IT'S MANGO SEASON!!!!

About a month ago, delicious, juicy fruit began falling almost, i dare say, like a nuisance, from the trees of Marovoay. Now that mango season is deep upon us I look around and see that almost every tree in this town is a mango tree! First came the manga manta (unripe mangos). They were everywhere in the market and kept thinking, leave them on the trees so get sweet and delicious! Are you crazy! (I generally call someone crazy in my internal monologue here daily.) But then I soon learned the joy of the manga manta. 1st you can just eat the manga manta as it is. Peel it, slice it up; tt's not sour, but not super sweet yet and it's crisp. Yum. the closest thing I have to an apple since I left the states! (I really miss apples!) 2nd, manga manta lasary. Grate the mango with a little onion, sakay (fresh chile), vinegar, salt and pepper. Amazing. I love it with fish!
Then the mangoes started to ripen...I learned that mangoes I've been eating unripe are called, Manga Yes, they are the first to ripen and not the best of all the mangoes here. But they are here in plenty so eat up! Next came the Manga Diego. I really liked these guys. Their smaller, and bright orange with one pink tip and one green tip, they taste a little different, and their not so fiberous. Then just this last week the Manga Rano started to ripen. These are officially my favorite (so far, apparently these mangoes are just beginning! and they last through February, lucky me!). They are small, about the size of a lemon, and range from yellow to green in color. There is not a lot of fruit to them, but they have a “tutti-frutti” taste. I can't quite pinpoint what they taste like, but I really like it! Even better, there is a tree in my back yard, you I've been collecting a few each day! I'm told they are especially good in January when the rain starts, that's when they really get ripe. Rano means water, so I'll have to see how the rain changes them! But right now I love them cause they are a perfect little snack.
In the mean time I've been trying slowing up my consumption slightly...I found out just this week that the mangoes last through February. I have been eating mangoes like it's going out of style thinking that it would all be done in the blink of an eye and I'd be back to just bananas. My digestive system thanks me for this. I was kind of on fruit overload if you know what I mean...oh and did I mention guavas are in season too. wow. These are like little seedy pieces of heaven in your mouth. I buy them for about a penny a piece when i can find them in the market; and when they are in my house I have to put a daily limit on myself cause I could eat about 10 in a sitting and then there would be trouble in the tummy!
I've also been cooking with mangoes a lot. Peace Corps says you can eat well and live cheaply is you eat whats in season. We all wondered, well how do you know what's in season? Isn't there a chart or something you could give us? I learned quickly you go to the market and look around and see what EVERYONE, and their mother, sister, and aunts are selling. Recently, that's been a lot of mangos, eggplants, tomatoes, green peppers, and sweet potatoes. My current favorite meals: mango curry shrimp sauce over rice. mango eggplant masala, mashed sweet potatoes with a little cinnamon and nutmeg, left over rice heated up with mangos, cinammon, and a little vanilla, and sweet and spicy mango salsa with fresh made (by me!) tortillas.
Don't you worry I'm not starving in Africa! However, some of my neighbors did notice that I have lost a little weight and we had to talk about what I eat. Basically they told me I don't eat enough rice, and that if I want to be matanzaka (strong) I need to eat more rice. I told them, I ate too much rice during training and it didn't make me strong, just made me fat. To this they say, how great it is to be fat! This is a continual conversation in my life here. When I leave my house and go to the market everyone asks: “Miantsena?” (going to the market?) I reply yes, and they respond “Handeha matavy!” (get fat!) They say it like a benediction, like “get well!” “drive safe” or here, “get fat!” Being overweight here, and for most people were talking a few pounds over, is a sign of being well fed and comfortable financially. If I told people I eat the way I do to maintain my weight, they would just be confused. Why would you want to stay thin when you have the means to be fatter? Oh dear.
Next cultural note...being called fat, EVERYDAY. I generally get called “vazaha be,” (big white person, it could refer to height...but people think I'm fat, so I'm going to say the “be” refers to weight) or “geza” (just, fat). I asked around and there is no word for curvy or voluptuous women in Malagasy. You are just fat or skinny. I've tried to explain that in my culture there are many women who are not fat, but curvy and that this is desirable and sexy. I am met mainly with stares asking, why if you are fat would you not want to be called fat? It's complimenting the lifestyle you work hard for! And of course “fat” women are more desirable, it means they come from families with money and they are well suited to carry children. Ha ha ha. Oh cultural differences. I've asked people not to call me fat, because I am not. My close friends and neighbors generally get it, but most people just seem confused that a word, like fat, which is good here, can make me upset. I've added another phrase to the daily conversation on the way to the market. When people say “handeha matavy!” I respond, “ungamba...”(maybe) and I wink at them. They laugh...it makes me feel better about the situation.