Eating mangoes...

…makes me miss Bangladesh. Those Bangladeshi mangoes, which were in season every summer monsoon, coming from the rural outskirts of Dhaka, became associated with pleasure and joy, and the memory of their flavor goes along with the feeling of happiness. They became the essential mangoes. Not every food has its benchmark to measure against in my imagination, but Bangladeshi mangoes are there, and so are Taiwanese pork buns from Taipei’s night markets, and so is mutton leg from Karachi’s “BBQ Tonight”, and New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc and of course an all time favorite my dad’s full roasted chicken. Flavors of such foods are not simply the taste, but rather the whole experiences. They bring memories of particular settings, people and moods. Certain flavors come to mean comfort, happiness or love. These essential flavors are simply irreplaceable.