Liberia is fruit heaven. The country is full of coconut trees that are heavy with coconuts that nobody seem interested in. Mango trees line the streets, and I've been tortured by the sight of slow-growing green mangos. Patience, I kept on telling myself. Well, it didn't pay off. Now that the mangos are finally rippening, I'm about to leave!
The fruits here are certainly no lookers. The grapefruits, for example, are green with ugly, black scars, and most are not even round. Once open, however, they reveal a sweet juicy inside that contradicts their exterior. And don't wait for the bananas here to turn yellow--they will ripen and rot away in their deceiving green skin.And every now and then I'd find some strange unidentifiable fruits. "What's that?" I asked. The kids said, "Apple." I stared at them and sought clarification. "Apple? But the apples I know look totally different!" Then the kids added, "These are monkey apples." I tried a piece. Apples they surely are not. These fruits should be sued for false advertisement. They're sweet, but give off no juice or flesh. I felt like a sucker, because sucking was the only thing I could do with the fruit.
Well, I felt like a sucker again today. I bought four of these little fruits. The street vendor assured me that they're sweet. I later realized I asked the wrong question. I should've asked if they're meaty. Just like monkey apples, these are for sucking only. I didn't bother to ask for its name.
