Mango Diplomacy

Today I am going to talk about mangoes. But first, a quote from Winston Churchill, one of my favorite politicians of all time, and a man after my own heart: "What is the use of living," he asked, "if it be not to strive for nobler causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?" Those are very wise words from a pugnacious and perceptive leader.

“The United States is looking forward to eating Indian mangoes as part of liberalising trades and opening markets.”
– President Bush, in India, last Thursday.

Yes, this is a real quote. Apparently, the US imports 29% of the world's entire mango crop. I, for one, will not be eating mangoes, or any other kind of mangoes either, but not because I have anything against the people of India. Rather I have something against mangoes. That, however, is only because mangoes have something against me. That is a subject for later, though.

A lot of people like mangoes. The neareast Wally World (aka Wal-Mart) to my home is in a (formerly) rural area of Hillsborough County known as Mango. One of my friends had a (now deceased) lovebird named Mango. I am sure that many of my readers enjoy mango sherbert or mangoes in fruit salad and so forth. However, I can have no part in any sort of mango diplomacy.

The reason for this is that I (like one of my aunts) am seriously allergic to mango. My first experience with mangoes came when I visited Trinidad during the fall of 1990, when I was 9. During my time there for the Feast of Tabernacles, my family got the chance to visit a research farm in the mountains near the northern coast of the island of Trinidad. Included in this research farm was, lamentably, a mango grove. Needless to say, I was not particularly amused by the allergic reaction I received (hives, in this case) upon entering grove, without even touching any of the trees or fruit. Needless to say, I am one to remember when I have serious reactions to something.

It was to be quite a few years before I had any more run ins with that foul fruit. When visiting Pennsylvania during the Spring of 2004 (one of the last times, actually, that I saw my father alive) during a break in my religious studies (at Ambassador Bible Center) in the town of Milford, Ohio, my grandmother made a fruit salad that included mango. Needless to say, I was somewhat less than pleased with the outcome, which included an elevated heart rate, a migraine headache, skin crawling, numbness in the limbs, nausea, and other unpleasant reactions. After the incident I determined to do some research about the problem.

The reasearch I found was rather interesting. It turns out that my allergies to poison ivy and mango are related, because the same antigen is present in each. From all appearances, my first exposure to mango was through pollen, rather than through fruit, and this prevented tolerance from occurring. Before ever tasting mango, though, I had a very severe (nearly fatal) reaction to poison ivy, which made my face swell to such an extent that my eyes were nearly swollen shut. Needless to say, I try to avoid any further contact with poison ivy. Apparently, mango allergies are most common in those individuals who have atopic syndromes, most notably hay fever (yup, got that) and eczema. It is apparently related to an autoimmune problem where the body is hypersensitive to certain chemicals. Go figure.

It turns out that these conditions are often aggrevated by allergens and irritants, including perfume (check), laundry detergent (check), cigarette smoke (check), besides the allergies listed. Apparently, the allergic state is also increased by depression and high amounts of stress. At any rate, it is clear that I will be participating in any sort of mango diplomacy anytime soon. It remains to be seen whether the lifting of the embargo on Indian mangoes (apparently, India grows 41% of the world's mango crop, and there is some rivalry between India and Pakistan as to whose mangoes are better) will be noticed by those among my reading audience who enjoy the fruit. As for me, though, give me my strawberries and oranges, and leave me be. You can have the mangoes all for yourselves.