why do people pickle fruit?... fruit is good all by itself... it's sweet and has wonderful flavors... candies imitate fruit flavors, right?... so why turn the sweet candy flavor of fruit into a bitter-sour-pungent flavor? (though some chutneys and exotic spices can be exactly what bored taste buds ordered, but that flips the whole premise of this entry around, so we won't go there)... preservation, probably... there we go trying to hang on to dead things again... and fruit...