Mango

I picked up some fruit before Sam came home last weekend, including, at his request, a couple of mangoes.  I put them on the windowsill to ripen and we both forgot about them.  This was lucky for me, because now they are mine!  I cut one of them up (a labor of love), added some avocado cubes and a little chunky salsa, and went at it with some tortilla chips.  I will wait here while you go grab something to wipe up the drool on your chin.  Never mind, just use your sleeve.  It's okay.

In Uganda, mangoes are officially "The King of Fruit."  How can Uganda get that so right and get far more important things so wrong?  Seriously, let's get out of Uganda.

How about Jamaica?  The headline in The Jamaica Observer today says "Man gets 30 days for stealing four mangoes."  He claimed that the fruit was on tree branches that were hanging over the property-line fence and so he wasn't stealing.  But I guess mango-theft is a big deal in Jamaica, and the local courts are pretty fed up with it, so he got 30 days.  The mangoes were valued at $800.  (We will assume that is not in US dollars.)

Now moving on to Australia, we find that the Mangogate mystery has been solved.  Australians like big things, especially to advertise.  I myself checked out the Big Golden Guitar in Tamworth when I was there.  It stands 40 feet tall and draws attention to the "Country Music Capital of Australia."  (That tiny purple and white thing at the base is me.)  By varying accounts, there are between 140 and 160 "big things" in Australia, including the Big Cassowary, the Big Crab, the Big Lobster, the Big Koala and the Big Croc.  Fruits are big there, too, with the Big Pineapple, the Big Banana, the Big Apple, the Big Orange, and the Big Cherries.  And yes, the Big Mango.

The Big Mango is located in Bowen, the self-proclaimed "Mango Capital" in North Queensland.  Last month, the 33-foot tall mango up and disappeared from its home in Bowen, and the story made international news.  Of course, it was a publicity stunt, orchestrated by Nando, a chicken restaurant chain.  Under cover of night, Nando stole the Big Mango and trucked it to Melbourne, where they propped it up next to a Big Lime and gave out free samples of their new Mango and Lime Chicken.  One can only hope that it's a Big Seller to make up for the money they spent on stealing the Big Mango.

Meanwhile, I have another mango on my windowsill to fall in love with.  I will allow the taste of it to take me back to Agnes Water Beach in Oz where I stayed at the Mango Tree Motel and spent Christmas on the beach.  Ummm, so much love!