How pineapple (yes, that’s right) became code for sexual encounters

A new type of hook-up is emerging in Spain – and it involves a trip to the supermarket.

On TikTok, a quick search for “Mercadona” (a Spanish supermarket chain) results in hundreds of videos of young shoppers strolling down the fruit aisle – always between 7pm and 8pm – with an upside-down pineapple in their cart.

To outsiders, this trend with super-specific codes may seem like a big collective outburst. But to the participants, the gesture symbolizes a very specific goal: they want to hook up with someone.

The pineapple-based love date craze appears to have been sparked by TikToker Vivy Lin, who on August 20 posted a video that went viralin which she joked that “the time to be with someone at Mercadona is from 7pm to 8pm”.

Since the trend took off, the movement in stores has increased a lot at this time and real chaos has ensued, which led at least one store in the chain to hide the pineapples before customers looking for love could find them.

At a time when Gen Z and millennials are doing their best to avoid online dating, the pineapple trend is yet another way for young people to avoid spending all day scrolling on their phones.

However, many people may view the upside-down pineapple as a sex symbol – most ubiquitous on cruise ships and at holiday resorts – used to indicate interest in the practice of swing.

DIAMONDS, GALA BALLS AND… PINEAPPLE?

Before the pineapple became a sex symbol, it represented a different kind of luxury: excessive wealth. The pineapple was originally imported to Europe from the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe in the 15th century.

From that time until the end of the 19th century, as the fruit could only be imported from Spanish colonies, its rarity made it a highly valued status symbol among the European elite.

Some argue that the dual meaning comes from the fact that the fruit serves as a symbol of hospitality in Hawaii.

Records from the time show that aristocrats would often present the fruit at parties when it was nearly rotten, and a market emerged for renting pineapples for social appearances. The fruit even received the nickname “King Pine.”

When pineapples began to be transported more easily to Europe by steamship, they became much cheaper and more accessible to both the middle and lower classes, thus losing their luxury connotation.

THE SEXUAL PAST OF THE PINEAPPLE

The transformation of the pineapple from a symbol of wealth to a symbol of non-monogamy is difficult to pin down. As early as 1629, author John Parkinson wrote that the forbidden fruit of temptation in the Garden of Eden was actually a pineapple.

Some argue that the dual meaning comes from the fact that the fruit serves as a symbol of hospitality in Hawaii. But in practice, the upside-down pineapple seems to have gained traction in the 1990s and early 2000s.

According to a report from Men’s Healththe first appearance of “upside down pineapple” on Urban Dictionary can be traced back to 2006, followed by an official definition in 2017.

“The pineapple represents hospitality and welcome,” the entry reads. “A pineapple is placed on the porch or in the mailbox to indicate that a holiday party is coming.” swinger is happening. A pineapple is turned upside down when a person is looking for a party swing. Originally, it was placed upside down in the person’s shopping cart.”

In that same article of “Men’s Health“, an interviewee who identified himself as swinger reported successfully using the upside-down pineapple shopping cart strategy to discover a party in New York City.

The current TikTok craze in Spain, it seems, is a new version of an existing trend, only now more geared towards a younger generation’s conception of dating culture.

Aside from the current supermarket craze, the most common place to find upside-down pineapples these days is on a cruise ship. Several cruise publications have published guides dedicated to the subject, educating passengers on the fruit’s connotations.

“No, it’s not just pretty tropical decor,” says one such magazine guide.Cruise” about the pineapple symbol. “If you see one, it’s because the passengers in the cabin are trying to convey a very specific message that has nothing to do with dessert.”