Sometimes people ask me about our homeschool curriculum, and I tell them that we use such and such for math (Singapore Math, Beast Academy, Art of Problem Solving, Khan Academy, CTC Math...) and such and such for science (Mr. Q, Science Mom...) and then I about fall apart at social and language studies because the answer of, "Well, we kind of just do whatever suits our fancy..." doesn't entirely sit well with everyone.
That is to say, in 2020 we watched "Demons of the Punjab" and then fell into a unit on the history of India...as best we could. We watched things like Lagaan and Bride and Prejudice. We read The Night Diary. We read The History of India for Children. We read Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship: Stories from India—this particular collection of stories was very impactful for the children.
The main character frequently discussed his love for mango pickle and the kids were anxious to try it.
But...I dunno...it was the middle of COVID...so we weren't spending time looking for mango pickle, I guess. We were more concerned with acquiring, like, toilet paper and hand sanitizer and things like that.
I don't remember what research we did on mango pickle, all I know is that it was described in such a tantalizing way that the kids have been thinking about it for the past six years. They've brought it up regularly. We have never been able to satisfy their curiosity...until now.
We were at Carrefour, wandering down one aisle or another, when I spotted a jar of mango pickle.
Of course we had to get a jar!
The kids were so excited to try it...before being supremely disappointed.
Mango pickle is an acquired taste, it seems. It was strong and mouth-puckery and...no one had very much.
We were gasping for air after our sampling. I don't exactly know why—it's not particularly spicy or sour...but it is pungent.
We put it back in the fridge and I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Perhaps, I thought, we could offer it to some friends...
Lucky for us, we ended up having dinner with friends last night! We had aloo gobi, rice, and dal...with a jar of mango pickle.
"Is that mango pickle?!" I asked. "We read about it in a book years ago and the kids have wanted to try it ever since! We found some in the store here and tried it, but it was kind of like meeting your hero—we found that we didn't like it all! It was so strong! I think...we must be eating it wrong..."
Turns out we were!
(Probably should have done some more research before diving into the jar).
It's a condiment, not a staple—just a small portion mixed into a serving of rice will spice things up nicely. You don't typically just...eat it.
I think we were imagining something more like burong mangga, Filipino pickled mango, which can be eaten like a traditional Western-style pickle.
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