The season when the refrigerator is taken over by mangoes

Vietnam has an image of being "a country where fruit is always available," but actually, it has proper seasons. Especially in May in Ho Chi Minh City, it's the time when the dry season transitions to the rainy season. Thanks to the heat and squalls, tropical fruits come alive all at once during this season. When you go to the market, the sweet aroma of mangoes, the intense smell of durian, piles of rambutan, yellow passion fruit. And there's that air of 'the season for fruit has arrived!' Vietnamese fruit, unlike Japan's 'luxury gifts,' is simply food that naturally exists in everyday life. You make it into juice, mix it with ice, eat it right there by the roadside. It's truly the 'taste of life.' And so, here it is! A box of mangoes. From Nyan-san, who always brings us delicious fruit: 'Are you home right now?　I sent a package via Grab, so please come pick it up~," they called to say. In a hurry, when I got to the apartment complex entrance, the driver was grinning widely and pointing at the box saying, "Here it is~

Huh, in a box? With a heave, straining to lift it up—a sweet fragrance drifts through the air. A soft, full sensation, as if floating about five centimeters above the ground. The happy sweetness wraps around my whole body. Suddenly, such bliss! Wobbling as I carry the heavy box, when I open it in my room, that blissful feeling takes on even deeper, more layered dimensions.

Nyan-san, t-t-there's such a huge amount though... When I thanked them, they said 'It's pesticide-free and delicious. I harvested it too~, please eat lots' and sent photos as well.

[Mango Harvesting Nyan-san!] You often see the culture of sharing fruit in Vietnam. When visiting a friend's house, going to see someone who is ill, returning to your hometown, and so on, you bring fruit, Japan had this culture too (back in the Showa era, you know). What's extraordinary about Vietnam is that the quantity is no joke. When they say "just a little, but..." it's 2 to 3 kilograms, or rather 5 kilograms. In other words, 10 mangoes is completely normal. This time, I received 40 mangoes. Of course, our household couldn't eat them all, so I shared them with company staff, neighbors in our apartment complex, and people who've been kind to me. As the 'mango lady,' I eagerly distributed them far and wide.

In Vietnam, it's literally a race against ripening! Fruits arrive all at once. I stare at these mangoes rolling around like large yellow mice, psych myself up, and think, "Let's do this!" First, I cut and eat them. The rest becomes juice for drinking. Then I check the ripeness, wrap them in paper, and pop them in the fridge. The over-ripened ones? Cut and frozen. Before you know it, the whole refrigerator is taken over by fruit~~~That's so relatable!Right? And yet, I never imagined I would come to eat so much mango in the future. Every day, I boldly and luxuriously peel back the mango skin, letting the sun-colored juice drip down, and I go slurrrp as I bite right in. What's more, I even make use of the seed. When making curry, if you simmer the seed together with it, the natural sweetness becomes the broth and you get fruity curry rice.

Fruity Curry Rice with Seeds Simmered Together The Vietnamese version has become our go-to home curry. We cut the ripe ones and keep them temporarily in the freezer. We turn them into mango sauce and wait for the chance to use them in dressings, tarts, cakes, and beyond. Relocation Life Ranking