All our doors open to the morning sun. We want it to greet us when we wake up because it empowers us to face the day. It revitalizes us and gives us energy the same way it gives plants energy. Do you see them as the sun moves across the sky? They bend and sway in worship! Perhaps the humble daffodil is just as spiritual as we are.
- from a note found in an orange bell pepper in the town of Bellweather. Author Anonymous.
Bell peppers have four color stages as they ripen: green, yellow, orange and red. Once a pepper is red it is fully ripe and will begin to rot. During any of these stages the pepper is perfectly edible and delicious, however, as it ages and changes color it becomes sweeter and more nutritious. Preference in bell peppers based on color is generally left up to one's personal taste, but it is the orange variety that has grown in meaning to a certain group of people for reasons beyond flavor.
Meaning Among Biologians
Biologians are a very small group of individuals within the Structuralist society who have a growing reverence for Nature and the cycle of life. While the Structuralist doctrine known as The Articulation views Nature as a chaotic and corruptive force meant to be tamed by human hands, Biologians see Nature as a wonderful, though sometimes frightening, phenomena that humanity should strive to live in harmony with. This worldview is dangerous in the eyes of the Church, and citizens are encouraged to report individuals who believe these ideas so they can be rectified.
Biologians communicate with each other by gifting orange bell peppers, a color that represents the sun which powers all natural life. Because of the bell pepper's size and roomy interior, some Biologians hide personal notes with observations on Nature or clandestine meeting times inside the fruit. This is rarely practiced because if such evidence were to be discovered by someone outside the group the consequences would be dire.
Fall Alternative: The Pumpkin
During the fall when peppers are no longer in season, the orange bell pepper is replaced by the pumpkin. While pumpkins and other squash have a particular meaning within certain Structuralist communities, it has been adopted by Biologians as another way to communicate with each other during the fall. In fact the practice of carving a pumpkin and placing a candle inside was started by Biologians and adopted by the rest of community who still remain ignorant to its secret symbolism.
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