Mango Time
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This is big! Alfonso mangoes from India, arguably the world’s best, are now available in the US. 
No more stringy, dental floss requiring Latin American stuff that we get here normally. The USDA has approved the import of irradiated mangoes from India and the first shipment arrived this week. The typically finicky government agency had banned the import of Indian mangoes (hence the nasty questions directed at you by customs officials if you bring in any fruit from the motherland) because of the the mango seed weevil that is not found in North America. The irradiation that kills these pests occurs at a facility outside of Mumbai and is approved for import into the US. It remains to be seen if our neighborhood grocery store would carry these prized mangoes but one can hope.
[Source: The New York Times]
The mango export is being allowed on some trade quid pro quo with Harley Davidson motorcycles imports into India. They were earlier not allowed as they do not meet Indian emission regulations… if you eat our wormy mangoes, we will ride your smoky bikes.
I finally got around to buying these at a local Indian store and boy, are they tasty! Memories came flooding back. The damn things are costly though at $3.50 per mango.
Is the ban only on Alfonso mangoes from India? What about second generation Indian Alfonso mangoes from elsewhere? Are they subjected to the same strict customs rules? Ching ching, I see an opportunity here!