For the Love of Papaya

Just a simple post about a small thing I’ve come to appreciate most over the last few months of travelling through Asia: the humble fruits and veggies that sit at every market, and now grow on the trees outside our front door. There’s something so satisfying and soothing about slicing into a fresh, ripe papaya and scooping out all the delicious peppery seeds (which you can wash, dry and roast up to create your own crunchy peppercorns) before digging in with a spoon and munching up the juicy, sweet flesh.

We’ve been working a lot on reducing our waste, and it’s actually mad when you see how easy it is to reduce when you separate your recyclables and compost your food scraps. Three months in and we’re still on our first black bin, which is only bag half-full! Although people still burn their rubbish on street corners here, there is definitely more of a knowledge of the environment, as locals try to reduce the ‘sachet culture’ here (literally for one shower you could buy one sachet of shampoo, one conditioner, one soap, one body scrub and probably a sponge in a packet! And don’t forget the moisturiser…) Siargao also operates a no single-use plastics policy, meaning you’ll receive a drink with a papaya straw and be expected to turn up with your own bag. It would be great to see these ideals unrolling throughout the rest of the Philippines!

Anyway, back to the fruit: Fab’s got a particular love for the mangoes here (it is the mango capital of the world, or so we’re told!) Even at their most squishy and questionable, they are undoubtably the sweetest and most satisfying mango you’ll ever eat. A local delicacy is mango float: layers of graham crackers, fresh sliced mango and condensed cream whipped up with fresh cream. A tropical spin on a trifle, maybe, but with much more sugar involved! They have mango float ice cream, cornettos, little tubs you can buy to take away and enjoy at home… But here is Fab just sucking on a mango stone at home, where we tend to eat it whole or smothered in homemade yoghurt.

What’s something you’ve come to appreciate more over the last few months of simple living? I know this will have affected my attitude towards consumption massively! I’d love to hear if it’s the same for you, too.

Big love x