“On another occasion we were eating in Brazil with some friends, and they served us avocado. Just as we were about to sprinkle salt on it, our friends said to us, “What are you doing? We already put sugar on the avocado!” Avocado with sugar! That seemed so odd to us. But then we learned that the odd ones were my wife and I, who did not eat avocado with sugar. In Brazil, avocado sprinkled with sugar is normal. What is normal for some may be odd for others, depending on their customs and traditions.
…No country contains the totality of what is good or admirable. Therefore, as Paul and the Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things” (Articles of Faith 1:13). “If there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). Note that this is an exhortation, not merely a commentary. I would like all of us to take a moment to meditate on our customs and the way they are influencing our families.
…If we are steadfast and immovable in doing good, our customs will be in accordance with the principles of the gospel and they will help us to stay on the covenant path.
…Now it is not odd for either my wife, Patricia, or for me to eat coconut with chili and avocado with sugar—in fact, we like it. However, exaltation is something much more transcendent than a sense of taste; it is a topic related to eternity.”
