what's a jackfruit? you're about to find out...

In the last couple of years, Bermuda has evolved into a melting pot of guest workers. The island has seen an increase in ex pats from India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines & Africa, making Bermuda quite diverse. And everyone’s getting along fabulously, I might add. Some of the Filipino & Indian guest workers are employed in the hospitality industry while others are employed in various Accounting firms. Filipino Chefs are also employed at Marketplace (the local grocery store in town) & their presence is reflective of what’s on the shelves. I’d imagine they have a certain say in what they think the grocery store should indulge in when it comes to international foods & so exotic items from the Philippines & Thailand & the far East have become more prevalent.

Yesterday was a day of sorts, but the good kind. I stepped into the grocery store in town to get a few things & what I found just about pleased me to no end. Among the cans of Lychee, were also tins of Jackfruit. I was much too excited because I used to eat this when I was a kid, in India when they were in season. It’s been years since I’ve eaten some Jackfruit, so I didn’t hesitate to pick up a can. During our Dec ’05 India trip, I did not get to indulge in this fruit at our family's ancestral plantation for while it was on the tree, it was nowhere near grown to it's full size. But I did manage to take a picture to remind me of the younger days! Fast forward to now.

Looking at the can of Jackfruit (this one a product of Thailand), I was skeptical as it was tinned because the Chinese Jackfruit available in Toronto wasn’t as sweet & didn’t quite taste like the Indian Jackfruit. And that wasn’t even in a can. Well, the memories came flooding back as soon as I opened this can. The air was perfumed with the sweet smell of Jackfruit & as I turned around to show Hubby, he reached for the camera. Apparently the expression on my face was priceless. He said I looked like I was about to cry. Ok, maybe that’s true. But it tasted so good, even though the syrup it was in had a certain amount of sugar added. It still tasted just like I remember. Hubby also got his first taste. Yay! Jackfruit is now available in Bermuda. If you’ve never tasted this fruit, I definitely recommend trying it. For you island residents, it’s stacked on the shelf by the dairy products at the Marketplace in town. If you try it, come on back & let me know what you think.

Getting back to the increased diversity on the island, as I stepped out of the grocery store yesterday, a friendly Bermudian nods at me as I pass by & says ‘Namaste’ (Hello in Hindi). He even proceeded to join his hands Indian style as he said it. I laughed & stopped to chat with him, for I thought it very endearing. His willingness to learn & integrate different cultures is all too reflective of the changes taking place on this small island.