The Glitch: Seeing the Red Kiwi

And then— It happens. I see red: Not apple red, not strawberry red, not “I just got caught lying” red. A wrong red, A “this does not belong in this fruit category” red, out of the corner of my eye— A kiwi. But… red.

I freeze: Not dramatically, not gracefully. I glitch. My brain immediately forms a committee.

• Left brain: “That’s impossible.”
• Right brain: “You’re hallucinating again.”
• The damaged region: “ah shit, here we go again 🤡”

I do not turn my head, because what if I turn— and it’s still there? Reality is broken. What if I turn— and it’s gone? I’m broken. So, I do what any emotionally stable person would do: I pretend not to see. I keep walking, as if I don’t see an identity crisis between the fruits, as if I’m not a click away from searching for “early symptoms of schizophrenia, but make it aesthetically pleasing.”

“I grab any ordinary kiwi to console myself: Safe, Expected, Disappointing, Dating men below age 25.”

But that red— It lingers like Trauma, like unfinished conversations, like the ghost of my past screaming, “YOU MISSED SOMETHING.”

Validation via the TikTok Algorithm

I leave. I go home. I sit down. And like the highly evolved creature I am— I open TikTok: Scroll. Scroll. Scroll. My thumb is doing cardio, my brain is dissolving. And then— The algorithm looks me dead in the soul and says: “Oh. You saw it, didn’t you?”

A video pops up on my timeline. Name: “RED KIWI IN TAIWAN – NOT GMO!!!”

I am sitting straight: Back straight, Trauma alert system on. There is someone in the video; he is holding a red kiwi. My heart starts racing. This is not love; this is for survival. He cuts it open, and everything explodes in the world: From the inside, Red flows into Gold.

I whisper: “…what the hell is that?”

He goes on and says something about natural cultivation. Selective breeding, not genetically modified. Anthocyanins, Antioxidants, Superfood. I hear none of it, because my brain is stuck on one thing: “I SAW THIS EXACT FRUIT BEFORE THIS VIDEO.”

Establishing Reality at Carrefour

Two hours later, I’m in Carrefour. Do not even try asking why. My soul yelled, “We are not going to sleep until we establish reality.” And then, my body started moving.

There it was: Ruby Red Kiwi. Lying there, as calmly and relaxed as if it was not making me question reality. I get closer. Yes. In the open space, without any embarrassment, only with purpose. “Are you real?” I ask myself.

I grab a box. My hands are slightly shaking, like a first kiss, like stealing for the first time, like realizing I have absolutely no control over my life. I check out. I go home. I sit down at the table with interrogation-style lighting above me.

The Taste of Perspective

The kiwi is in front of me. “This is it,” I whisper. Knife in hand, I slice. Time slows, the blade enters, Skin gives way. And then— Red: Not subtle, not shy, not asking for permission. It bursts open a center of deep crimson—radiating into Gold—like a sunset inside a wound.

I take a bite. And everything stops.

First, the texture. Soft, Fine, and with Slight resistance. Like biting something that knows its limits. Then comes the taste. A little sour, and a little sweet. Not too much of either. For the first time in my life, nothing is trying too hard. I close my eyes.

“…this is the middle. Not chaos, not emptiness. Just enough.”

I bite again. The juice bursts out. A slight tannic edge that whispers of anthocyanin— like a sophisticated afterthought. And suddenly— I laugh. Because somewhere on TikTok, people are losing their minds over this, calling it rare, Exotic, a Superfood. And me? I am sitting from the comfort of my home in Taiwan.

Hair messy, life messy, everything messy. Eatin’ it up, all calm-like. No queue, no hooplah, no rush-rush. Just— casually there.