a taste of heaven

last week, i went to visit the town of sohar, about two hours west of muscat on the coast, the reputable birthplace of sindbad the sailor. after my business at the local women's association, i spent the night at my friend aisha's house in the outlying town of saham. there, her mother fed her guests gloriously, and it was then that my love ... nay, my obsession with the MANGO (in arabic, 'hanba') was affirmed. 

aisha's mother spread out the traditional omani 'appetizers': apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, mangoes, along with water, vimto (a sweet fruit drink), and the ubiquitous dates and coffee. two of the mangoes on that plate were about the size of head, and as soon as aisha's mother set down the juicy slices and prompted us to 'kulee' ('eat' in arabic), i obliged. 

it's suffice to say to that if there were no other food options that i was obliged to eat ('kulee' was repeated throughout the meal), i would have eaten that whole plate of mangoes that was the size of my head. they were THAT GOOD. and juicy. and sweet. and light. and refreshing. and mouthwatering.

the next morning, aisha's mother again offered me mangoes for breakfast (which, at that point, sad to say, i didn't eat much of ... as whenever i eat at omani homes, my stomach always feels like it is about to explode) and took me outside to their farm, where, naturally, they had beautiful mango trees with the beautiful green fruit sprouting on the branches. it's the end of the mango season in oman, she said, and i was sad to hear it. and a few moments before my departure, that little omani woman forcefully shook one mango tree's branches until about a bushel-ful (honestly have no idea what a bushel is ... ) fell to the ground with a soft thud. she gathered all of them into a switz plastic bag, handed them to me, and sent me happily on my way back to muscat. if only you could smell my car those two hours driving back ...

and as my time here draws to a close in about three months, having those delicious gifts of God sitting in my fridge reminds me of yet another thing that i will miss most about this beautiful country -- delicious, exotic fruits ... to some, a luxury ... but here, affordable enough to eat every day, or as often as you wish. 

i have thrown some mangoes out, as the skin was broken and they were nicely rotting in the backseat of my car, but i still have a good 10 or 15 left in that switz bag lying in my fruit and veggie crisper of the refrigerator. since last wednesday, i have been eating one or two mangoes a day, sometimes three or four if i am particularly keen on it, reveling in its peach-like consistency, lighter yet just as satisfying taste of the philippine mango or the indian alphonso mango (which i like to buy in stores here), with its sweet juice dribbling down my chin and around my mouth and through my fingers as i devour the heavenly flesh. YUM.