June 18, 2010

Mango Mood


I have always been fascinated about writing about food or a raw material. There is this guy called Vikram Doctor who writes about food on ET and i am a regular reader of most of his vegetarian (:P) posts. Looking outside my train window now, i see water droplets from the slight drizzle. I realize that the the summer season is almost drawing to a close. And along with it the mango season. Hence my post as a tribute to the queen (i like it that way! ) of fruits- MANGO.
In my two odd decades of existence in the world, I have not come across one person who doesn't like mangoes. The adults go nuts about the fruit as much as the kids do. This is perhaps because it is the fruit that we used to eat during summer vacations, most probably at the native place where grandma would let you eat some more despite the strict warning from mother.

The whole color, texture and taste of the fruit are out of the world. Sometimes, a whiff of the fruit when you pass through the fruit stalls itself is sufficient to make you lust after it. The round and perfect Alphonso mangoes may be expensive, but a box of those would be the best gift to give anybody, any day. If you do not want to spend that kind of money on fruit, you can settle for the Mallika, Banganapalli or the Sinduri mangoes. If you like the tangy raw fruit, then the totapuri must be on your list of must-haves’. With a smattering of salt and chilly, it is an ideal snack to munch on. And how can I forget the Raspuri mangoes meant for milk shake or juice? The yellow colored drink may not be the perfect way to beat the heat but is definitely perfect for your taste buds. Forget your daily calorie count for a day and try the aamras and poori combination. It will be dil maange more after that.
People in Bangalore must visit Lalbagh to get a glimpse of the multifarious varieties of the fruit during the Mango Mela. It’s hard for me to imagine how people don't go crazy at the sight of so many mangoes! And repeating the advice i have heard over the years- after you’ve ODed on the mangoes, drink up a cup of milk to counter the heat it causes.
The season might have almost come and gone in a flash, but there is still the ubiquitous mango pickle to keep company for longer. Tender mango in brine, avakai, shredded mango, cut mango, a sweet version- there are probably umpteen lip-smacking variations in pickles. For those with a sweeter tooth, there is the mango pulp preserve also. Keep it all through the year and savor mangoes until the next season arrives. If you are a candy person, you will recollect days at school when mango bite, mango mood, kachcha aam candies were a big hit. They still are. As a bonus for the kids, there is also the mango ice cream in almost all popular brands.
If you still want to get the asli mango ka maza, then there is the Slice or Maaza option, supposedly. It might look tempting after seeing one Ms.Kaif drinking it on TV, but it’s still not the real thing. So until next year's season, I'll settle for eating other fruits which simply pale in comparison to the Mango. And also secretly hope that the seed/stone that i planted, of the yummiest mango from this summer, goes on to grow into a BIG tree which will give equally tasty fruits. That’s the stuff my recent dreams are made of!

18 comments:

  1. first things first, loved your new template :)
    and on mangoes, you superbly summarized everything good about it! awesome post! :)

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  2. great.. :) it also reminds me of the days where me and my friends used to steal mangoes at ma native place ..... eating mango with salt and kara is also great cobination.. he he he.. :) ... my mouth watering.. :D

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  3. I haven't received my birthday gift yet Aparna:P I will gracefully accept a box flooded with Alphonso ?? kodtya? LOL:P

    Great post:)

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  4. Btw we are having mango milk shakes in the treat today..so sad u are missing out!!

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  5. @Divya,

    Thanks :)

    @CN
    I have missed out on the stealing mangoes experience. Never got to do it!

    @Bharat
    LOL! Never miss an oppotunity du right example! Neenu adna ellara jothe share maaDod aadre, we can give it a thought :P

    @Vijeth
    I too am crossing my fingers and hoping the same!
    And you dont have to rub in the fact that i am missing the treat! To compensate, I'll drink your treat and long life of all the birthday people in Kannan today! ;)

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  6. I just Wish mangoes season remains for much more time. Instead of just 2 months.. This year with very bad crop.. Just didn't enjoy much.. Hopefully next year its good enough..:)

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  7. Hey thats a fantastic post :) Even those ppl who don't like mangoes might want to taste some after reading this :P And yeah, I too sincerely wish that your tree grows! :) And yeah, for those who have not heard of, there is an ice-cream parlor in Chennai called Natural Fresh. These are ice-creams made of real fruits, without any flavors i think. The mango ice-cream here is mouth-watering!! I think, there is one such place in bangalore too where you get fruit ice-creams.

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  8. @Prathap

    Amen! Being a die hard mango lover, thats all i too can hope for!

    @Mahit
    I just checked. They have outlets in Jaynagar, St.Mark's road and Kormangala( :D)
    And they even have varieties like sitaphal and guava!

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  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  10. Don't hope for the good crop.. Just wish for it.. I believe that hope is kinda of word which has some negativity associated with it. Just wish don't hope!!!

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  11. To quote from one of my favorite movies:
    Hope Is a Good Thing, Maybe the Best of Things, and No Good Thing Ever Dies.

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  12. Yeah, I have tasted guava, and it tastes guavish!! :P

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  13. I think the best form of Mango is Frooti :)

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  14. we always never worried on the quantity of mangoes we wanted to eat ! it was to get the biggest out of the lot when u go shopping for them with our parents .
    I remembered those days and stopped at a mango mandi , last week in chennai , and as usual picked the biggest one !
    he said a kilo was 120 bucks , i thought thats a feast 1kilo must be quite a lot .
    I picked up about 3 of the mangoes and realised they were 2.5 kilos .

    Once u start earning the value for money on all the good things seem high !

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  15. Sriram, I totally agree with the last point! I look at the price, think twice and then only make any purchase these days.
    But mangoes at 120 bucks a kg? Alphonso?

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  16. Great mood created with this post. Soon the season will be over. :(

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