A Fruit-Lover's
Dream...
An intimidating looking fruit.
Mangosteens.
Dragonfruit.
August 25, 2006

As a person who absolutely loves fruit, I always thought I was quite produce-savvy. I now know that I was wrong. I have come
to realize that there is a whole world of fruit (pardon the pun) that I am still discovering…

To be honest, I would not be surprised if some people develop a fruit-phobia in this part of the globe as there are some species
that kind of make you wince with fright. Some fruits literally look as if they can poke your eyes out. Others puzzle you as to
how exactly one might consume such a thing. And then there is the issue of what part of the fruit is even edible.

I am now concocting my own guide to Asian tropical fruits and eating tips. Oh yeah…also my very own personal opinion on
what each tastes like.

Mangosteen – This fruit is a deep purple with a cute stem on top. Originally I was trying to cut through it. One of the waiters
stopped me to show me how the pros do it. Basically, you gently squeeze it and the outer part will begin to break. Inside is a
white piece of fruit waiting to be found. It is almost sectioned (like an orange) and there is a pit in one of the sections. This
would, without a doubt, prove to be the best fruit I had while out here.

Rambutan - This fruit looks a bit like a sea urchin. This is the one I was referring to that looks like it could poke an eye out.
When you cut through the scary-looking outer skin, a translucent piece of fruit awaits inside. It pops out really easily and is
quite tasty. It is rather small and there is a pit inside.

Dragonfruit – This looks extremely exotic on the outside – it almost reminds me of a tropical flower or plant of some sort.
When you cut it in half, the inside is completely different than you would expect. It is almost a translucent white color with
teeny black seeds everywhere – they almost look like poppy seeds. You cut the inside similar to how you cut a mango. This
fruit is very tasty and looks very cool in fruit salads.

Langon – This a brownish nut-looking thing. When you just slightly cut into it, the fruit pops out. Once again, it is a bit
translucent and sweet. Very good.

Passionfruit – How I love the passionfruit…though I know other people look at these and do not know what to do with them.
Basically, they are cut in half and then you take a spoon and scrape out the insides. It is best to let it slide down your throat so
that you don’t bite down on the seeds.

The other wonderful fruits that this area offers are nectarines, peaches, plums, mangos, papayas, pears, watermelon and
pineapple. Quite a nice change from eating nothing but bananas in India…
Back to Maldives.