My Commons Life

News & features about the Vanderbilt Commons from the students who live here

Anna Morgan

Top 5 Fruit “Hacks” You Maybe Didn’t Know

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In flipping through Keith Bradford’s book Life Hacks, I found quite a few entries involving various fruits. Some of them are obscure, but I thought them worth sharing.

Also, let it be known that these hacks have not been tested by yours truly. I am merely the reporter who distributes the information, and you are the reader who decides whether to venture into the world and experiment with the given information.

5. Blueberries

above: a right dandy snazzy picture of some blueberries

This one is not as much a hack, as it is a general recommendation. Blueberries are great. They clear up your skin, they protect against macular degeneration, they are a good source of vitamin C, and they are blue. There aren’t that many available foods that are naturally blue, so blueberries are kind of exciting in that regard.

4. Limes

Did you know that limes are actually a very common ingredient in key lime pie???

To be honest, I really don’t spend much time dwelling on the merits of limes, but apparently they are the unsung heroes of headache and frizzy hair prevention.

Under life hack 339, Bradford writes, “Got a headache that just won’t go away? Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing should go away.” In addition, under life hack 420, he writes, “Squeezing a lemon or a lime into your shampoo will stop frizzy hair.”

I would like to take this time to remind you that I have not tested these hacks. I, nor any part of the MCL staff, am liable for any side effects you encounter in implementation attempts.

3. Bananas

A bunch of bananas

Okay, bananas were a frequent guest in Bradford’s book. I’ll share some of the highlights.

  1. Hack 253: “The scent of a banana might help you lose weight.”
  2. Hack 112: “Fix a scratched CD or DVD by rubbing a peeled banana on it and then buffing it out with the outside of the peel.”
  3. Hack 462: “Holding a banana peel over a bruise for ten to thirty minutes will almost completely remove its color.”

Kinda wild stuff, I know.

2. Raisins

Admittedly, raisins are not as pretty as some other fruits. I suppose it depends on your definition of pretty, though. Perhaps we could say they are not as vibrant.

Though I am sure raisins have many other admirable qualities, I only have one fun fact here. Hack 228 reads, “Has your champagne lost its bubbly-ness? Drop a raisin in and watch the bubbles magically return.” Hmm, who knew, right? Well, perhaps many people knew, but I didn’t, so here it is.

  1. Watermelons
Only recently, did scientists discover the watermelon has a green exterior and a pinkish interior.

The multiple mentions of watermelon hacks are what inspired this article. Hacks 173 and 315 describe how watermelon can reduce stress and acne, respetively. However, the big star of the show lies in hack 182:

“Want to cut a watermelon open without a knife? Take a quarter, make a small incision at the center of the watermelon, and karate chop it in half. No joke, it actually works!” Pretty cool stuff.

I hope this article provided you with great insight into the wonders of the fruit world.

Allow me to reiterate once more, that MCL is not responsible for any issues you face in applying these offered techniques. With that said, however, I encourage our readers’ bright minds to brace themselves and voyage into the unknown; try new things, perhaps these. I also encourage readers to leave comments on their thoughts or perhaps experimentations regarding the content of this article.

TOP 5 Unrecognized Threats in a Stroll Across Campus

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5. The cyclist  

We’ve all seen them. They bike across campus and along the sidewalks, often having to creep behind students at a glacial pace. Recent studies predict the highest probability for collision is in rounding the corner of the Stevenson library that a person reaches just after crossing the bridge. Thankfully we have seen few collisions so far but remember to stay alert.

4. The magnolia leaf

This one is perhaps the most unrecognized threat of all. Just another part of the scenery, a defining feature of much of the geography, right? Think again. Often the leaves are harmless; they crackle underfoot and allow you to carry on about your merry way. Other times, though, when their smooth sides are face down and you step on them just so, you’re suddenly grasping the air for balance, hoping not to wipe out.

These leaves are banana peels in disguise. That’s right. The banana peels in cartoons, the ones where the bad guy steps and slips on the banana peel and gets caught? Yes, the magnolia leaf is the banana peel 2.0, refined but still natural. Be careful where you tread, my friend.

3. The acorn

All day the squirrels stand in the branches, munching on acorns only to toss them to the ground below. While few people have reportedly been bonked by the discarded snacks, they remain a danger. In the grand scheme of things, the acorn is essentially the same size as the coconut. The downward dive of the coconut is a well-known threat, occasionally fatal, so why are we so much less concerned about the acorn?

2. The off-brand sidewalk

So many of Vandy’s inclined sidewalks are exactly what a mindless walker would expect: smooth rises, evenly increasing elevations, nothing too extraordianry. However, not all sidewalks are the same. Some of the campus’s sidewalks feel the need to repeatedly rise then plateau, rise then plateau, rise then plateau. Such a pattern makes for disoriented, unexpected, and very undesirable stumbles. The sidewalk stretching from the Wyatt Center to Peabody is perhaps the most notable example of this threat. Between the threats of magnolia leaves and off-brand sidewalks, walking is more dangerous than ever.  

Readers should thank Brooke Gallaway for the recognition of this threat. We would also like to thank Maeghan Grady for her contribution to the development of Brooke’s research. Thank you, Brook and Megan. You have likely saved many of us from great future peril.  

1. The mosquito

Okay okay. The mosquitos are very much a recognized threat, but it seems wrong not to include them on a list of warnings. They are the nemesis of students who simply want to sit on the lawn and enjoy the nice weather or maybe eat a meal with a friend on the patio. It is scientifically impossible for any Vanderbilt student to not have received at least one mosquito bite in the span of the last three weeks. In a group effort to drive the mosquito population to starvation, all students should cover as much skin as possible when going out. Snow gear (ski masks, goggles, gloves, full snowsuits, layered shirts and pants) is the most strongly suggested covering.