Fruitcake Paean

     I could have used a few things for Christmas this year, mostly as replacements for things that were shattered this year, such as my camera and my psychological state, but I only requested one thing the single time I was asked.  I said I'd like a fruitcake.
     I don't know how fruitcakes came to have such a bad reputation. The standard joke is that only one exists and it is constantly being circulated in the re-gifting cycle because nobody likes fruitcake.  Well, I do. Of course there are such things as bad fruitcake, but let's not paint the whole fruitcake industry with the same brush. Fruitcake can be delicious,
   My in-laws used to give us a fruitcake every year at Christmas time, and that may be when I discovered that I did indeed enjoy them. He worked for a liquor company, and may have ordered through the company;  I believe the cakes came from Tennessee, and contained a generous  amount of spirits along with the fruit and nuts. Of course, my kids would never eat fruitcake, and neither did my husband, he preferring to partake of his spirits unadulterated by cake or fruit.  So I would keep the fruitcake in the refrigerator, and eat it throughout the winter.
    That is where my gift of fruitcake is at the moment. It was exactly as requested---not one of those tiny, individual loaves which tend to be dried up, not one of those intimidatingly oversized behemoths, but a nice medium-sized  fruitcake, round in shape.
   Now I'm not sure as to what makes a fruitcake so unpopular,  Can it be the ingredients?  But what's not to like about flour, sugar, spices, fruit and nuts, with maybe a trace of something alcoholic, which bakes out after contributing its flavor.   This year's specimen is moist, flavorful and delectable.  The nuts are pecans, the fruit more candied than dried, cherries being the most prominent, with a plentiful supply of the candied glaze permeating all.
    I waited a few days after Christmas before cutting into it, and presumed it would be around for a considerable amount of time.  But it's more than half gone.  That's what happens when you have fruitcake for lunch. Oh, for my lunch only. Everyone else has gone on record over the years for detesting fruitcake, so I would never attempt to coerce anyone into eating a despised food.