The solution to my orange juice woes was right under my nose…literally.
Ok, I think we need a disclaimer to start. This is one of the ultimate first world problems. But that’s what this blog is about, so let’s not stress over that, please.
See, those who know me know I have certain idiosyncrasies beyond being a horrible proofreader. Like I’m a total snob when it comes to juice and coffee. I’m the guy who sleeps on an airport bench or eats the food in economy class to save a few bucks but insists upon only the finest coffee and will only drink orange juice that is freshly-squeezed. We all struggle with something…
Anyway, when it comes to orange juice for years the choice has been simple. In most places I do not drink it. It’s not only the sugary, concentrated, orange juice that drives me away…it’s simply not healthy. Heck, even the fresh-squeezed juice is not as healthy as eating an orange…or better yet carrots or broccoli.
But something dawned on me while sitting in the Royal Jordanian Lounge in Amman for five hours on my recent trip. They had a big container of orange jucie and it was nothing but flavored sugar and water. But they also had a big basket full of oranges. So I took four of them, cut them in half, and squeezed them in a cup.
Presto. Freshly-squeezed orange juice.
The following day while having breakfast at the Sheraton at Milan Malpensa Airport I did the same thing. The Sheraton has complimentary orange juice that may well be 100% juice, but even that doesn’t cut it. It must be fresh. Oh, they’ll squeeze you a glass of fresh juice…for EUR7/glass. That’s what I did last time I was there:
This time, I thought why should I pay an 7EUR squeezing fee? I did it myself. Voila! Same thing.
CONCLUSION
I feel both vindicated and foolish at the same time. I now have an easy solution when the OJ is not freshly-squeezed. Even roadside hotels in the USA often have apples, bananas, and oranges in a bowl or basket. The solution was that easy…
I think there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing…but I have a feeling one of these days you’ll get reprimanded for using the oranges this way.
😉
Way to keep it classy – this is almost as bad as your insistence on drinking cappuccinos after dinner while in Europe.
If I flush, will you go away?
That’s unnecessary. No need to respond to a childish comment with an even more childish comment.
well that was unnecessary.
Juice from concentrate tastes awwwwful.
If I may offer two tips – 1) the orange will juice better/easier if you cut it crosswise vs lengthwise, and 2) I have this small, portable juicer. The spines on the reamer are prominent and sweep right down to the pith like a boss. Not a drop wasted. Easy to carry and easy to clean.
https://www.oxo.com/categories/cooking-and-baking/fruits-vegetables/fruit-and-veggie-tools/small-citrus-juicer.html
Good tips!
How do you squeeze the oranges into a glass without making a big mess and getting your hands sticky?
+1 on fresh-squeezed orange juiec.
If it’s only you doing this, great idea. The problem arises when this becomes more common. Then they run out of oranges for other people or the cost becomes prohibitive because they need so many more oranges for the self-juicers.
Fair point.
Wouldn’t it just be “juicers,” rather than [ahem] “self-juicers”? I’m not sure what self-juicing would even be, but I’d wager it’s not allowed in an airport lounge….
“The Sheraton has complimentary organe juice…”
So does this typo in a post where you self-deprecate about your proofreading skills suggest that you’re trolling us? 🙂
BRILLIANT!!! BEST article idea I’ve read all year. I too HATE orange juice from a machine (concentrate) and I never thought of doing this but totally count me in your squeeze club!!
Great idea Matthew but wondering how you do it without creating a mess?
Napkins. It did make a mess.
You should limit the amount of orange juice you consume: it is little other than highly concentrated sugar ( look at Robert Lustig, Prof at UC, on YouTube, he makes a compelling case for the role of juice in high blood sugar). Put some vitamin C in cola and the difference is minimal.
I only drink it once per week at home.
Mercure Hotel Bilbao Jardines de Albia has a most excellent fresh OJ machine at their breakfast buffet but get there early, as the room fills up.
I love fresh orange juice — no sugar — too. Best country for it, IMHO, is Mexico — lots of fresh orange juice available on the street for a very good price. I spent five months living in Oaxaca and used to visit a street stand every day.
A 300 ml (10 oz.) cup of freshly-squeezed orange juice has 33 grams of sugar. For comparison, a 300 ml serving of Coca-Cola has 32 grams of sugar.
great idea. And, I would argue that you are making good use of fresh fruit that many times is simply discarded. Travelers make noise about healthy eating but grab chips and other yucky stuff, leaving the fruit to rot. You are using the oranges for their purpose.
Good job!
Oh, but please make sure you don’t stuff an organge (or any fruit for that matter) in your bag and forget about it. That nice little Dept of Ag Beagle that sniffs your bag in US Customs will alert on it and her handler will become very angry…..
Get a Ronco Pocket Juicer 😉
Thank you for this humor filled take on the oJ dilemma Matthew. So true and I love the DIY option. Your article came up first on googling fresh orange juice in hotels. As a resident of S America Brazil and now Argentina I could write a whole chapter on the disappearance of freshly squeezed airport by airport around Brazil as they were modernised. It’s almost like once you could no longer walk to the plane on the tarmac you could no longer find a fresh coconut or OJ.
Fast forward to 2021 and my recent staycations in Sheraton, Hilton and Faena while the quality of the breakfast improved with each stay the manufactured OJ got worse. Currently writing about that I asked myself, is it just me? Then I found your fantastic article, thank you!