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3 Things … April 30th, 2020
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You Need to Do to Make a Stew
1. Find out what you’ve got. (Don’t forget the back of the refrigerator.)
2. Chop it all up.
3. Cook it in a pot with some salt and pepper.
3 Things … July 11th, 2019
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That Make a Great Meal
1. Prepare it with someone you love
2. Make it simple so that it’s always fun
3. Eat it with gratitude and laughter
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3 Things… October 19th, 2017
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On How to Make a Good Lasagna
1. Use ricotta instead of cottage cheese
2. Not too soupy, salty or sweet
3. Instead of ground beef, put sweet Italian sausage to use
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Mango-ology — September 14, 2011
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I basically refuse to buy one if they’re over a dollar. I think I have purchased a particularly large specimen at $1.25. But when they get down to eighty-eight cents or so I like to pick myself up a mango.
Tricky business, though. Because in the case of an orange, you can be pretty confident of a good product–if it’s orange. And bananas are pretty obvious, too, with their skin color. (Please don’t call me a bigot…)
Mangos are fussy. Usually when you see them in the grocery store, they’re rock hard and not good for much of anything but practice at a softball tournament. No–you have to have the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job. You have to be willing to buy one of these little fellers, take him or her home, set it on the shelf and let it quietly do its maturing without your scrutiny. Because if you come over and cut into it too soon, you’re gonna have a sour, hard mess. If you get a bit over-anxious and go around squeezing it, you can bruise it, which will put brown spots on your otherwise delightfully golden and delicious treat.
It is a spiritual experience, to take custody of a mango. Actually, about the time you forget you have one, you look over there and say, “Oh, my goodness, that thing must be rotten by now.” But no–it’s just ready to be peeled and eaten. You are rewarded for your patience and blessed by your forgetfulness.
You know, people are a lot like fruit. (Please don’t read into that statement…) Some solid individuals are just downright “good apples”–it’s hard to lose, trustworthy and ready for you to take a good bite out of–even a second bite. There are those folks, of course, who are sour grapes. They don’t warn you of the bitterness and nastiness of their taste by the outer appearance, and you do rather regret partaking of them.
But lots of people–especially younger humans–are like mangos. You just have to buy into one and commit to it, keep your hands off of it a little bit, and let it sit on the shelf and soften up by natural processes. If you don’t, you’ll expect too much too soon or you’ll handle it too roughly and end up leaving behind a few sore spots of your own making.
It took me a while to learn this. I’m not so sure I didn’t do a little damage as a human being, or even as a parent, in the process. To all my fruity brethren and children, I apologize.
Because mango-ology involves understanding that some of God’s creations just need more time to get to a point so that they’re palatable. You worrying about them, fussing over them, handling them or staring at them will not improve the situation. Find a nice shelf where the sunshine can hit them just right and let them mature on their own. After all, you’re not a mango. And if you are a mango, chances are you can’t sweeten one of your friends anyway. That takes time, God and nature.
So for future consideration, when you run across some human being who just doesn’t ever seem to ripen up, have the wisdom to use mango-ology: give’em a perch and let’em learn on their own, so the next time you visit them, it will be a sweet and tasty reunion.
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