Crystal and Jared

Crystal is a mango. I was intimidated by mangoes at first and it took me quite a long time to get up the courage to try one. I mean, look at a mango! It's not like any of the other fruits that you see in the store and they are not all over the place. There is only one variety, that I know of, but they all look so unique. They have a smooth skin that is so full of different colors. I think I tried one a long time ago but really didn't know how to pick one or go about eating it. I liked it OK and thought, "I really should have someone tell me what I'm doing wrong with this fruit here." Later, when Kyra started school, her music teacher wrote a song about mangoes. I wish I had a copy of it so everyone could hear how jazzy and cool it is. I just needed a reintroduction to the mango with a little hype around it to really get behind this piece of fruit. Her teacher even brought in a mango one day and I got a better idea of how to eat it. I carefully peeled off the skin with a knife, trying to preserve as much of the fruit as possible, and then sliced off a few pieces working my way down to the seed in the middle. Man, the flesh of that mango really clung to the core for dear life. I don't know if that is typical for mangoes in general, but it was for the 2 that I've encountered. The thing is, mangoes are tangy and juicy, and have a very unique flavor that you can usually spot, even when they are mixed into a fruity blend of flavors. Some people like the mango, some don't, but I love it! Don't ever try to bite into a mango without peeling it. That would be really, really bad! I'll be keeping mangoes on my shopping list and on my counter for a long time. I can't really imagine giving up my desire for mangoes!

Jared is a grapefruit. I like grapefruit, all kinds. I am particularly fond of the ruby red version. Grapefruits usually have pretty thick skin and not many people take the time or effort to peel them. Most people like to slice open a grapefruit, put a bunch of sugar on it, and scoop the flesh out with a spoon. I haven't done that since I was a kid. When you do it that way you have to squeeze the juice out and pour it into your mouth without spilling it all over the place. Usually you have to drink it right from the rind and that just leaves an icky taste on the corners of your mouth. Even now, as I remember that taste, I'm making a sour face. When I eat a grapefruit now, I peel it and eat it slice by slice, no sugar. It was weird at first, and I thought, "you can't eat a grapefruit like an orange, people will think you're crazy!" But that's the way I like them, and I don't care anymore. I've also gotten pretty good at peeling them without leaving too much of the pulp on the actual fruit. I can even tell, sometimes, before I even begin to peel it, if it is going to be particularly difficult to peel. It seems like grapefruit are in abundance during certain times of the year and everyone is giving them away. I take as much as people will give. I have no idea how to preserve grapefruit or I might try, just so I have some during the off season. I used to like grapefruit juice, until I started eating them whole. I don't know what that means. Jared pointed out that, "The grapefruit is a very unique fruit even amongst the citrus family. There really isn't a seedless variety, but depending on the type there can be more or less seeds. Most grapefruit trees are constantly evolving and one can find differences in fruit from different parts of the same tree." I've noticed that about the seeds, and about Jared. Sometimes he's full of them, other times he's not. I think he's also evolving as he gets smarter and meets more fruit! (A-ha-ha!)

Do mangoes and grapefruit mix? Apparently better than most people would think. They both have a tangy goodness that makes them unique. I even found 3 recipes that had the two fruits together, one of which included avocado. That was interesting to me, because at first I thought Jared might be an avocado. I changed my mind though, because some people don't even know that avocados are fruit, and Jared isn't THAT strange! You don't see many mangoes and grapefruits at parties, and you will never see a whole one! They tend to gravitate to other fruits that they know and then settle in. If they feel like they don't fit in they will leave with no worries. They are strong enough fruits to hold their own and go their own way, especially when they are together.

When I first told Crystal she was a mango she was confused because she doesn't even like mangoes. Does that mean something? I don't think so. But now she says, "I get now why I am a mango." And, "I especially like the part about the party. I agree with all of it. I do think Jared's a grapefruit too. Nice. I just want to point out that you are the avocado in this story. You're the only fruit that can hang out with both of us. So what else goes with them so I can figure out what Bill is?"