The answer to this question will depends on which part of the world you come from.
I came from a culture where avocado is a fruit. I grew up seeing avocado eaten mixed with condensed milk, or sugar spread on top. I often see avocado as an ingredient in a fruit salad.

When I moved to Australia, it came as a surprise to see avocado in a chicken sandwich! I found it strange when I was informed that Aussies think of avocado as a vegetable. It just never occurred to me that avocado can be part of a vegetable salad until I saw it mingling happily with tomatoes and cucumbers and even flirting with a bunch of lettuce.
When I first tasted avocado in a vegetable salad I found out that is good mixed together with other vegetables. I think that avocado in a fruit salad tastes yummier but that is just a personal preference.
Before knowing the Aussie culture when asked what if avocado is a fruit or vegetable, I would have said a fruit without even thinking. But now I can say that it is both and it doesn’t have to be one way or the other. It just depends on what other ingredients you want to mix it with.

I think that seeing and being with other people that have a different culture than us opens us up to possibilities that we never thought of as likely. We just need eyes to see and open hearts to receive something new, even if at times it is different or even contrary to what we grew up with.
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Text & Photos by Alicia Davis