Something About Papayas

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         Something About Papayas

      When Captain Bligh set sail on his ill-fated voyage on the ship "Bounty", he was part of a long tradition. His orders were to bring the plant known as breadfruit to the West Indies. It was seen as a cheap food to feed slaves. We all recall the mutiny, and that the plants were thrown overboard. The second try was successful, but the slaves would not eat it. It was not their native food.
      But, sometimes transplants really do take hold, and are accepted by the locals. Papaya is one of these. Papayas were brought here from Barbados in 1919. All that I know about papayas I learned from a most excellent article written by Lorraine Brooks, in our local paper. (See Monday 8/5/13 Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
Papayas are a short-lived perennial. And in our house, very short lived, as we consume one every breakfast.
     Whichever one of us gets there first, washes the papaya, and cuts it in half. Inside the are a large number of seeds which must be scooped out. I take a slice off of the bottom of each half. This causes the half to remain upright on a plate or in a dish. Tonto then fills each cavity with plain yogurt, and tops it off with blueberries. The blueberries come from California, Oregon, or Chile. She says that these are powerful anti-oxidants. I will probably never meet an oxidant because of this.
Papayas here cost from as little as 39 cents a pound in Chinatown, and as much as $1.79 a pound in the local store. The average seems to be abut a dollar a pound or so. We try to keep a supply on hand so that they become ripe when we want them.
      It may be surprising to you that many of the plants grown here anadmired,came from somewhere else.
                Aloha
                Grant