So it is the tail end of the mango season here in West
Africa. They've seen us through the
hottest, worst part of the year, but
even in this waning phase they continue to impress. This week, I offer you answers to your 10
most common mango questions:
1. I tried a mango once; it was kind
of..."blah". What am I missing?
What
you tried was a North American grocery store mango. Calling it a mango is something akin to
freezing milk and calling it ice cream.
Until you've had one ripe off the tree here in West Africa, (or perhaps
Thailand, or some other tropical region) you can't say you've tried one.
2. So do they really
live up to all the hype-- sweet, melt-in-your mouth, cotton candy-esque?
Yes.
3. Are there
varieties?
Lots. Some purists actually know the names of the
varieties. For the rest of us, there are
some simple titles: Small, stringy
mangoes--still tasty but you'll need some floss afterwards. Grafted-- sweet, melt-in-your-mouth goodness
without the strings, and as common as can be.
Papaya mangoes (aka "big red and green mangoes")-- Giant,
multicolored mangoes for those who like their fruit a bit more tangy than the
grafted variety. Pineapple mangoes-- you
guessed it, they taste a touch like pineapple.
4. Why do mangoes ripen in the middle of the driest, hottest
season?
Other
than "Because there is a God" and
"He wanted to provide some killer sermon analogies" I have no idea. It defies logic.
5. What other
advantages do mangoes provide?
They
are wonderful shade trees. Kids love
climbing in them. They are natural
habitats for wildlife.
6. What are some disadvantages of mangoes?
Sitting
under them in peak fruit drop season is taking the risk of being KO'd by a
falling monster fruit. People climb out
onto crazy tiny limbs in order to get the fruit and this results in falls. They are natural habitats for fruit bats,
which as we are now painfully aware, are the natural vector for Ebola.
7. Can you eat the
skin?
Yes,
apparently you can. Not recommended,
unless you are looking for a little extra fiber in your diet, but many people
around these parts eat the whole thing, minus the pit.
8. What's the best
way to eat a mango?
Have
someone else cut it up into nice little square pieces for you. If that isn't an option for you, you are in
for a messy experience, no matter how you cut it.
9. Is it true that
some people actually have mango allergies?
Yes,
the same chemical that is found in poison ivy and poison oak (urushiol) is
found in the mango sap. No joke. So be
careful when handling the skin. Refer to
the answer to #8... the best way to eat a mango is to have someone else cut it
up for you. (Hopefully you've got nice friends or a tolerant spouse.)
10. What's your
favorite mango smoothie recipe?
It is
hard to go wrong here, as long as you stay within the norms of smoothie
ingredients. When in doubt, ask some who
has been working in these parts for a while.
Prayer Requests
1. Please pray for a
trip to the village of Tarrasso this week.
There are only two Christian school teachers in the village, but otherwise
no believers. Pray for hearts to be
opened.
2. Continue to pray
for the young man named Amadou (with a strange muscle wasting illness). I will be following up with him this
week. Pray that there would clear
indications whether or not our treatments are working. Pray for his complete healing.
3. Continue to pray for me as team leader that I would have
wisdom in leading my colleagues and that I'd be very attentive to the Lord's
leading as we look at some new strategic initiatives.
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