Mango Season!

This blog is dedicated to Brodie Pearson, who stood by me this summer and monitored my health as I faced (and conquered!) my childhood mango allergy.

It's mango season here, and let me tell you- Guatemalans do NOT mess around with their mangoes! There are big ones, small ones, green orange and red ones, "micos," "verdes," "rojos" -- it's amazing! I love mangoes! Thank God we found out I'm not still allergic!

Loads of ladies sell them on the streets cut into nice little baggies or on popsicle sticks (too nervous to try to eat those ones...) for Q5 ($.60) -- pretty much the best Q5 you can spend. Sometimes, my host mom will just hand me 1 or 2 as part of my lunch... which is kind of a bummer because the sad thing about mangoes is they're a little tricky to actually eat-- You really have to work for it.

Here´s my step-by-step guide...
First, you wash the mango, because apparently the sticky stuff on the skin can be very allergic-reaction-causing. Also, gross- Wash your fruit.
Then, you peel the mango. Peeling is also tricky because the inside fruit is super slippery. This step is usually my biggest pitfall.
Next, I like to cut the fruit into strips or chunks or pieces or whatever I can manage without dropping the slippery mango... Being careful to avoid the huge pit in the middle.
Finally, you enjoy your mango. Mmmm.
Lastly, suck all of the fruit off of the pit. Make sure to get all sorts of stringy stuff in your teeth.

If you're willing to invest the time, these fresh mangoes will NOT let you down-- but I would definitely recommend preparing them in private if you're still a newbie- because, speaking for myself, it's not pretty.

Have a good weekend friends, and Buen Provecho!
bendiciones, juli