As an adult, the only upside to being sick that I can imagine is the process of eventually getting better; when the body begins to rejuvenate itself, when the muscles start to feel stronger and the appetite resurges, and you feel once again in your bones the will to live. After almost a week of having to consume antibiotics that left me feeling exhausted and listless, I woke up a few mornings ago feeling well enough to go buy myself fruits.

I got home and peeled a plump safeda mango, crisscrossed its orange-yellow flesh, then sliced it from underneath so the diamond-shaped bits slipped into a bowl and over them I spooned a thick layer of creamy Greek yoghurt, and sprinkled chia seeds and chopped almonds. I was delighting not just in the rediscovery of my palette that had felt abused by the medication but also my newfound strength.