29.11.07

It is being a fruit week

In all this time of living out of India (you have figured this out, haven't you?), one hasn't eaten one sweet lime.

Heck, one hasn't seen one sweet lime.

Not in markets, not in supermarkets, not in the desi shops, not in any exotic deli, not even in the form of juice cartons.

And yes, it's not indigenous to these climes (such a pretty word that - automatically gets associated with chimes...hmm, do climes chime?), but considering you can get pomegranate juice made from fruit grown in Kolhapur, you'd have thought some chain would have spotted the gap in the market, and capitalised on it. One can't even remember seeing it at Harrods...although one may be mistaken there - surely Harrods would stock it no?

And the worst part? This fact has just registered. And one used to thrive on mosambi juice.

Huh. Talk about out of sight...

So - when was the last time you ate one (when not in India)? Leave comments unowhere, one is off to sing "Naarangi, mosambi, kuch bhi pilaa..."

17 comments:

Mo said...

Never.
For the longest time, I had no idea what Mosambi was called in English.

Anonymous said...

nope. not ever. and what IS mausambi called in englisss?

Anonymous said...

Dear ??!,

I arrived at the same conclusion within a week of moving out of India. I asked a waiter in a Desi restaurant if they had Mosambi Juice. He gave me a blank stare. It really is very strange, considering Oranges and Sweet Limes require almost identical conditions to grow. I planned to smuggle Mosambi seeds out of India, but nothing came of that.

Regards,

Puppy M

"Cuts like a knife" - Bryan Adams

??! said...

mo/scout:
really? how strange.

scout:
umm...Sweet lime? or sweet lemon?

puppy m:
yes exactly. you'd think someplace like California or Florida would be bursting with the stuff. Pity about the seeds.

Anonymous said...

oh. i'm way off here, as usual. the other day i kept insisting i wanted broccoli when i really wanted asparagus. the supermarket dude wasn't very pleased. kept scratching his head before i fumed and went to the chocolates section.

??! said...

hahahahaha. you must hire someone to follow you round and take photos of moments like this.

That Armchair Philosopher said...

okay, freaky. but. I have them growing like weeds in my backyard. So california CAN in fact support them.

Post and photos from a while ago -
http://carpejugulism.blogspot.com/2006/12/can-i-cook-looks-like-i-can.html

Really. maybe the only reason they're not available commercially is because .. they just don't feel right without that tangy masala you've always had it with? It most definitely isn't lack of produce! :)

@scout - bwahahahaha. Reminds me that book, chocolate and zucchini. I keep seeing chocolate-zucchini bread in stores, but I've never had the guts to try it.

Renovatio said...

Sweet Lime. I sometimes park my car inside Max hospital in Saket just to go to their health food place and have their amazing sweet lime juice. There's also this adorable receptionist with these really big eyes, but she's only their on some days. That and the big smile she flashes me across the Max lobby has nothing to do with me going there, honest, it's just the juice.

on_trial said...

Why is it called a sweet 'lime' anyway? Looks more like an orange to me...

Anonymous said...

Well, grapefruits don't look like grapes either.

That Armchair Philosopher said...

@on_trial - actually, I'd say it looks more like a green lime than an orange, which is typically well, orange in color..

Pri said...

they dont exist in the amreeka. it's very sad.

i always associate mosambis with visiting people in the hospital.

ooh ooh best mosambi juice BOWRING JUICE STALL in bangalore.

on_trial said...

It's not just about colour, is it? Or why not call it an orange lime, since they all are the same type anyway (I hope)??

That Armchair Philosopher said...

@pri - of course they exist!

@on_trial - heck, that was just a theory :) but personally, i'd find an "orange lime" to be more contradictory to "sweet lime"!

Renovatio said...

Sweet limes tend to be greener...

??! said...

oh for crying out loud.

Mosambi aka sweet lime in India, because we mostly only get limes in the country, not lemons.

It is known as sweet lemon in countries where you get lemons.

And OT, how does it look anything like a lime? It does like a Navel orange though.

Please see more here

??! said...

TAP:
oh yay for your trees. is strange though isn't it, the widespread lack of them?