April's Fools

Merriam Webster defines a fool thusly: 1. A person lacking in judgement or prudence, 2. a retainer formerly kept in great households to provide casual entertainment and commonly dressed in motley with cap, bells, and bauble, 3. One who is victimized or made to appear foolish, 4. A person lacking in common powers of understanding and reason, 5. One with a marked propensity or fondness for something, 6. A cold dessert of pureed fruit mixed with whipped cream or custard. 

It being April Fool’s Day, I’m wondering how each of us might find examples of Webster’s definition of fools in our own lives or in the lives of those around us. I thought of all the times I’d played the fool in life; times of which I am ashamed. I might have actually had the judgement during some of those times, but chose to ignore it for whatever reason. Out of those of you who are reading this, I’m sure there are more than a few who were the “class clown,”making a show of themselves by their shouting out, pulling pranks or outlandish dress.

I don’t agree with Mr. Webster’s third definition. What he describes I would rather term a “prey” than a fool. Anyone who has allowed themself to be bullied has done so out of self-preservation, not possessing the ability to fight back. This, to my way of thinking, does not describe a fool.

In these days of inclusiveness, definition number four would be considered a slur, as it describes many groups of people who are intellectually or socially challenged through no fault of their own. Having a learning disability myself, I know what it is like to be thought a “fool” because I couldn’t perceive some things others considered to be commonly understood.

We are all fools for something, as in definition number five, be it a particular person with whom we have fallen madly in love, a food or beverage group we crave such as sweets, a love of certain things like cars, puppies, shoes, sports, etc. We might be quite dignified and serious until we come upon our obsession. Then, we seem to turn into a whole different person; a “silly” person in the eyes of the unsuspecting acquaintance who observes us coming into contact with the object of our obsession.

Definition number six is my favorite. A fool is a whipped cream or custard dessert that contains mashed sweetened fruit and is usually served in a pretty dessert glass. It originated in17th century Britain. The name may have come from the French word, “fouler” meaning, “to mash.”  Fools were made in the thirteen colonies. Here is a “receipt” for Apricot Fool from the kitchen of Mount Claire, the 1757 Maryland mansion of Margaret and Charles Carroll. It is printed in “TheThirteen Colonies Cookbook” by Mary Donovan, Amy Hatrak, Frances Mills and Elizabeth Shull. I considered changing one of the ingredients from sugar to salt as an April fool’s trick, but thought it too cruel and wasteful. So here it is, just as it was made in 18th century Maryland:

Apricot Fool

3 cups mashed apricots (or 2 29 oz cans drained and pureed

1/4 cup orange brandy

1 cup heavy cream whipped

1 tablespoon sugar

rind of one grated lemon

Drain the apricots. Mash to fill 3 cups; then puree in a blender. Stir in liqueur, whipped cream, sweetened with the sugar and lemon rind. Pour into dessert glasses. Top with preserved ginger or large flakes of semi-sweet chocolate.