Mangos, Mangos Everywhere!

Family and Friends,

Day 162 of our Haiti Adventure!

We are smack dab in the middle of mango season right now, which is like Christmas in Haiti. This is the time of year when everyone can finally get enough to eat, and it has a kind of calming effect on everyone. People eat mangos here kind of like we eat sweet corn back home. That is, we just pile a plate full of them and eat them as a meal in and of themselves. You also find yourself smiling and joking as you eat them, and your hands and face get ridiculously dirty.

There are big mangos and small ones, and each morning after the rain and wind they can be found all over the village on the ground. There is a huge mango tree in our yard that yields about a hundred every day.  One day there were over 400!  Early in the season the children could be seen throwing rocks into the trees to try to knock a few down and get started early on the snacking. Now they don’t have to do that anymore because the fruit is so plentiful. Sue is really glad, because she had to give stitches to quite a few kids who were hit by rocks thrown in this way.

Mangos are also used for feeding livestock. I watched a lamb eat one the other day. It was amazing to see how carefully the animal peeled it and ate out the inside. Please enjoy the following poem I wrote today about mangos in Haiti.


“Mangos, Mangos Everywhere”

Mangos, mangos everywhere
On the ground, in the air
They float to Earth from Heav’n above
Bursting forth with flavored love

The time for throwing rocks has gone
Each morning now they’re on the lawn
The wind and rain made them descend
To be eaten, it’s their rightful end

Green and red and yellow too
They’re hard as rocks, they’re soft as goo
Take your bucket, fill it up
Tonight on sweetness you will sup’

Now don’t hold back, attack
On this fruity manna snack
Find out how many you can eat
Until they cease to be a treat

Peal them, slice them, you’re the boss
But don’t forget to bring your floss
Eat some later, eat some now
Take some home to feed your cow

The heat of summer soon will come
And then the gobbling will be done
But now we munch without a care
Mangos, mangos everywhere

 
May Your Adventure be SWEET Today!
-The Grimm Family Adventurers