At the Market

In keeping with the spirit of both the Peace Corps and the Philippines, I made up my own acronym. This week I launched what I am calling the ITEM-F – Initiative To Eat More Fruit. The trip to the market with Kate on Saturday helped. The closest market to me is EDSA Central, which is where I switch from the bus to the jeepney on my way home. In rush hour, people bum-rush the jeepneys. Since it’s a free-for-all and I want to keep an eye on my pocketbook and my computer, I used to be reluctant to also be carrying bags of fruit. But no more! I need fruit!

I like market pictures anyway. Here are some of the fruits I have tried and some I have yet to try. There are also bananas, pineapples, apples, and clementines. I miss pomegranates but I did have a glass of Pom juice just about every day in Southampton…. There are also papayas, but they weren’t particularly picturesque.

Rambutan – open it up and there’s a cool white fruit with a big seed – I’ll guess it’s a member of the lychee family. Hard to eat but refreshing:


Lanzones – same family, I think, though you wouldn’t guess it from the outside!

Atis – I haven’t had this yet but I hear that there are lots of seeds:


Mangosteen – my favorite so far (of course - it’s expensive) – the thick, hard rind opens up to reveal a small, white, segmented, fragrant, sweet inside – also with a big seed in the middle:


Mango – they say the Filipino mangoes are the sweetest in the world; far be it from me to dispute it. They have green mangoes as well, not as sweet:


Santol – I haven’t tried this either. They say it has a lot of seeds too. It looks apple-like to me but I’m told it is not!


Jackfruit – I haven’t tried this either! Hey, the initiative has just started (though I could never eat this big a fruit – some places sell it cut up):


Durian – this is the one that I was told about in Thailand – smells horrible, tastes great. I may or may not try this!


Coconut – I don’t see myself buying one of these either; there are plenty of places that sell the juice, which is refreshing but not my favorite:


Calamansi – small native citrus fruit; makes great lemonade, but I think they are too sour to eat. I just liked the picture: