FRUITS

Buying fruits is always a challenge. It brings to mind the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover." I've often enough bought fruits that looked really good but which, upon opening, disappointed. Mangoes perpetually so. After a few days of waiting them to turn ripe, one sees black spots on them. Atis--back in my hometown, we would just pluck them off the tree. Here in QC we have an atis tree and when the fruit bat doesn't get to it first, or the birds, then I have an occasional sweet atis. But otherwise, I have no choice except to get them from the grocery. Problem is the few times I did, they were sadly not up to par. The flesh sticks too much to the seed rendering the fruit difficult to eat. Maid says its because the fruit was prematurely picked. So, no matter how enticing atis looks in the grocery, I have restrained myself from buying any.

Pineapples are more predictable. Smell them and they'll give you a clear inkling if they are sweet and ripe or not. This sometimes works for mangoes too.

Lanzones-- one just has to pinch them. If they aren't soft, chances are they aren't sweet. Another way of detecting if they're sweet is to open one up. If the sheen is dull, better steer clear of it. If it's bright and looks inviting, get a kilo. I did the other day and only a few pieces weren't too sweet but they weren't bad. In Negros, Concepcion lanzones were the best, in Luzon it would be Paete, and in Mindanao, Camiguin.

Apples -Years back, when Mama was in the hospital, she asked me to buy her apples. She said, "don't get the ones that are cottony." I was stunned because not being a fan of apples, I thought they all tasted the same. I think those that aren't too red are the un-cottony ones. I'll have to verify this again. I get apples only once in a while.

Oranges-- another difficult buy. Usually ponkan is sweet, the bigger,American-looking ones are a puzzle. There's one that has a "navel" of sorts and those are juicy. Anyway, sour oranges aren't too much of a problem as one can make them into juice. This is particularly true of dalandan.

I like santol. The native ones are not sweet a lot of the time, unless they're Lizares, Mama would say. The bangkok ones are mostly okay though I've tried some that weren't sweet. One girl in Unimart told me the bangkok santol from Bacolod were fleshier and sweeter. The ones I get in Rustan's are usually okay.

Grapes -- the redder and smaller they are, the sweeter. Green ones are sometimes tart while the red ones that aren't a deep red can be a bit sour sometimes. Last weekend the girl in Unimart offered me black grapes because she said they were tops. I got some and she was right. Now, writing this I recall how my friend Nina gave me a bunch a few Christmases ago and, yes, they were very good. I had since forgotten.

A few months back, a cousin who lives nearby gave me kamunsil. Wow, that was nostalgic. I couldn't eat too much but I tried to peel a seed perfectly, which my sister and I perpetually did when we were much younger. She always succeeded in the task, I always failed. Oh I forgot to break a seed apart and put it on my face. I think we used to do that too.

Tambis-- I would only take a bite, never really liked it. then there's the balimbing- just a bite though I am not even sure I tasted it. One time a co-teacher gave me this yellow-orange fruit. It was fleshy. But I couldn't eat it. Chico, I don't like. The smell turns me off though Mama would eat platefuls of it.

Marang- I liked this when I was teaching but a few years ago, I tried it again and I was disappointed. Durian -- what an ordeal. The maid gave me a huge one when she came home from Cotabato. The smell was overpowering. the flesh looked inviting but I couldn't have more than a bite of it. I pleaded with the maid to have it instead. She smiled. I hope she wasn't offended. I offered it to a cousin who lives nearby but she begged off. Her sons and husband didn't like it, though she did.

Kulo- is that a fruit? I loved it candied. Unfortunately, Vir who used to make it is no longer around.

Coconut- I drink the juice but I normally don't take the fruit except as dessert. When I need to buy it to make macaroons or buko pie, it's always a challenge to find the right type: young enough, a little old. Sometimes I need some for pie but the coconut is just too young. I end up spending more till I get the right consistency.

Tamarind - I can eat only one in its original form. I can eat only more if they are candied.

Saba - I like it fried, boiled, candied. I usually buy some if my tummy feels funny, rumbles, etc.

Lemoncito. These grew in the garden and sometimes we'd taste them. But more often, we'd extract juice from them and weave it around a finger like a spider web.

The local cherry. we had a tree of this in our home and we'd always ask the maid to go up and get some while we waited below, our skirts lifted up to catch them.

Guavas - they're okay, small or big, if the birds don't get to them first. Guava jelly is nice.

Jackfruit - ugghhhhhh. I don't like the smell or the taste, not even in candies or banana turon. But i like the seeds, roasted. Kulo's seeds too. They remind me of castanas. Once an uncle gave us and I told him that. He teased, don't buy castanas anymore then. Just kulo.

I can't recall the name of this fruit. Ripe it turns red, raw it's green. It's elongated, but small. It's sweet. when it's ripe, the flesh slides off easily.

Papaya -- the natives one are nicer than the tiny ones grown commercially. One time a sister caught me having them with breakfast. She said "you eat papaya? I can't stand them." For the vitamins and fiber, I said.

Star apple - nice if you get them ripe, otherwise they're like atis when plucked too early.