FOREIGN GUESTS AND A LOCAL PAWPAW

 It occurred to me, Dear Reader,  that I haven't  told you about the guests from the Netherlands.  And, hmmm, there was the pawpaw.

First things first.  A few years ago, the Yard Man and I hosted two young men from the Netherlands.  They were real Dutchmen.  They wore  big wooden shoes!

Last week one of these two came to visit, and he brought his parents along.  Now, Jelmer's parents have children scattered around the globe  (Jelmer [say it, Yelmer] himself is working on an organic farm in New York) and they've traveled to many spots around the world.  The Yard Man and I knew we had nothing world-famous to show these guests.  So we took them to Central Market--locally famous!  It is, after all, the oldest continually operating farmer's market in the USA.

Happily for us, it was a pristine day.  We shopped the market for lunch goodies, and then took our edibles to Steinmen Park to eat them.  

I wasn't the only one taking pictures!  Even though this tiny park holds no titles, Chikka and Shimon (ah, Reader Dear, the names are strictly my best phonetic translation!) seemed as pleased with our visit there as were the Yard Man and I.

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For dinner, we visited El Serrano, a local Peruvian restaurant.  Because Jelmer has lived in Peru, he could explain many foods on the menu.  In addition, he speaks five languages fluently; our Dutch friend could carry on a conversation with a Cuban employee at this Peruvian eating place.  The Cuban employee could give us an underground tour of the wine cellar, stocked with wines from around the world.  It was a delightful international evening for The Yard Man and myself!

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And the pawpaw? 

"It's a local delicacy!" explained the woman who sold me one of these fruits during the visit to Central Market.  "They only grow HERE," she said.  Whether this is a true statement,  and how big of an area can be defined as 'here' is your guess as well as mine, Dear Reader!  Our Dutch friends were curious about this delicacy, too, and purchased a  couple of them. 

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I had to let the pawpaw ripen for a few days.  Jelmer and Chikka and Shimon had left by the time I deemed it ready to cut open and consume.  And, when I did-- Oooo-la-la!  I kissed my fingertips!  It was creamy and delicious, with the texture of an avocado, and the taste of a banana married to a kiwi. I scraped out every last smidgeon of the flesh, ate it,  and smacked my lips!  It's already famous in my psyche.  I can only believe that after our friends from the Netherlands tasted this fruit, it catapulted to international acclaim!*

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 * world famous!