Sunday, February 04, 2007

This 'n that for a Sunday morning

Em asked me yesterday, "If you already emptied ND's apartment, why did you bother going to the hearing? I mean, now you're in the system, aren't you?" As she well knows, I prefer to remain "out" of ANY system. Well, Serge thought that we would have a slam dunk case and then be able to hold ND's things ransom for the "judgement". I figured it would be a good learning experience, to see how the system works and I really didn't care what the outcome was since we had already taken action. And it was a good learning experience, I learned that the rental board is there to protect renters. And it is there to force owners to cross their t's and dot their i's. I thought that given the circumstances of the case, we shouldn't have had a finger wagged at us, but maybe the judge was having troubles of her own. (She sure didn't seem human, but I've seen enough TV shows to know that they're people too.)

I want to make mango sorbet today. I have never purchased a mango and the recipe calls for "firm, yet ripe" mangoes. Yesterday, as I was in the market fondling the mangoes, I realized that they all seemed firm, but had no idea how to tell if they were ripe. I looked around to see if they had some kind of information panel, you know, "How to choose a mango" or some such thing. Of course there was none. But they would probably sell more fruits and veggies if they did more informing. Imagine if you'd never seen an orange. You wouldn't know what to do with it! Anyway I bought some mangoes, but I have no idea if they are "ripe".

Fruity questions: Do you eat the fur on a Kiwifruit? How do you peel a Papaya? Why are there no warning labels about the dangers of the Apricot and Peach pits?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Zheesh! I come to a gay man's blog and all I get to read about is fruit!

LOL!

BTW, I would have no clue how to select a mango either. In fact my parents always called green peppers "mangos". I was in my late teens before I realized that all this time I had been fed stuffed green peppers and not "stuffed mangos". They are hardly the same. My mother was not impressed when I informed her.

Jack said...

No you don't eat the "fur" of a kiwi.

I think mangos are judged by the exterior colors, no green = ripe, or close to it.

Peel the papaya like a potato.

GayProf said...

Uh -- What are the dangers of Apricot and Peach pits? Just that they are there and might be bitten into? Or is there some vital information that I never learned?

As an aside, peeling fruit is one of my least favorite activities. It ranks up there with shelling nuts or serving (hard) ice cream.

mainja said...

gayprof - if you break open a peach pit there is a little thing that looks kind of like an almond. it's poisonous.

as for peeling papayas, i've never seen anyone peel one, i've only ever seen/eaten it scooped like cantalope. (when just eating it like melon it's great with lime juice squeezed on it and just a touch of salt to offset the flavours nicely.)

Doug said...

That's very understanding of you to see the judge as a person and not a rubber stamp.

Mangos: if they're like men, you need to take off their clothes to see if they're ripe. Ba-dum-bum.

Seriously though, I buy organic mango puree in a jar at the health food store down here. That might be a good substitute.

I actually buy apricot pits and eat a few each day. They're supposed to have anti-cancer properties.

r said...

The way I learned to peel a papaya was to halve it, then create slices down toward the skin, then you can peel the skin off easily. Kind of like an avocado.

Blech, don't eat kiwifruit at all. There's something acidic about them.

Anonymous said...

Choosing a mango depends very much on the type of mango. In Montreal, most places sell the large, mostly green mangoes with red patches, from Brazil, Peru or Mexico. These will NEVER lose all the green, and if they do they are totally rotten. You should have a nice mix of green and red and most importantly there should be a nice mango-ey smell perceptible at the base of the fruit. If you're buying them in Chinatown, they often have the small, thin mangoes which do turn completely yellow on the outside when they're ripe -these are the most flavourful.
Hope this helps.

Snooze said...

I eat kiwis with a spoon, not unlike a soft-boiled egg.

Wayne said...

okay.... all these people are nuts!
Don't eat the skin on Kiwi.
Mango's are ripe when the skin is red.
Don't eat anypits!

Anonymous said...

I was going to tell you about mangos, but I'm coming in late. If you press your thumb into them gently you should feel a little give, but not too much. That probably isn't all that useful.

I didn't know about Chinese mangos and now I want to try one. Oh wait, I just remembered I had one once and it was heaven. Now I want another.

Jason said...

We had a sale on "Shanon Fruit" the other day. I have no idea where to begin with that.

Patricia said...

yeah, southerners call green peppers mangos. odd, that.

i have super powers when choosing fruit for it's ripeness. i'm the crazy one thumping watermelons and shaking canteloupes. it takes practice! it's all about texture, color, heaviness and aroma. i can't wait until summer when things are actually ripe. i bought a peach the other day (yes, one, since in the middle of winter it costs a fortune) and it was like slicing an apple. grrrr.

how'd the sorbet turn out?

dpaste said...

I just enjoyd the dichotomy of this post: rental issues vs. fruit.