I’m sure I’d cut open a papaya before. Just couldn’t remember when, where or to what result. The thing about shopping at Whole Foods is you have this entire additional battle on top of trying to find the items on your list: what is this random item I have encountered in the produce section, what in the world might someone do with it, is it tasty, and should I buy one for the hell of it?

Of course you should. Fresh papaya is delicious in chunks on vanilla gelato.