Random tropical fruit confession

Recently, rambutan were in season here. (I think they're out of season again now. I only saw a few at the market today, and the ones I saw didn't look terribly fresh.) I was reminded a couple of weeks ago that I like them, so I bought a bunch last week.

This is what rambutan look like when you buy them.

Whole rambutan

And I think I may have read too many sci-fi and fantasy books in my life because they look to me like very small monsters that might go scuttling off at any moment. Or maybe like aliens who will be offended if I pick them up. Honestly EVERY time I go to eat one of these, I have a very quick moment where I have to remind myself that it's a fruit not an animal, and that it's definitely not going to bite me.

You eat rambutan by peeling off that crazy-looking skin. The fruit is white and sweet, and you just eat it off the pit in the center. They're pretty small, so it takes some work to get a real serving, but they're definitely among the tropical fruits I enjoy when their season comes around.

Peeled rambutan, ready to eat

Rambutan pits

There are some other tropical fruits that I find funny-looking (like durian) or ridiculously complicated to eat (like mangosteen). It makes me wonder what temperate fruits are weird to people who didn't grow up with them. None of them look like aliens to me, but perhaps I just don't see it! Peaches? Raspberries? Anybody know? :)

Durian, which is not actually one
of the tropical fruits I enjoy. It's
smelly and tastes odd.
Regardless, it's funny-looking.

Mangosteen-- Once you get through
the really thick skin, each of those
little sections has its own seed that
you have to eat around.
So yummy but a lot of work!

Butiki again

From June 1

This is a follow-up story to my April tropical moment. I came down to the kitchen this morning and was startled to discover THREE large-ish butiki lizards in my blender! The odd part is that the lid was on and latched, so I’m not sure how they got in there. I had used the blender recently, washed it, let it air-dry, and then put it away last night. The only thing I can think is that perhaps they got in while it was drying, and I just didn’t notice them when I was putting the blender away? That’s possible. I was tired and perhaps inattentive. At any rate, there they were. 

I took the lid off, hoping they would climb out. After I ignored the blender for a while, one was gone. Two butiki in the blender isn’t a lot better than three. I finally took the container off the base and tipped it on its side on the counter, and the other two disappeared soon after. Then I cleaned the whole thing thoroughly and rinsed it with hot water. Butiki are fine to have on the walls, but I think I prefer them to stay out of my appliances.

Coming home

This summer, we went back to Chicago for a month in order to attend the wedding of Seth’s sister. It was a fun time, full of family and friends. But by the end, as is the norm at the end of a trip, we were feeling ready to be home again.

Our travels were comparatively short this time around. We were only en route for about 18 hours. We actually landed in Manila over an hour early! Our plane was the first to arrive for the night schedule, so we breezed through immigration and customs. A friend picked us up from the airport, and right around midnight, we arrived back at our townhouse.

We hauled our suitcases inside and got organized with the necessities for the night. Being hungry, I found an apple in the fridge. We started getting ready for Kaitlyn’s bedtime routine. And as I wandered around our room, I realized just how good it felt to arrive and be home. We’ve been in the townhouse for a few months already, so we’re fully moved in. We’ve carved out our spaces and routines. This is where Kaitlyn has lived the longest in her (admittedly short) life. It was unbelievably comfortable, after a month in someone else’s home and an 18-hour travel day, to come back to our own place and settle right back in. I felt myself relaxing.

And then as I wandered out into the hallway, I saw the 3-inch cockroach crawling calmly up our wall… I had to laugh. But I knew right where to find the bug spray and a shoe, and the cockroach wasn’t on our wall for very long. Ah yes, this is definitely home!! And I’m glad to be back.