phal fal fruit phrut

Last summer at this time I was in Delhi and already eaten my way through the lychee and part of mango seasons. I was thinking-- India really outdoes the US when it comes to fruit.

This summer, however, I learned that you CAN have the best of both worlds-- almost. And the US is the place to be. Last summer I had forgotten about strawberries, peaches, cherries, and blueberries. You can get peaches in India, but they are never ripe. To make things better-- you can even get great, cheap (3 for $1 cheap) mangos at kroger. true-- there is only one type of mango available here, and they are not always that great, but the supply is getting better.

India still reigns when it comes to pomegranates, sita-phal (aka sharifa), lychees, coconuts, chickoo (oh I remember the chickoo shakes at Softy n Softy in Jodhpur...), guava, and street food. Guddu and I were missing Indian street food during July 4th in Washington. We were hoping to find someone selling bhel puri or samosas or egg rolls (Ind0-chinese maggi style) amidst the halfsmokes and hot dogs. I settled for a Chinese-esque egg roll and an Oreo klondike bar which hit the spot so well that "settle" may not be the appropriate word.