Mango Mania

In the UK we are so used to having the pick and choose of all fruits no matter what the season and I honestly thought that living somewhere tropical would mean an abundance of tropical fruit year round. Not so, whilst Pineapple, Papaya and Bananas are consistently available there are definite seasons for the likes of Strawberries Mangoes and Melons.

Right now we are entering Mango and Melon season, thank goodness because we were beginning to get bored with pineapple and if Ian sees another piece of Papaya I think it could be grounds for divorce (he doesn't like it very much!) The shops are full of Mangoes and the streets are full of Watermelons.


We have 2 large Mango Trees in our garden, so large it's hard to get a perspective! One is here in the background and has an abundance of green mangoes. The other has none...the Male tree apparently. We've made Mango chutney twice (the first lot was left out and went mouldy - oops!)


There are an amazing number of different varieties of Mango which came as a surprise, sweet, sour, large, small, green and yellow is my level of understanding so I won't try to kid you that I know what they all are because I haven't even begun to try and ask!


The Roads are currently lined with piles and piles of Watermelons for sale. On the left is a pile of Tender Coconuts for drinking.


Shopping at our favourite fruit and vegetable shop.

With all this beautiful fresh fruit available to us, what do you think Ellie & Luke are eating the most of...well for Ellie, as usual just strawberries and grapes (imported!)...Luke? Bananas ONLY! I GIVE UP!

Chicken Shop

I'm a supermarket ready to cook kind of girl. Dinner tonight? Chicken!...let's pop into Sainsbury's and pick up a pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Not quite so easy in India, our local notsosupermarket shop has a few chilled chickens in their fridge but they don't look too great and I'm never sure whether to trust them when they say that they are fresh that day, because I'm always sure that I've seen the one on the right before, the last time I was in, maybe a couple of days ago and they're way too expensive.

Pushpa has been collecting fresh chicken for me on her way here but a couple of days ago I had forgotten to ask her, so I asked Kumar to take me to a 'Chicken Shop'. I want 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts I told him, he didn't quite understand so then we had to go through the demonstration process (!). He pulls the car over and I turn and see the 'chicken shop'




Gulp.

Kumar and I approach the shop, the smell of chicken poop is overwhelming and no wonder because all those chickens are sitting in cages awaiting their fate. I was asked if I wanted to choose which birds I wanted but I took one look at the blood spattered apron of 'the slayer' the flies buzzing around, one last whiff and came over a little nauseous. No thanks, I'll wait in the car.

After about 15 minutes Kumar returns and tells me it's 3Kg of chicken and that'll be 340Rupees (about £5) 4 chicken breasts weigh 3kg errr? Too shocked to argue about the weight I give him the money, he hands me the bag...which is, ahem, still warm.

Back at home, I give the bag to Pushpa for her to deal with...turns out that my 4 chicken breasts got translated into four chicken's breasts.

All told, it was a good result, we had extremely fresh chicken and once cooked for a salad for us and made into chicken balls for the kids, with four extra breasts deposited safely in the freezer it was all very delicious, I just don't think the experience of the 'chicken shop' is one I want to repeat very often.

All our other meat is delivered frozen, what if, one day I have to go to a Mutton or Beef Shop?