Mango politics?

MrsC_772 · Apr 19th, 2009, 00:24

I asked in my local Asian foodstore where I bought boxes of mangoes last summer whether they'd got any yet.

I was told by the shopkeeper that they hadn't as at the moment only Indian mangoes were available and they'd be £10 a box (around 735 Indian rupees) and not very sweet, but in a month or so the sweeter Pakistani mangoes would be available.

Hmmm.

Are there decent Indian (or Pakistani for that matter - I'm not fussed) mangoes available now? A few IMers have been rejoicing in the new mango season elsewhere on the forum.
Are there decent Indian mangoes available in the UK now?

Or could this be that a shopkeeper is of Pakistani origin and would rather wait for the Pakistani mangoes (jolly nice they were too last year) than sell the Indian ones?

Maybe mango deprivation is causing me to start cooking up stupid conspiracy theories (instead of mango smoothies and mango icecream).

I had one of the ordinary supermarket green and red skinned mangoes (Kent, Keitt or Tommy Atkins - I forget which) the other day and it just wasn't the same!

Maybe I need to check out the local Nepali shops instead - not sure where would they stand on post-partition mango politics!

Nick-H · Apr 19th, 2009, 00:58

Whoa! Fruit Wars!!!!

The mods had better keep a careful eye on this thread

Haylo · Apr 19th, 2009, 01:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrsC_772

Or could this be that a shopkeeper is of Pakistani origin and would rather wait for the Pakistani mangoes (jolly nice they were too last year) than sell the Indian ones?

It is early for mangoes still, I think they have only just come into season, so would be expensive. It could be that the early Indian ones being (according to him) not as sweet and very expensive they just don't sell well enough to make it worth his while bringing them in yet.

If he is of Pakistani origins, perhaps he has better trade contacts back home?

Quote:

I had one of the ordinary supermarket green and red skinned mangoes (Kent, Keitt or Tommy Atkins - I forget which) the other day and it just wasn't the same!

You are absolutely right, they are just not the same. I NEARLY bought allegedly "Ripe and ready to eat" Tommy Atkins mango in Tesco earlier, it was reduced from £1.69 to £1.29.

Being in Delhi during the summer has totally spoiled me for "Plastic Atkins" mangoes, the sale of which has zero basis in flavour or quality and is entirely based on longevity of storage and roubustness of travel.

Nick-H · Apr 19th, 2009, 01:50

It is early in the season yet.

giripriya · Apr 20th, 2009, 22:14

You have Nepali shops in your 'hood? Lucky...

My husband in KTM says mangoes in Nepal are expensive now because it's still early - give it a month(when I arrive) and he said there would be mangoes galore.

MrsC_772 · Apr 21st, 2009, 00:31

Yes, a lot of the "continental" grocers near me are Nepali.

Around my town you see far more Nepalese than Indian faces: from council statistics I reckon around 5% of the local population is of Nepalese origin. There are a disproportionate number of Gurungs in the local phone book.

The reason is that my area has a lot of British Army bases, and quite a few Gurkha families settle in the area on leaving the Army.

As well as the food shops, there are quite a few "Gurkha Palace" or "Everest" restaurants: some serve Nepalese food, others are just British curry houses with Nepalese staff and names.

Come local election time, it's noticeable that even some of the more unpleasant right-wing/racist election leaflets exclude the Gurkhas from their anti-immigrant rants!

alexvisentin · Apr 21st, 2009, 01:00

I bought indian alphonso mangoes(so it says on the box)yesterday in luton, just north of london, very big south asian comunity,they are mainly muslim but wouldn't know if they are indians or bangladeshi.
£5 for 6 very sweet mangoes.Looking forward to the pakistani one soon, price seems ok to me.

goangoangone · Apr 21st, 2009, 22:56

In Margao today, 220/- per dozen. Not such a good crop this year.

Kingstonian · Apr 21st, 2009, 23:19

In Kingston Sainsbury's yesterday, all green and hard (except for the ones that were brown and soggy) - I didn't even bother checking the prices.

