic relief of my friend, I have decided to try various fruits and rate them from best to worst. I will be blindfolded and given a secret fruit which I will give a rating on a scale of 1 to 10. I will then decide whether I hate the fruit, would have to be forced to eat it, would willingly eat it or would voluntarily buy the fruit at the grocery store.  

Beginning with the several fruits laid out in front of me, I will be fed one to try. I will describe my fruit, give a rating and then palate cleanse with some water. I will repeat this process until I am disgusted and my friend is satisfied.  

Starting with the first fruit, it took me a while to begin to chew. Once I did, I immediately knew it was pineapple. The texture was very slimy at first which I did not like. Once I got to the taste, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was bitter which I liked, but when offered to have another bite, I quickly declined. My rating for this fruit was a 9. I would probably not eat this fruit unless offered or placed in front of me.  

“Pineapple was the first fruit that I gave Lauren to try,” my friend Jessie Larrinaga said. “I thought it would be a good one to start with because pineapple is a simple yet acidic fruit. I was right, it was one of her favorites. From here, things went downhill.”  

After a nice drink of water to clear the taste, I tried the next fruit. I was given a big piece, which I did not like. The texture gave away the identity of the fruit right away. It was watermelon, which is sweet, something I was fond of. I could not eat the entire piece because the texture was too much to handle. I would have to be force fed the watermelon if I were to eat it again. I give it a 6 out of 10.  

When my third fruit was fed to me, I was instantly disgusted. It was rounded and very mushy which I hated. I spit it out with barely any chewing since I could not handle the texture. The flavor was not worth having to deal with the consistency of the fruit. I was confused on which fruit it was since it was an unfamiliar taste. After being repulsed, I was told it was a blueberry. In the near future, I will be complaining to muffin companies about their misrepresentation of blueberries. 3 out of 10.  

“My first thought when Lauren was fed the blueberry, was ‘Why is she making that face?’ Then I realized it was a look of confusion under the blindfold. She had no idea what this was. How has someone in 18 years never tried a blueberry? I suppose it doesn’t matter because after three seconds, she spit it out,” Larrinaga complained.  

When given my next fruit, at first taste, I thought it would be an apple, but I knew it was too soft. Then I gathered that it was a strawberry from the seeds. I decided to spit it out. The taste was good, but the texture was too gooey. I felt like I was biting into something that I should not have been biting into. It seemed illegal. After seeing TikToks about bugs on strawberries, that idea has turned me away as well. I will never be partaking in eating strawberries again. I give it a 5 out of 10.  

The next fruit was one that I dreaded eating. It was the despised banana. I was forcefully told to chew it and upon that request, I took one single bite. I was not a fan. I can see why people like banana related items like banana bread – even I eat that sometimes. However, I could never eat a banana on its own. This fruit is a solid 2 out of 10.  

“Bananas are a great fruit. They’re soft, have lots of flavor and should be a staple in everyone’s diet. I wasn’t expecting the violent reaction Lauren had as the fruit was put into her mouth.” Larrinaga exclaimed. “Like blueberries, it didn’t stay in there for long.”  

The next one I knew was a grape since this is one of my least hated fruits. I was asked which color grape it was and even guessed right. It was a red grape which had good flavor. The texture was tolerable, and I was able to finish it. I like the little crunch when you break through the skin of the grape as well. It’s a pretty simple and easy-going fruit. I can even go far enough to say I would voluntarily eat grapes. If my mom were to buy this at a grocery store, I would have a couple here and there. I give this one a 10 out of 10.  

The first words that I said while eating the next fruit were, “Oh no.” It was dragon fruit. This is a more exotic fruit and had an acidic yet musty taste. I thought I was going to throw up. My eyes began watering and I gagged. I could not chew the dragon fruit at all. Jessie’s mom even asked if Jessie was torturing me. The taste was so agonizing that I spit it out. On my grave it will say, “I will never try this fruit again.” 1 out of 10.  

 “Honestly, I cannot blame Lauren for her reaction to the dragon fruit”, says Larrinaga. “I had never had it before either, and when I tried it, I was not a fan. That’s not to say that I spit it out and almost threw up like she did, but for someone who doesn’t like fruit in the first place, I can see why this would provoke such a reaction.” 

For this fruit, I knew I only had three left to go, so I used the process of elimination to guess that this was a kiwi. I used to work at an acai bowl establishment. One of my tasks was cutting up the fruit to put in the fruit bar, with kiwi being one. I always hated kiwis because they have a bad smell. The texture is too soft and mushy, something I cannot easily tolerate. The taste is definitely not worth it either. I would never eat this fruit again. Solid 4 out of 10.  

Upon my next tasting, I could tell by the crunchiness that this fruit was an apple. I thought it was very sweet which I liked. This one surprised me, since I used to believe that I didn’t like apples. However, the texture was doable, and the flavor was good enough to eat. The apple was definitely mild compared to the other fruits that came on very strong. I would eat this fruit if placed in front of me, especially if it was accompanied by peanut butter or caramel. I give this fruit an 8 out of 10.  

“I was excited for Lauren to try apples. Lauren has a big issue with the texture of most fruits, and I thought apples might be different because they’re more crisp than soft. My hypothesis was correct. She didn’t dislike it compared to the others,” Larrinaga boasted.  

My final fruit was an orange. I didn’t have it in my mouth for too long, since the texture threw me off. The stringy part of the orange was not good at all. The surface area that the orange took up in my mouth was more than I would have liked. However, without the texture, I would have liked this fruit much more. The taste wasn’t necessarily the best, but it triumphed over the other fruits. I would try this fruit again if given to me, but I would not buy it at the store. This fruit deserves a 7 out of 10. 

My consensus of the fruits and their standings from best to worst goes as follows: grapes, pineapple, apple, oranges, watermelon, strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, banana, dragon fruit. Some of these fruits I would definitely try again, however some are on my hit list. Fruits used to be a big no-no for me, but after today, I might do some reconsideration.