Mango Madness

Hello, my name is Joyce and I'm addicted to mangoes.

I really have been on a mango tear lately. In fact, writing this post, I had to stop midway, go to the fridge, and grab a container of Chobani mango yogurt which I've been buying in bulk.

Why is this such a revelation and a current obsession? For twenty years, I've stayed away from mangoes because I thought I was allergic to it. 

It was fifth grade, I was ten years old and we were living in Oahu, Hawaii, land of mangoes. One day, I had a severe allergic reaction (we're talking a swollen face chipmunk cheeks and my poor Asian eyes were mere slits) and by process of elimination that day, we decided that it was a mango that caused the reaction and that I should avoid them from that day forward.  We moved back to South Korea soon thereafter, so it wasn't a big deal to give up mangoes in a land that doesn't have them! Throughout the years, however, I've been tempted by dried mango slices brought back from my parents' coworkers trips to the Philippines, fruit salads loaded with fat chunks of mango and fancy desserts with a mango coulis swirled on the plate. 

Amy, being the good sister that she is, would taunt me by eating mango in front of me and revel in the fact that she got all the mango in the household for herself.  She even gave me a recipe for mango chicken as a contribution to my wedding shower recipe box. When we pointed it out, I think she genuinely forgotten that I couldn't eat mango but recovered quickly by pointing out that I could make it as a meal for Andrew.

But to give Amy credit, she was also the one that kept throwing out the idea of introducing mangoes into my diet once again, questioning the fact that I was actually allergic to them. I always told her it was a small sacrifice to avoid them in light of avoiding another allergic reaction.

It was a slippery slope back into eating mangoes - I think I boldly ate some mango coulis on our honeymoon and survived unscathed.  When Chobani introduced its mango flavored yogurt a few weeks back, I took the plunge and started eating that - no side effects.  And last night, I cut up a mango and went to town.  This morning, I woke up, looked in the mirror and was fine.  Time to start making up for twenty years without mangoes!