Fruit! It’s something I’m really
thankful for here in Myanmar.
I’ll be honest, I’m not the bravest
person when it comes to trying new Asian foods, especially street food. I do ok
if I’m with someone and they can explain to me what I am eating. Other than
that I try to be really careful with what I eat.
Thankfully Dave and I live right
across the street from a huge local market that sells everything: fresh butchered chicken, fish, fish paste and all kinds of fresh fruits
and vegetables. I'm pretty sure I'll never purchase meat from the market. I think I'd be a vegetarian before I did that. I’ve been told that the train that delivers them stops here first
so we get some of the freshest produce around!
Currently strawberries are in season!
There are also a lot of other tropical
fruits here that Dave and I have really enjoyed. I’m really thankful because a
lot of these fruits were what I ate as a kid in Brazil and it’s fun to be able to
purchase them for cheap here in Myanmar. I plan on taking full advantage of
that during my time here.
I’ve been trying to go to the same produce stands when I shop so I
can get to know the people that I purchase things from. It's been fun getting to interact with the same people. I have shopped at one fruit stand for 2 1/2 months and this past weekend the lady gave me a $.20 discount and finally said "you come back I give discount." I thought that was funny!
Today I wanted to share some pictures
of the local fruits we have purchased. I thought it would be fun for you to see
what we have over here. I hope to one day take some pictures of the local market so you can see exactly where we go to purchase them. It's always a crazy adventure in that market.
Dragon Fruit – This is new to me since
arriving in Myanmar. For starters, it’s just a really pretty fruit. Dragon fruit tastes equivalent to a kiwi but the texture is
more dense. We’ve also coined this fruit ‘cookies and cream’ because of the
white and black coloring in it.
Price - $1.00 - $1.50 / piece
Oranges and Limes – Limes are much smaller here but they taste just the same.
price of an orange - $.50 - $1.00 / each
price of limes - $1.00 for 4-5
Passion Fruit – Ok, I will admit that this fruit looks disgusting but it tastes amazing! It’s by far one of my favorite fruits and I grew up drinking passion fruit juice all the time as a kid.
You can sprinkle a little bit of sugar on raw passion fruit and eat it or you can blend it in a blender with water, ice and sugar for an awesome smoothie. I’ve also put mango jam and passion fruit on Rotti, which is an Asian version of a tortilla.
Price - $1.00 for 4 or 5 pieces
Avocado and Chilis – Avocados are huge here but I don’t think they are as creamy as the Hass Avocados I purchase back in America. I probably won't purchase these much.
Those peppers – don’t be fooled by how tiny they are. They are spicy! When I went to buy peppers I knew I only needed two of them. The lady that I purchased them from started laughing at me and she threw in a whole handful. They probably think I'm a wimp when it comes to spice.
Price – I forgot! But I’m sure for both the avocado and peppers I paid less then $1.20
Papaya – Papaya is right up there with one of my favorite fruits! You cut it open, scoop out the seeds and take the peel off, and cut it into pieces. It's a large fruit so you can eat it for days!
price - $1.00
Have you ever tried any of the fruits listed here? If so, do you have a favorite?
What is your favorite fruit?
Do you have any other questions about the fruit or markets here?
Goodness, I totally miss the fresh tropical fruit I would eat when I lived in Taiwan.
ReplyDeleteBesides the avocado I haven't tried any of the other ones. Curious about that passion fruit though.
ReplyDeleteI'm a fruit junkie, so I've tried all of these...but I can't remember what a dragon fruit tastes like. I need to try it again! In Hawaii they call passion fruit "liliko'i" (I think it's the same thing?) and my friends Hawaiian grandmother makes a liliko'i pie. I got to try a piece once, and it might have been the most delicious thing I have ever tasted! :)
ReplyDeleteWhoa!!! These some crazy fruits! I have definitely heard of all of them, but haven't tried a lot of them! Some of them look very interesting ;)
ReplyDeleteI've tried passion fruit in other things, like drinks, but I don't think I've ever seen it in actual fruit form. Do you take out the seeds?
ReplyDeleteI love fresh fruit....this all looks so amazing!
ReplyDeleteMmmm these fruits!!! We LOVE passionfruit in Peru! And granadilla... do they have that? It's in the same family as passionfruit. And I'm partial to South American avocados, haha, and they're best in Peru...not the States! Haven't had dragon fruit, but it is so pretty! Thanks for this post :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you get passionfruit in Peru!!! I haven't heard of granadilla. I'll have to look that up on the internet to see if I even know what it is.
ReplyDeleteI bet avocados are better there! They are usually imported to the States.
Me too, friend!
ReplyDeleteYou can take out the seeds to make juice but if you eat it you just eat the seeds. It's all kind of attached.
ReplyDeleteTo remove the seeds I put it into the blender and pulse it for 3-5 seconds to remove the seeds from the fruit part.
I'm not sure where you live but I know every once in a while my grocery store in Kansas would randomly have a few pieces of passion fruit. I always tried to a few pieces up.
Did you get to try any fun fruits during your time in SA?
ReplyDeleteThey are really interesting fruits and I think it's fun to try lots of them out.
Dave says that dragon fruit tastes a lot like Kiwi or a less sour strawberry. I think sometimes the Asian markets carry dragon fruits sometimes so maybe you could find one there.
ReplyDeleteI like that there is a different name for passion fruit in Hawaii and girl, I need a piece of that pie! ;)
Where in Taiwan did you live? I visited there once and I remember drinking a lot of fresh fruit smoothies.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to try passion fruit! It really is good. I know sometimes they sell passion fruit at the local grocery stores in the states.
ReplyDeleteI love this post! I love tropical fruits! Other than watermelon, tropical fruits are usually my favorites. I wish I lived somewhere that had a better selection. The mountains aren't exactly the place for tropical fruits ;)
ReplyDeleteXO Kristin
athisfeetdaily.blogspot.com / Lifestyle Blog
If the papaya is not too big, my mum would half it, remove the seeds but not skin it. My brother and I would dig in (literally) with a tea spoon! Mmmm~
ReplyDeleteI'm glad watermelon is easily accessible all over the US.
ReplyDeleteI miss tropical fruits when I'm State side too! They are my favorite.
Yum!!! That is how they served it to us in Hawaii. I thought it was a fun (and new way to me) to eat papaya.
ReplyDeleteYeah! I would love to get my hands on yummy tropical fruits right about now! Send me some in the comment box? :p
ReplyDeleteOh yum, those look good! I too have a local produce spot and they know us there, which is a good feeling, because sometimes they give us free fruits and veggies in exchange for being customers.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome that you get free fruits and veggies for being a regular customer! I think the local produce is so good!
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ReplyDeleteAlright, let us seize the chance and study fruits, by and large, while worrying about the fruits of Burma (since 1989 likewise called Myanmar), specifically. 陽痿怎麼辦
ReplyDelete