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Published: August 14th 2011
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It's summertime here in Guangdong. The temps are soaring, the humidity is stifling, and my air conditioner is set at a cool 85 F. But all of this also means that fruit is ripe for picking, if you can find it.
A few days ago my neighbor stopped by with a contraption I could only begin to fathom. It's comprised of two bamboo poles, string, and a plastic bag. Upon closer inspection, I discovered a wire coat hanger refolded and tucked inside the rim of the bag. He wanted to leave it in my apartment so that our boss's sister, Mei Mei (Chinese for younger sister) could come by and get it later. He said he was going to his hometown a few hours south of here for a few days. (He was born in China but immigrated to the US as a child.) I said it was fine, though I wanted to do anything but trip over a long bamboo branch for the next few days.
Mei Mei never came to get it. Eventually I learned to step over it. Finally, my neighbor came back and was surprised to see it still in my apartment. Rather than just
taking it, he invited me to join him and Mei Mei for mango picking.
On our campus there are a lot of trees and I never give them much thought. They're pretty, they line the road, and they shower you in leaves if there's a good wind. It never occurred to me to look at them closely. It turns out one entire road of our campus is lined with mango trees. We tied the bamboo together so that it was one long stick, perfect for reaching high into the trees. My neighbor demonstrated how to put the mango in the bag and then yank; the coat hanger would then separate the mango from the tree. Then slowly you lower the bag to the ground-- careful to not hit anyone or anything--and retrieve your prize. Some of the mangos were small, most were yellow or green, and none looked like anything I'd ever seen in a US supermarket.
It was my turn. I found a mango, put the bag under it, and yanked. Suddenly I felt the weight of the mango as the balance of the bamboo shifted. We lowered the bag and I pulled out a perfect looking
The bounty!
I snagged four of these at the same time because they were so clustered together. mango. Mei Mei started to peel it.
I found a cluster of four mangoes and wondered if I could get them all in one try. My neighbor doubted it. Of course, his doubt made me more determined to try. I carefully fitted the bag around the mangoes; they fit. I gave a gentle yank. I could tell by the sway of the bamboo that I'd netted all four of them at once.
In my joy, I turned to Mei Mei who was holding out the mango to me. She speaks no English and I understood her to mean I should peel the mango some more. So I gave the bamboo to my neighbor and started peeling. "No, no, no, eat it!" she said. I liked this plan better. I bit into the yellow flesh, unsure what to expect. All at once my mouth was filled with a taste I can't begin to describe. It was sweet and soft and perfect. This was the best mango I'd ever eaten--I'd never dreamed a mango could taste so good. It was surpassed only by the next one Mei Mei handed me. Not only did this one make my tastebuds dance, juice
ran down both my arms to my elbows. This was heaven.
After it turned dark and we couldn't see the mangoes in the trees any longer, noticed another man in a different tree. He was picking longyan, or dragon eyes. They're a small fruit that you peel to eat. We decided to join him. My neighbor climbed the tree and started breaking branches. With longyan fruit it's the easiest way to pick them. Even in grocery stores the branches are still attached.
We struggled to carry home all our fruit. Luckily we had a large box and Mei Mei's bike. At our apartment building we divvied up the mangoes and longyan and went our separate ways. I took a few mangoes to Toby and Rachel. Good things like this are meant to be shared.
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