Mangoes - Do not Squeeze.

This was taken at the Bugis market in Singapore. One of the things my dad is very keen on is taking me to the market place and showing me how to recognize good products from bad. We used to get up fairly early and he'd drive patiently over to the Madiwala market in Bangalore. He enjoys fresh produce, you can see his eyes light up as he walks through the stalls and he takes his time inspecting the goods carefully. I can see that he relates to the person on the other side, having been brought up in a farming family. He has taught me a few tricks that he has up his sleeves to identify goods that are fresh and ripe. You do so by touching, smelling and feeling the produce.

This is a very common thing to do in India and I've seen it done in most market places across the world. These fresh mangoes at Bugis market however, had a board that said "Pls Do Not Touch, Once PRESSED considered SOLD!" And all I wanted to do was pick one up smell them, squeeze them and then purchase them. They were so beautiful, and were screaming to be bought and devoured. So, I did buy one, took it home, chopped it up and ate with yogurt, it was delicious.