Haylo · Apr 21st, 2009, 23:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrsC_772

Come local election time, it's noticeable that even some of the more unpleasant right-wing/racist election leaflets exclude the Gurkhas from their anti-immigrant rants!

For the obvious reasons AND that they're too embarrassed to admit to each other that they don't know where Gurkhastan is.

obione980 · Apr 22nd, 2009, 15:13

The Australian mango season ended in mid January~!

Off season mangoes here come from Mexico. Small and nowhere as sweet as the local Bowen Specials!

giripriya · Apr 23rd, 2009, 18:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haylo

For the obvious reasons AND that they're too embarrassed to admit to each other that they don't know where Gurkhastan is.

MrsC_772 · Apr 30th, 2009, 01:11

Clearly mango deprivation led me to start coming up with daft theories.

Atif superstore had boxes of mangoes today: given that there was a sticker from Delhi Cargo Centre on the box, I can only presume they were Indian!

The security sticker gave options for security checking were "screened/cooled off/sniffed/physically checked". The mind boggles. Does this mean that the individual mangoes were poked, prodded and sniffed (as if by a prospective purchaser) or merely that the cargo of mangoes may have been inspected or sniffed by dogs checking for e.g. explosives or drugs?

I guess I should take comfort from the fact that the only security option ticked was "screened".

Mmm, mango lassi for breakfast tomorrow.

Paying Guest · Apr 30th, 2009, 01:18

I doubt if it's political. In the U.S., most Indian and Pakistani shops stock Mexican mangoes because they're better, cheaper, and easier to get. They've started to inject a lot of Indian mangoes with chemicals to make them ripen faster, and there's often a nasty turpentine aftertaste. Mango season starts in South Asia (and in Mexico) around May. That's a good time to get mangoes. My wife and I order organic mangoes (and lots of other stuff) through a local distributor.

I found out, by accident, that mangoes actually keep very well in the freezer. I usually buy several boxes, cut them up, put them in ziplock bags, and suck out as much air as I can while sealing them. I then pop these in the freezer, at the end of the summer, and I usually have plenty of mangoes right through until January. They'll keep for about three months, and when thawed still taste quite good.

Nick-H · Apr 30th, 2009, 04:01

What a good idea!

Chennai's mango supply is just picking up. The few I've had so far have been delicious.

A couple of them came from a friend's tree, so absolutely no chance of tampering

. I haven't noticed any odd flavour to the others, though.

In this climate, speedy ripening could be a disadvantage as it would mean a very short shelf-life. Even the street traders may need to keep fruit on display, in the hot sun, for a couple of days.

Apr 19th, 2009, 00:24	#1
MrsC_772 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 160	Mango politics? I asked in my local Asian foodstore where I bought boxes of mangoes last summer whether they'd got any yet. I was told by the shopkeeper that they hadn't as at the moment only Indian mangoes were available and they'd be £10 a box (around 735 Indian rupees) and not very sweet, but in a month or so the sweeter Pakistani mangoes would be available. Hmmm. Are there decent Indian (or Pakistani for that matter - I'm not fussed) mangoes available now? A few IMers have been rejoicing in the new mango season elsewhere on the forum. Are there decent Indian mangoes available in the UK now? Or could this be that a shopkeeper is of Pakistani origin and would rather wait for the Pakistani mangoes (jolly nice they were too last year) than sell the Indian ones? Maybe mango deprivation is causing me to start cooking up stupid conspiracy theories (instead of mango smoothies and mango icecream). I had one of the ordinary supermarket green and red skinned mangoes (Kent, Keitt or Tommy Atkins - I forget which) the other day and it just wasn't the same! Maybe I need to check out the local Nepali shops instead - not sure where would they stand on post-partition mango politics!

Apr 20th, 2009, 22:14	#5
giripriya Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: NYC, dreaming of the Himalaya Posts: 143	You have Nepali shops in your 'hood? Lucky... My husband in KTM says mangoes in Nepal are expensive now because it's still early - give it a month(when I arrive) and he said there would be mangoes galore. __________________ Q: Ke garne? A: Dal bhat khanne, maaya garne, sutne!

