Teach English as a Foreign Language: Tropical Fruits Galore

Tropical Fruits Galore
Markets in Colombia abound with ripe, fresh tropical fruits in myriads of colors and flavors like the grapefruit-sized Borojo which is said to have aphrodisiac properties in its chocolate brown, thick, creamy pulp. Most often it’s blended with milk for a creamy, flavorful drink. Chontaduro, (pictured here with green mangoes) the plum-sized bright red and yellow fruit of a palm tree, is sold on street corners everywhere in Cali, Colombia’s second largest city, as a high-calorie snack eaten with salt or covered with honey. Okay, so it’s really high in cholesterol, but who thinks about that as they’re wolfing them down? The Carambolo, also called star fruit for its five pointed shape, has a haunting, light, bittersweet flavor you’ll find refreshing due to its ultra-high water content.

Try a Guama
Why not try a two-and-a-half foot long Guama? It’s reminiscent of a giant string bean, with a cottony, sweet pulp and thumb-sized, shiny black seeds. There's the dusty-looking Zapote with its burnt orange colored pulp that permanently stains all it touches, Granadilla, and Maracuya, which you might already know as Passion Fruit. The Curuba is another that should make your must-try list along with the pink-fleshed Guayaba with pinhead-sized seeds so hard that even a hammer won’t break them open. The bright orange and green Lulo (pronounced Lou – low), with its tart greenish pulp, makes a juice not unlike strong lemonade – but better. Don’t worry; you’ll add plenty of sugar – unless you want the hair taken off your chest – from the inside. All these and more are available to pack your pantry along with a bevy of over-sized vegetables. Haven’t sampled these yet? Let me tell you, they’re ALL delicious!

Just you wait and see.

Papayas the Size of Watermelons
The year-long growing season allows papayas to attain nearly the size of watermelons, carrots as big around as your wrist, mangoes weighing more than a pound each and coconuts containing up to three glasses of “water.” Orange juice bursting with flavor is always fresh-squeezed here as practically all other fruit and vegetable juices are.

“Are you SURE you didn’t add sugar to this?” I asked after a long “pull” on an orange juice.

“Nope. You don’t have to.” My friend replied.

“Why - don’t you think it’s more than sweet enough?”

I sure did.

When You're Teaching English Abroad
When you’re abroad, teaching English as a foreign language, make sure to avail yourself of the tastes, flavors and array of local fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood and other specialty dishes of the region you’ll be living and working in. If you’re already living and teaching English abroad and you aren’t doing this then get to it - pronto. Chances are, you’ll be glad you did.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 90 countries. Get your FREE E-books,"If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.