I was delighted to find jackfruits in the local supermarket over here last year. I did not buy any because I was too intimidated. Though the fruit was cut into four large sections, it was still pretty huge. This time I was again delighted to find it. I kept debating whether to buy it. I even placed it in my shopping cart and took it around while I mulled over my decision. I realised that I did not have coconut oil at home. The idea of coconut oil and my question of buy or not to buy took me back… many, many years ago. The thing is the jackfruit is not any ordinary fruit for me. It is a fruit I love but the love is tied to the love of a whole lot of other things, memories of all of it. Memories of Mangalore, memories of some of the best times of childhood I have had in Mangalore, memories of my grandmother, her home, memories of her keeping the jackfruit ready for when we arrived from Mumbai, the ritual and ceremony of cutting the jackfruit, the anticipation of it, the drama of all of us big and small sitting in a circle to eat it… coconut oil would be poured in small steel bowls, we would all have to apply it lavishly to our palms… that would make sure that the jackfruit sap wouldn’t stick to our hands when we pulled out the flesh. Grandmom would cut the jackfruit and pass around portions for us to pull out of and drop into a large vessel. She would comment on how there was nothing falling into my vessel ;) It was a festival in a way, and like any festival, it would last many days. The fruits that were left were made into many dishes, some steamed, some fried. The seeds were put into curry, the thick wedges around the fruit in a pickle, nothing was wasted. The whole house would smell of the sweetness of jackfruit… I realised that I didn’t feel like buying the jackfruit in spite of how much I wanted it because the thought of chopping it and eating it all by myself seemed… rather drab.

A few days ago though I found slices of cut/cleaned jackfruit in a plastic container sold with other cut fruits in our campus canteen :) I got those because it would be like eating any readymade fruit. Later that evening I was passing by a big fruit shop by my place. A man was cutting jackfruit with gloves on. No coconut oil needed. Blew my mind in a way! Times have changed, the world has moved on in so many ways…

On a funnier note, a Chinese lady colleague remarked to me the other day that my 'sweater is very sexy’. I was a bit shocked. Had half a mind to ask if she meant it as a compliment… or? Then decided against it lest something got lost in translation… hehe!