Magical Mango Mania!

So let me tell you about this new phenomenon that has transformed the way I eat a mango from now until always...  Eating a mango in India, the way the villagers eat it, is an experience!  Before coming to India, my Dad would always say how he misses the mangos of India.  I figured mangos in India were simply sweeter, juicier, what can I say, more mangoey!  I was wrong.  Now, now, the mangos here are deeeelicious!  But that's not exactly what makes the experience of eating a mango so daggone magical.  

A few months before making this venture to India my Dad explained how you could actually suck the pulp out of the mango.  As you can imagine, Eric and I were quite curious, and eagerly awaited our chance to do just this!  And now that I've become an expert, I'm going to take you through this magical journey!

Here goes, first prepare your bib so that it's tightly tucked under your chin, to catch whatever drool may be salivating from your mouth from the description of the proper way to eat a mango.

First things first, the best mangos that we've found here are yellow and green. I understand you may be limited by your geographical location, so follow the proceeding steps, and perhaps you will also reap the blessing of this magnificent mango experience.

Ok... smell the mango. Does it smell succulent and sweet?  If not, please place the mango on the shelf and slowly step away.  I'm sorry to say your mango is not yet ready for this adventure.  For those of you who are still in the game, make sure that it's soft enough to put a slight indent in the outside of the skin.  Then squeeze the mango many different times in different places so that you loosen the pulp of the mango from the pit and skin.  Squeezing the mango will release many juices so make sure you are, one, not wearing fancy pancy clothes; two, you're over a sink or large plate; and three, that you're not trying to impress that newfound love of yours that you met at the supermarket, this will be a sloppy mess when it's all said and done!  

Next, using your finger (no knife necessary) where the stub is, tear a small whole by tearing the stub off.  Then put the mango up to your mouth (hopefully you've rinsed it well) and start sucking on it like a kid sucking on a freeze pop!  That's right!  But this is a million times better because you'll get bombarded with juice and pulp of the most delicious kind!  

After you've had your fun with that.  It's time to tear open the skins and scrape off the remaining mango pulp from the skin.  There will also be plenty of mango on the pit for you to chomp on. (Be careful of not chomping too hard, don't let your taste buds rule your mind, there's still a pit there too hard to bite!)  The reason this part is so fantastic is because you're able to take a bite of a decent size chunk of mango, instead of always just scraping it off the skin or pit like the humdrum way I ate mangoes before.  Plus, the bites of mango are so so much JUICIER after you've squeezed the mango from before!

After you've scraped and sucked the mango dry... look in the mirror.  You've got mango juice dripping from your chin, scrapes of mango slowly sliding down your arm, and hands slathered in mango juice.  (Revel in it, folks!)  If this is all correct, then congratulations you've survived Pammi's Mango Mania of Munching Fun!

You're salivating now, aren't you?  Got your keys in your hand, shoes barely tied and ready to hop in the car and give it a try, right?  I wish you the best of luck in your adventure.  I would love to hear how it went if you try it!

By the way, I thought you might like to know that my ideal location for eating the mango is in the bathroom just above the sink.  Because the hand, arm, and face cleanup is much easier, and I can look up in the mirror and see this goofy grin slathered in mango juice.  Ah! C'est la bonne vie!   

Gaining a New Perspective on Beggars

Beggars are very different in India than in the U.S. 

Of course they are! If you've ever seen a picture or scene from a movie set in India, I'm sure you're well aware of the vast number of impoverished individuals living here. They are not generally doped up on drugs or drunken alcoholics either. They are, at times, skeletal reflections of our own bodies. Some come from downtrodden villages nearby, walking 30 to 45 minutes to McLeod Ganj in hopes of finding a kind, confused traveler not yet numbed by the poverty that surrounds them. Some of these beggars are even immensely handicapped.

There is a man in town who has one finger, only a thumb on his left hand. His legs are either too decrepit to maintain the strength to stand, or else he only has one. Honestly, it pains me to look too closely, so I have yet to determine the exact condition of his legs. This man sits on a wheeled board, with a cushioned top very low to the ground. It's so low that when you see him maneuvering around town on this makeshift wheelchair, you would think that he were sitting on the ground if you didn't see the wheels beneath him. He strategically places himself around town asking travelers of all sorts for food. That's right, they want food, not money.  Difference number one.

Once you've been in India for a few weeks though, you become almost numb to the immense poverty that surrounds you. There are so many beggars who have lost hope of finding a job that they find more ways for travelers to feel sympathy for them, and emphasize their misfortune so that travelers will offer food.

I already knew of the poverty that many of these people live in, but hearing about it on television and seeing it in person gives you a different perspective. In the U.S. it feels easier to pass by a homeless person without giving money, because, true or not, a common assumption is that the homeless person will use the money for booze or drugs.

When I first came to India, I had to let go of that generalized assumption, and come to terms with the fact, that these people truly need the money. Many of them do not have hot water, homes, 3 meals a day. It's a whole different mindset. And whereas in the U.S. I really think most homeless people have an opportunity to build a better life for themselves through homeless shelters, and organizations that will help them off the streets if they so wish.

In India, it's much different. I'm starting to believe that many of these people have no other choice. I'm still learning how true this is. 

Do the teenage girls pinching their babies to make them cry, really not have an opportunity to work for their money? Must they use the tears of a baby to bring food to their families? Are they really this helpless or is it the easiest way for them to acquire food and funds? I'm still unsure, and hesitate to ask until I know a smidgeon more of Hindi. In English, the girls only know, “Please buy milk and rice for my baby. We have no food. No need money, just food.” These are the words they repeat day-in an day-out.

We certainly have given beggars food and money throughout our stay in India. It is a given that a couple days will not go by without offering some sort of donation to the people. Eric is boundlessly generous at times, one time buying an exuberant amount of food for one family... probably lasting them three weeks if they ration it well enough.

I aspire to be as generous as he, but I am disheartened when I give a beggar bread, and his response is, "Will you buy me chai with my bread?" Or when a shoe repair man trying to earn a few rupees to feed his family takes me to a store to buy rice and milk and picks up as many bags as he can carry, not understanding that I do not carry 1000's of rupees in my pocket. I was very disheartened by the lack of appreciation beggars had for what was given to them. But I think this is an American ideal that has been ingrained in my mind.

See, after giving the man with one finger a loaf of Tibetan bread, and then hearing he would like chai tea with his bread, a young Israeli woman walked past and chuckled. She pointed back at him and told me, “That man, he is a very lucky man. I and many others who pass by give him food.” I took note of this and said how as soon as I gave him the bread, he expected chai as well. I explained how it didn't even feel like he appreciated the bread that was given to him. The woman just chuckled and said, “Ah, yes. That is the Indian way.”

So I thought about her lax perspective on the “beggar way.” Perhaps I should take a different perspective on this. The American sentiment is that they should be appreciative of what they are offered, and not ask for me than what was given. 

Now if I think of it this way... I also enjoy having chai with my bread so it's logical for him to also make this request.

It's still taking time for me to get used to their many requests, but by understanding and not being disheartened by their constant request for more, I feel that I am more open to giving one loaf of bread here, one package of milk there. Because I am starting to understand why they never seem to be satisfied with what you give them, I am still open to giving them food on a more a consistent basis. This may seem like a no-brainer to give the thin, handicapped beggar food, but when you pass by 10 to 20 of them on the street everyday, and each wants bags and bags of rice, milk, and bread; you begin to realize that you need to ration your offerings so that you don't spend your entire savings. But giving little by little helps to put your mind at ease knowing that they will have at least some nourishment for the day.