The weekend after my Toronto trip, my group at work got to go on a retreat to Newport, RI (last year our office went to Stowe, VT). I had never been to Newport before so I was excited for a weekend away in a new place. While there, I noticed an abundance of pineapples all around–on building doors, as knick-knacks in shops, at restaurants… and then I remembered this from HIMYM.
Basically, The Captain tells Ted that a pineapple is a symbol of hospitality–“an old sea captain’s tradition,” and it actually originated with New England captains. Since Newport is a New England seaport town, it only made sense for there to be pineapples everywhere. We walked around and visited some little shops, and I asked one of the employees at one of the shops about it, to refresh my memory. He confirmed that the idea was that you would place a pineapple outside your door to indicate to all your friends that you were back home safely from your travels and that they should come by for a visit.
I’m slightly allergic to pineapples, which, ironically, makes them inhospitable for my mouth. I always thought that it was normal for your tongue and lips to get red and bumpy when eating them, until someone told me otherwise. I’ve tried to avoid them since. I did learn today that apparently they are a good remedy for a sore throat (discovered here).
Pineapples or no pineapples, I had a lovely time in Newport. We stayed at the Hotel Viking and I had a beautiful room all to myself.
We walked all around and went on a harbor boat cruise. The seafood festival was that weekend as well, which worked out nicely, and I got to eat some very delicious scallops.
