Mangoes and Mushrooms

As I’ve gotten settled in here, I’ve discovered a few things I’m really doing to miss, chiefly Mangos and Mushrooms.
There are mangoes in the US, of course, but they are nothing like the ones here. I first had a real golden Mango three years ago in the Phillippines, and have been missing them ever since. Finally, Mango season is beginning here. For almost the first time in my life, the fruit is just as good as it was in my honeyed golden memory. For those who have never tasted a real golden mango, I will try to describe it. The fruit is sunset gold on the outside, nearly the same color as the inside. They come in three types, a little snack sized morsel about as long as your finger, a hand- sized one about the size of a large peach ( the sweetest) and a big one about the size of a very swollen banana. They are more similar to peaches than anything else, and like peaches are ripe when they “give” a little when pressed. All smell wonderful. The perfume, a bit like a peach, but stronger, with a hint of something totally unique in it, is so strong that a single ripe mango left on my dining room table fills the entire room with mouthwatering tropical fragrance.
Mangoes are good in shakes and deserts of all kinds, but I think they are simply impossible to improve on, so I generally eat them as is. There are two techniques to do this. For casual snacking, I simple slice off the two sides as close to the pit as possible, peel and suck the pulp off the center slice, and then score a grid pattern in the side pieces, pop them inside out, and eat the blocks of fruit.
For a more decadent sit-down presentation, I peel the fruit, slice off the sides, and cut the meat up into bite sized pieces. Instant dessert!
Besides the wonderful fruit, mangos make a lovely tree too. They are one of the most common street trees here because they have a lovely wide spreading shape, dark, handsome bark, and glossy leaves. A full grown Mango can even reach the size of an oak tree too. The only problem: they only grow in the tropics L

Mushrooms are the other particular culinary delight I’ve found. They have them here in all kinds, and they’re cheap, about the same price as any other veggie. The most common is an umbrella shaped type with a dark cap, which I strongly suspect may be portabella. :) The flavor is richer than the standard white cap types, especially when fried. Better yet, they serve then everywhere. You can even get a serving of nothing but sautéed mushrooms at the cheap lunch counters for only one or two Yuan- about 15- 30 cents! They show up with all kinds of meat and veggie dishes, and in soups, fresh or dried. Yum! They also sell dried bags of them, and the flavor is wonderful in soups. I think I may even take some home.