Dan Galbraith, Fruit for Thought It was 5 in the afternoon on a “Packer Thursday,” which means print deadline day, and a column due from me was still in the developing stages.
Which, of course, for a journalist like me means I hadn’t even come up with a topic yet.
A fellow editor approached me in the company break room, where I was in the midst of a TV break to try to derive inspiration.
“How’s your column coming?” he asked.
“I’m feeling like I’m about ready to rattle off a Pulitzer Prize winner in like 10 minutes’ time, but I’m at a bit of a loss for a topic,” I said. “Any thoughts?”
“Well, it’s always good to write about something you know, and, of course, even better if it’s also something you love,” he said.
“So what do you plan to do? And is this episode of ‘VH1 Classic Pop-Up Video’ helping you write it?”
Just then popped up David Lee Roth’s “California Girls” video from the 1980s. With the first glimpse of him at that video’s opening, I had my column.
I had wanted to work a bit about one of my favorite fruits, California Cuties clementines, into a column but didn’t have a clue how. But seeing Dave, I decided right then I was going to rework the “California Girls” song into my own take about how great California Cuties clementines are.
Well, Florida fruits are hip
I really dig those apples of the East
And the Southern peaches with the way they taste
They always provide me quite a feast
The Midwest growers put out some great stuff
They really make your stomach full
And the Spanish clems, with the way they eat
They keep the fields from needing cull
I wish they all could be California...
I wish they all could be California...
I wish they all could be California clems!
The West Coast has the sunshine
And the fruit all gets so sweet
I dig the easy peel, I’m all about seedless
They beat the heck out of eating beets
I’ve been all around this great big world
And I downed all kinds of fruit
Yeah, but I couldn’t wait to get back in the States
Back to the Cutest fruit in the world.
Editor’s note: Sun Pacific Cos. now has the exclusive sales rights for the Cuties brand, leaving Paramount Citrus little to do but pack clementines and w. murcotts for Sun Pacific, its somewhat estranged trademark partner.
A trademark ownership dispute between Sun Pacific owner Berne Evans and Paramount owner Stewart Resnick landed the two California citrus companies in federal court and then in an arbitration proceeding in 2012.
The arbitration panel ruled in favor Sun Pacific, giving that company the exclusive sales rights to the Cuties brand for this season and next season, said Barney Evans, vice president of sales of Pasadena-based Sun Pacific.
He said the companies continue to share ownership of the Cuties trademark, with each company owning 50% of the brand.
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