THERE are mangoes and there are mangoes. Then there are Haden mangoes. Rich, juicy, piney, lushious, sap-dripping, brilliant orange Haden mangoes. Not totally alone in quality, there are also ‘Ah Ping’, ‘Fairchild’, ‘Gouveia’, ‘Harders’, ‘Keitt’, ‘Momi K’, ‘Pope’, and ‘Rapoza’ varieties that are almost equal, of the over 60 varieties that grow in Hawaii. The key word here is “almost.” But give me a Mangifera indica Haden mango anytime.

I’ve noted over th...

WHILE most would, like one version goes, “put em’ in your pockets,” for whatever paw-paws are saved — I mean, really, maybe it’s just a children’s song — until I came across Bill Beatty and Jan Runyan’s “WV Nature” website, believe it or not, about Paw-Paws — https://wvbirder.wordpress.com/2019/10/22/pickin-up-pawpaws-put-em-in-my-pocket-by-jan-runyan/. Total coincidence, serendipity, simultaneity! One of those rare “ah-ha” moments when something hardly worth noticin...

THIS is a rather complex post compared to most. First, I don’t really think American love bitter food. But I do believe that COVID’s anosmia (loss of smell/taste) and pressure on grocery stores to “sell food” rather than provide outstanding food items; the commercial food industry’s use of pesticides, GMO’s and premature harvesting due to increasing concerns over transportation infrastructure breakdowns; and youth’s acclimatization to all this, that together they present a Perfe...

AH, perhaps you’re already wrestling with this title as a metaphor for writing or authorship? Nope. I am an author, but I mean the question quite literally. It’s a contemporary question up there with how come so many drivers ignore the speed limit on freeways, and how come things AI-digital increasingly seem to take more time and effort than human face-to-face? But I digress…

You must admit (if COVID hasn’t damaged your olfactory system) that many foods, but especially fruits, today ...