Bananas

We have always enjoyed bananas, but it has been very nice to walk down the street and see entire stalks of bananas for sale.

There are long yellow, long green and short yellow bananas. I liked them all, and all were quite a bit sweeter and with firmer flesh than the bananas we can get back home. I think it is a characteristic of these new varieties, and that this fruit has been picked tree ripened.

It was nice to enjoy a new set of flavors and tastes from an old friend: the banana.

Pray with us for a spark.

The King of Fruit

Last evening we passed a night market with an impressive display of durian. They had some already out of the shell in a plastic wrap tray, and we got one of these.

I found it was a mild one, with minimal oder. It was soft and quite tolerable.

From this specimen, its reputation seems overblown.

Would I go so far to say that I like it? Well it may take a few more meetings with the fruit to decide on that.

Pray with us for a spark.

Asian Plum

I welcomed a new fruit friend into my life today. On our first day in Myanmar, I was served an Asian Plum.

It has flesh texture like a pear, but there is a seed pit in the center.

Other than the texture difference, it tastes a lot like a plum from back home.

Pray with us for a spark!

Longin or Mein

Welcome to a small but special fruit, the Longin. In Cambodia, they call it Mein. In this first image notice the small balls in the pink bowl.

It has a leathery covering, that is best opened around the equator of the fruit. Inside is a glistening thick jelly covering around its large seed that is not eaten.

We would pop the inside in our mouths and then spit out the seed. The jelly is much like a grape taste, but as you would guess, it has its own flavor. It is sweet, and takes some work to get much volume, so it kind of had the feel of a dessert past time at the end of a meal. It takes time to open each one so it is kind of like opening hard nuts after a meal in America.

Please pray with us for the Sprit of God to ignite a spark in this land.

Talk about Sour

Ok, I talk abut the sweet fruits here jn Asia, but let's balance this out a bit. There is a fruit that grows in a bushy tree that looks like a star in cross section. It is called a Star Fruit, but this may just be by looks, and I am sure it has a fancier Thai name.

Our host plucked one from a tree and brought it inside for a taste. Here you can see the slices.

I don't know if this is used in cooking, but wow is it sour. I don't mean astringent, just a super sour. They brought a saucer and filed it with brown sugar, and these little slices were coated on both sides and eaten.

It is hard to describe the sweet sour pendulum this takes your taste buds through. Perhaps it is the pulsating wave of sensations that drive the locals to eat it ;)

Pray with us for a spark.

Combine an Apple, Pear and Date

I have met so many new fruit and food friends, and I have been at a loss to how to describe them. Let's talk about a special dessert fruit, the Jompoo (Rose Apple) .

On the outside it looks and feels most like an apple. But that is where the apple comparison ends.

Inside its looks and texture are most like a pear.

But the taste is a very sweet pear- like a date mixed with pear. The very center where the seeds are is hard like an apple's core.

I don't think I have ever had something like this fruit before. It is sweet enough to feel more like a dessert than a fruit for the mixing with other foods in the beginning of a meal.

Pray with us for a spark.

Mango

First a confession- mangoes in America have never been a favorite fruit of mine. This introduction is to tell you that things are different here. Mango is a wonderful fruit.

Mango is yellow here, and papaya is orange. Delicious!

As it enters your mouth, you feel a soft sweetness that feels like the fruit is melting in your mouth. It seems a lot like butter, but sweet and wholesome.

There is not a single fiber in the flesh of the fruit. It has a goodness and full flavor that is not over powering, but compelling. It draws you to have another bite, and so the introduction goes till you feel like a life long friend. I have to apologize for the strained relationship I had with mangoes in the past.

Pray with us for a spark.

Rambutan

How about a bad hair day fruit? Let me introduce the Rambutan.

The closest thing I can compare it to is a plant version of a sea urchin, but the short bristle projections are not stiff or sharp.

You open the leathery outer shell and inside there is a jelly like interior, that looks a lot like a skinned grape. The difference here from a grape is that there is a single large seed, that you have to remove the jelly from.

The taste is sweet with a drawing flavor. I really am at a loss on how to adequately describe some of these new foods. It is fascinating how much variety is available, of which we know little about. 

I think the tree of life with its 12 fruits will be grand to explore. Perhaps in heaven I will have better descriptive words -- but then again we could just all enjoy it together. We wish you could be here with us now and experience these things with us.

May our lives be relished by others in Jesus.

Pray with us for a spark.

Milk Fruit

A new fruit friend, with a soft purple hue and a gentle sweetness is the milk fruit.

The outside looks kind of like an apple.

There are interior seeds that are easy to separate from the soft sweet flesh. The rind is not eaten.

I wish I had some to share with you!

May the people of Cambodia learn the milk of the Word, and be drawn to the sweetness of Jesus similar as I am drawn to this fruit.

Pray with us for a spark.

Green Coconut

I have met a new friend in the food category. I would like to introduce the green coconut. I have heard this fruit can be deadly, due to the potential of it falling from a great height and hitting you on the head.

We stopped by a road side food stand, and were treated to a fresh green coconut. With a large cleaver, the shop owner hacked four slices to make a window into the green coconut. The green varieties have a very thick outer fibrous layer, a thin dark brown shell layer, and inside this a soft white flesh layer. Inside the hollow of the coconut is a clear thin sweet water drink accessed by straw.

When the liquid is gone then the stand owner cleaves the coconut in half and you spoon out the soft white flesh. It has the consistency of soft tofu. The flesh is mild sweet and tasty.

Green coconut is a nice refreshment anytime, but it was especially welcome after walking in the heat of the day.

May our lives be refreshing to others with whom we connect.

Pray with is for a spark.

The Gentle Dragon

I have a most pleasant fruit I would like to introduce. Meet the Gentle Dragon.

It's name is Dragon Fruit, but all of us agreed that this name sounded too firey or spicy. Actually It has a very soft and gentle flavor. It is not strongly flavored, and is mildly sweet. It was served this evening as a part of the dessert fruit plate, and each person had a slice.

The other fruit in the third image below are pineapple and watermelon.

You do not eat the reddish purple rind of the dragon fruit. The inside is white soft flesh with no fibers or texture. Suspended in the fruit flesh are small black seeds that are also soft and not a problem to eat. No need to pick them out which is good since there are thousands of them.

This fruit is a very nice part of a dessert fruit platter. A wonderful new friend of the fruit family!

I have heard there are variations of this fruit in that you can find varieties where the white flesh is reddish or other colors. I will have to continue my exploration of this new friend. Below is a picture of the Dragon Fruit plant, which is a cactus relative.

We are in Cambodia today, and I must say I really enjoy this country. Bangkok, Thailand was a very large and noisy city. Siem Reap is a smaller more rural area. I love it!

Our missionary team splits into four groups today each with a translator to go preach and meet with local village churches. I pray our care will show through as we do not come with a new Gospel or grand words or new wisdom. We come with the simple truth that Jesus came to this earth to give us life. He came to live in us to make us more like Him. He came to save us.

Pray with us for a spark!