The pineapple made its way to America through importing methods from the Caribbean in the seventeen hundreds. Since it is rare and has unique characteristics, it was soon the symbol for hospitality in early America. But the problem was getting the pineapple to other places because the only trade routes were by ship. When the ship arrived it was considered to be a great achievement to arrive with a pineapple. Another story tells that New England ship captains would return from their journeys and would put a pineapple around peoples houses as a symbol of a safe return. The pineapple has such a unique style to it that it was often used as the centerpiece in food banquets. It was also used as for decorating for arriving guests through 18th and 19th centuries. The pineapple still remains the symbol of hospitality today. It just has that warm welcoming sense to it that says you are welcome to come in. I believe the story when families had dinner they would place the pineapple in the center of the table and invite neighbors to come eat with them. When the neighbors would walk in and they would see the pineapple in the center of the table and it just became that sense of hospitality to them. The other story is when New England sea captains came back and put pineapples around everyone's houses. This would then create that sense of safety and security for hospitality to be based around. The other story is also related to this story too. It says that when it was imported to America it was such a hard journey just to get the pineapple to the destination that when it did arrive it was outstanding that it did.
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The pineapple has served as a symbol of hospitality and warm welcome through the history of the Americas.
Christopher Columbus wrote the first account of a western encounter with the pineapple in the journal of his second discovery voyage across the Atlantic. He and his men landed on the Caribbean island of Guadalupe where the sailors enjoyed this sweet, succulent new fruit, which had already become a staple of native feasts and religious rites.
In 1493, Columbus first brought the pineapple back to Renaissance Europe that was largely devoid of sweet foods, including fresh fruit. The pineapple's exotic nature and sweetness soon made it an item that soon acquired both popularity and curiosity for centuries after its European arrival. For two centuries, as European horticulturists struggled to perfect a hothouse method for cultivating pineapples in Europe, the pineapple became even more a coveted commodity. In the 1600s, King Charles posed for an official portrait while receiving a pineapple as a gift.
In colonial America, hostesses would set a fresh pineapple in the center of their dining table when visitors joined their families in their homes. Visiting was the primary means of entertainment and cultural exchange, so the concept of hospitality was a central element in colonial life. The pineapple, then, symbolized the warmest welcome a hostess could extend to her guests, and then often it also served as the dessert for the meal. If the visitors spent the night, they would be given a bedroom with a bed in which pineapples had been carved on either the bedposts or the headboard -- even if that was the master bedroom.
Creative food display became a competition among the hostesses, because it declared her personality and her family's social status. Hostesses tried to outdo one another in creating memorable dining events. In larger, more affluent homes, the doors to the dining room were kept closed to create an air of suspense and excitement over the preparations of the hostess. Colonial grocers sometimes rented pineapples to hostesses desperate to create a dining experience above their financial means. Later, once that hostess had returned the pineapple, the fruit would be sold to more affluent clients who could afford to actually buy and eat it. Regardless of ones financial ability to actually buy and eat the pineapple, however, visitors to the homes that displayed the pineapple felt particularly honored that the hostess had spared no expense to secure one in their behalf.
By the Gilded Age, which was the era in which Samuel Couples lived, through the present day, the pineapple became a familiar symbolic image of welcome, good cheer, and warmth and affection between all who dwell inside the home.
It has a long history of being a symbol of hospitality in many cultures. When Christopher Columbus landed on Guadalupe in the Caribbean, the natives there used it in may feasts and religious rites. When brought it back to Europe, its sweetness and uniqueness made it very popular and in great demand. Later King Charles posed with one in his official portrait. In colonial America, it was a table centerpiece for visitor dinners. It was a symbol of the warmest welcome that a hostess could give and was oftentimes served as dessert. Visitors were given the bedrooms that contained beds on which pineapples had been carved. It became a symbol of wealth and affluence, as only the most could afford them. Given as a gift, it was very appreciated. Today it still continues as a symbol of welcome..