To Eat Perchance A Mangosteen

One of the many, many reasons I'm excited to go to Thailand is the Fabled Mangosteen - oft called Queen of Tropical Fruit.

One of the blessing/curses of living in America is that you can get almost anything, any way you want it, whenever you want it. Want a whooper without meat? That's cool but I want one without the bun. Either is ok with the guy behind the counter. Want to watch "Year Without a Santa Claus" in July? No problem. Want to eat Peeps year round - you bet. How about a Strawberry Kit Kat and an Orange Frappuccino - you can have them, but really, why would you want them?

Personally, I liked it when certain things were only available once a year - it gave you something to look forward to and made common things kind of special. I miss that. As a kid, before I really embraced the calendar, I marked off the year via seasonal candy and TV specials. What can I say - it was an Innocent time.

And don't get me started on how everything comes in every flavor/color/form. It's one thing to enjoy regular AND doublestuffed Oreos and quite another to accept the abomination that is SPRING PURPLE CREME Oreos or the GOLDEN UH-OH WITH CHOCOLATE CREME. Gee-ross.

Can someone tell me who thought Diet Pepsi Jazz Black Cherry French Vanilla was really necessary to the world?

Why are there 30 some flavors of Pop Tarts? Better question - why are there 12 chocolate versions?! And Go-Tarts? What?! What wasn't portable about the original Pop Tart?!!!?

Anyway...

You can't get a mangosteens in America. Yet. (Or so they say - you can't tell me that if Oprah wanted mangosteens in her fruit salad, she couldn't get them.) Of course, they say sooner or later they will be available here and then we'll make way for Mangosteen Madness Pop Tarts and Diet Mangosteen Kiwi Guava Pepsi One.

But until then, I love the idea that if I want to taste this remarkable little fruit, I have to travel to Thailand* to do so. Now that's special.

Also on my list to try while I'm in Thailand:

• Rambutan
  
• Durrian

Both of which I think I can get here but where's the fun in that?



*Or Vancouver, BC but whatever.