Apr 21st, 2009, 22:56	#8
goangoangone What happened? Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Goa Posts: 1,953	In Margao today, 220/- per dozen. Not such a good crop this year. __________________ GoanGoan......here

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Apr 19th, 2009, 00:58	#2
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,208	Whoa! Fruit Wars!!!! The mods had better keep a careful eye on this thread

Apr 19th, 2009, 01:50	#4
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,208	It is early in the season yet.

Apr 21st, 2009, 00:31	#6
MrsC_772 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 160	Yes, a lot of the "continental" grocers near me are Nepali. Around my town you see far more Nepalese than Indian faces: from council statistics I reckon around 5% of the local population is of Nepalese origin. There are a disproportionate number of Gurungs in the local phone book. The reason is that my area has a lot of British Army bases, and quite a few Gurkha families settle in the area on leaving the Army. As well as the food shops, there are quite a few "Gurkha Palace" or "Everest" restaurants: some serve Nepalese food, others are just British curry houses with Nepalese staff and names. Come local election time, it's noticeable that even some of the more unpleasant right-wing/racist election leaflets exclude the Gurkhas from their anti-immigrant rants!

Apr 21st, 2009, 01:00	#7
alexvisentin Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: london Posts: 47	I bought indian alphonso mangoes(so it says on the box)yesterday in luton, just north of london, very big south asian comunity,they are mainly muslim but wouldn't know if they are indians or bangladeshi. £5 for 6 very sweet mangoes.Looking forward to the pakistani one soon, price seems ok to me.

Apr 21st, 2009, 23:19	#9
Kingstonian Still lurking Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: UK Posts: 1,118	In Kingston Sainsbury's yesterday, all green and hard (except for the ones that were brown and soggy) - I didn't even bother checking the prices.

Apr 22nd, 2009, 15:13	#11
obione980 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Brisbane Posts: 381	The Australian mango season ended in mid January~! Off season mangoes here come from Mexico. Small and nowhere as sweet as the local Bowen Specials!

Apr 30th, 2009, 01:11	#13
MrsC_772 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 160	Clearly mango deprivation led me to start coming up with daft theories. Atif superstore had boxes of mangoes today: given that there was a sticker from Delhi Cargo Centre on the box, I can only presume they were Indian! The security sticker gave options for security checking were "screened/cooled off/sniffed/physically checked". The mind boggles. Does this mean that the individual mangoes were poked, prodded and sniffed (as if by a prospective purchaser) or merely that the cargo of mangoes may have been inspected or sniffed by dogs checking for e.g. explosives or drugs? I guess I should take comfort from the fact that the only security option ticked was "screened". Mmm, mango lassi for breakfast tomorrow.

Apr 30th, 2009, 01:18	#14
Paying Guest Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: USA Posts: 50	I doubt if it's political. In the U.S., most Indian and Pakistani shops stock Mexican mangoes because they're better, cheaper, and easier to get. They've started to inject a lot of Indian mangoes with chemicals to make them ripen faster, and there's often a nasty turpentine aftertaste. Mango season starts in South Asia (and in Mexico) around May. That's a good time to get mangoes. My wife and I order organic mangoes (and lots of other stuff) through a local distributor. I found out, by accident, that mangoes actually keep very well in the freezer. I usually buy several boxes, cut them up, put them in ziplock bags, and suck out as much air as I can while sealing them. I then pop these in the freezer, at the end of the summer, and I usually have plenty of mangoes right through until January. They'll keep for about three months, and when thawed still taste quite good.

Apr 30th, 2009, 04:01	#15
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,208	What a good idea! Chennai's mango supply is just picking up. The few I've had so far have been delicious. A couple of them came from a friend's tree, so absolutely no chance of tampering . I haven't noticed any odd flavour to the others, though. In this climate, speedy ripening could be a disadvantage as it would mean a very short shelf-life. Even the street traders may need to keep fruit on display, in the hot sun, for a couple of days.