What color was the apple?

For those that think we are loser self-absorbed architects, we are not always consumed with things architectural. This morning, we were having a lively discussion about Adam Eve. It went something like this:

Pete: Marcus and I were just discussing the apple of knowledge from the bible Adam and eve story. Does the color of the apple matter to the story? was it even mentioned? Would the world be a different place if it had been a green apple? Eve might not have eaten it, no one likes green apples nearly as much as red ones....except probably Chris because he's got strange tastes in fruit.

Chris: I do think the color matters - size too. It wasn't some small crab apple -it was definitely big and round but they never really mention that, do they?There is a shit-load of reading between the lines in the bible.

John: I don't think they even say it was an apple in the bible. I thought that was more a school/social thing that everyone says apple because its a concrete item that kids can understand. The bible just says it was a fruit. Maybe I am wrong about that and I don't have a bible handy so I can not check, but that's what I remember. Do they even grow a lot of apples in the Iran/Turkey area that this was written in?

Pete: serious reading between the lines...how do they even know it was an apple? it seems like a banana makes more literary sense, it's phallic. (Chris likes cold black bananas, coincidence?) after eating it she's all about the dick, so a banana makes more sense.

After looking at the bible on this cool website, we realize that there is no apple mentioned: http://www.biblegateway.com/

John: I am going with it being a lemon. Lemons were probably the sweetest fruit in the universe and then god, in his standard old school spiteful rage, turned it into a sour fruit that most people do not like to just bite into and eat. However, the pear argument seems logical also.

Chris: I still like the idea of a sardine tree - the magical sardine that brings knowledge to all!!!

Pete: How does a sardine tree make any sense? Most people hate sardines. Plus they are fish and don't grow on trees. But if we are suspending disbelief and the garden of Eden really did have everything growing from trees, well a sardine tree would be great for a Finnish Adam and Eve or Sven and Svetlana.

Marcus: A sardine tree is possible.

This whole examination of ambiguity brings up another interesting question: Were there dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden?

We're told that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh and that Adam and Eve kicked it around Eden for a bit, living in trees I guess. But we also know that no one, especially Presidents, should take the Bible literally and that its all metaphors and the six days could actually be six billion years or however long it took for bacteria to become hairless apes. And that there wasn't a specific "Adam" and "Eve" (and most certainly not an "Adam" and "Steve" as said President would like to remind us).

But it's also fun to imagine Adam racing around Eden on the back of his pet raptor "Buttercup" while Eve roamed the fields on her unicorn "Princess." And if they DID live with dinosaurs, did the dinosaurs get along with their human companions or did the T-Rex keep eating the Adam to the point God got so pissed off he killed all the dinosaurs off so that man could live, only to have Man (or, rather, Woman) go and fuck things up for everybody?

Chris: I got in trouble in grade school (I think I was in 3rd grade) for drawing dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden. If the Polish nuns at Sacred Heart say there were no dinosaurs in the garden of Eden, I would tend to believe them. What was great is they told me I need to choose what I believe in: I either believed in dinosaurs or the bible (there was no gray area with those ladies).

Maybe it does need to be a fruit or vegetable though. I like the image of Adam or Eve just being able to bite into the fruit - the experience needs to be direct. If you have to take the time to peel it, you might have second thoughts about actually eating it. In this case, a lemon or orange, lime, or tangerine wouldn't work. It needs to be an apple, grape, pear, tomato or something you don't peel.

John: obviously the stupid t-rex ate from the magic sardine tree and thus our lord and savior the Big Guy did strike down the dinosaurs. he told adam, eve and steve about this as a warning not to eat the sardines or black bananas, but god, being a woman, kept going on and on about the tree and of course the guys did not listen because they were distracted by eve's sexy, naked body. except for steve who was distracted by adam (but we will not discuss that). Eve knew all about the warning but became jealous of god as adam started staring at her instead of eve. So out of spite (damn women) she ate the sardine and convinced adam to do the same (who can resist a naked, hot eve?). The unicorn/zebra was destroyed and adam and eve were given the boot.

Marcus: Tina Fey had a great joke on SNL about dinosaurs and Jesus during the 2004 Presidential Campaign:

"A Supreme Court in Georgia ruled that high school biology teachers were permitted to continue using the term 'evolution' when teaching their classes. However as a compromise, they must now refer to dinosaurs as 'jesus horses'."

Pete: I like the concept of Jesus Horses.

What do Polish nuns have against evolution? The Catholic Church pretty much supported evolution, I thought. Pretty sly move on their part.

Where they completely naked in the garden? Does it really say that? I think they would wear something on their feet, sandals or socks. It's still a garden and no one likes stepping on crap.

John: your point about pealing is well taken and I like the tomato as a good option. it could explain why it was ostracized from the fruit world and treated like a lowly vegetable. Or taken the opposite way, it is the most magnificent of the fruits and vegetables because it functions as both.

So that's how it was. We accomplished at least one thing today. We figured out what the fruit on the tree in the Garden of Eden was - all before lunch.