by Lori Baltazar
Mangoes for me, obviously. But trust me to place a photo of a mango-topped torte instead of an actual mango!
The encroaching heat has become near insufferable, and summer’s not officially begun. By this time, the sun’s lengthy rays cut wide swathes of blistering swelter, making us all run for cover. For food lovers, we seek the succor of cool relief.
Hello, mango! These golden fruits herald summer’s start, their taut and glistening skins are golden like the sun but cool, their juice sweet and drippy. Most people like to eat these fruits cold or even frozen, like an instant sorbet. Chefs have fancy ways of separating skin from flesh through a handy drinking glass; others wield a knife to trace and tear, fashioning upturned flowers from skins pushed in to make the fruit pop out: an instant fruity bouquet.
Me, I dispense with formality and utensils. It’s just me and the mango. I peel the skin off at the tip and – carefully, oh so carefully – I unwind it the way I do a suman. It’s resistant at first, and then it unfurls its majestic treasure. Now whole and peeled, I eat the entire fruit bent over the kitchen sink, my mouth hungrily looking for the next unbitten pulp. To do so, my head is at peculiar angles, positioned in the way I eat a taco or right before I kiss my husband on the mouth. Juice drips down my arms; I let it, so occupied am I. When all that’s left is a fibrous seed, I lick my fingers, sometimes my wrists. I’d lick my elbows too, if I could.
Oh, succulent summer.
So, just like the mango, Manila’s mystical fruit of summer, tell me: What’s the food that signals for you that summer is here?
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Note: M.I.Y.O. Monday stands for Make It Your Own Monday, a question thrown out to DCF readers every Monday to jumpstart the week with lively interaction. I also welcome questions and suggestions for future MIYO Mondays. Email me.
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Halo Halo with 2 scoops of ube ice cream! Hahaha!;-)
halo-halo, most definitely!
Ridiculously ripe mangoes from Zambales and sweet melons!
Man, I’m hungry!
Sebastian’s new HALO HALO MILK ice cream. Inspired by Lori’s very own suggestion of making an ice cream that tastes like the milk left over at the bottom of the glass when you finish your Halo-Halo.
The flavor of Monggo, Langka, Macapuno, Ube Halaya, Garbanzo, Pinipig, White Kidney Beans, Kaong, Leche Flan and Saba, all in one chunkless ice cream.
Available this friday, March 9 at all branches!
Pls reopen a scooping station in Glorietta/Greenbelt pls!!!!
Please reopen in ATC!!! (Here I go again, Ian. : ) )
for the record, we would love to open a shop in Makati. But the place has to be just right. 😉
As a kid, since we do have a sari-sari store, my Tita would always make ice candies once summer kicks in. And its different everyday. There’s chocolate, mango, grape,and strawberry. But my favorite is munggo ice candy. With real munggo bits (she uses the red ones). So refreshing!:)
Hahaha! I was laughing while reading your phrase, “Now whole and peeled, I eat the entire fruit bent over the kitchen sink”. It conjured up an image of myself in the same position coz I enjoy eating it that way too. It allows me to relish the entire flavor and experience, just eating it with bare hands, no utensils, no plates, nothing standing in between. Simply just me and my mango/es.
Halo-Halo! from the expensive down to the bought-at-the-corner-P15 variety
Yup! And the original Digman Halo-Halo is still the most visited place at E. Gomez St., Bacoor, Cavite…near Bacoor Municipal Hall.
MAIS CON HIELO!!! you know when its summer when your neighbors are building mini kiosk in front of their houses selling ice candy, halo halo, mais con hielo, even scramble! 😀
they use the old fashioned ice shaver with and work it with a huge block of ice!
Corn kernels with a mix of creamed corn, sugar, shaved ice and lotsa evap milk… YUM!
Via Mare is the one i tasted best so far. but then again, im not that choosy ^^,
ice candy or ice buko
I know its summer when my mom used to make gadgad the melon into strips and make a melon drink with water, lots of ice and sugar…and this summer my wife will be making the fruit salad ice candy with lots of milk and fruits from blender..how time flies so fast…
Ice cold watermelon sprinkled with salt!
pakwan on a hot summer day
Halo-Halo from the roadside stall across our house in Batangas
definitely halo-halo. mangoes are a bit of hit and miss here in our place, and still accessible even if “off”-season (albeit sour). not really a fan of halo-halo, but it does signal that it’s SUMMER! at one point we even sold it in front of our house. 🙂
buko Halo-Halo (no beans but lots of saba, nata de coco, sago & gulaman, ube, leche flan, buko strips & ice cream) and Ice candy with real fruit bits & milky taste! 🙂
Cold Singkamas! I love Zambalez mangoes as well. But I eat too much and get prickly heat faster after gorging on them for days on end. So singkamas for me!
Halo-halo and watermelon 🙂
Wow! I love your Mango post and Halo-Halo ice cream feature! I was just in Manila last month visiting and had my fill of mangoes 3x a day. As for the Halo-halo ice cream, wish I had read your blog before I went home. Glad to have found your site. It’s great. Will be back soon for more!
I read the title, answered mango in my mind, clicked the link, then wow(!) I see you’re a super fan of mangoes as well! I actually have a special album on my Facebook account with just photos of anything Mango ie. drinks..pastries..pizza…
Mangoes = Summer = Mangoes
Mangoes! Green mango shake, specifically. I love the asim+sweetness in crushed ice. YUM!!!
Hi Lori. The Sandosenang Halo is not comparable to the real Digman’s in Bacoor. Their ice is crushed, not shaved. And as for ice candy, they’re still all over, especially in smaller neighborhoods.