Mango

A new Mexican restaurant opened in December in Harper's Choice Village Center. Named for Emiliano Zapata, a poor farmer who helped lead the Mexican revolution in 1911 and fought until his death for the political and economic emancipation of Mexico's peasantry, the restaurant's cuisine and decor are meant to evoke the populist spirit of Zapata. "Zapata means a lot to me," said Cesar Flores, owner and manager of the restaurant. "He was the son of a farmer who grew up to be a famous leader of the revolution.

Jason King, on 'Texada Timewarp': Superbly perfumed flowery aroma and flavor ... very nice, cerebral ... King's take on 'Sweet Skunk': Quite complex -- pungent on the inhale, super sweet on the exhale ... Like an overripe mango ... thick skunky tones ... intense yet manageable. And 'Princess Bob'? King gives it a definite thumbs up: Velvety flavor ... exactly like those little blue marshmallows in Boo Berry cereal ... blooms and mounts in a sublime crescendo, then lingers for an eternity ... Powerful and psychedelic, it gave me light hallucinations and an inability to stop laughing.

THIS IS what I get for breaking a New Year's resolution four days into the new year - the loss of 40 bucks, feelings of stupidity and guilt, rage against the machines and utter disappointment in my fellow man. Pretty good, huh? A four-in-one deal. Who could ask for more? Look, I don't feel sorry for myself. Things like this happen. Sometimes you're out there, roaming city and suburb like everyone else, and, in a matter of minutes, you become the naked star of your own reality TV show.

It takes chutzpah to add another Indian restaurant to the already crowded Mount Vernon scene, and it takes more chutzpah still to open the restaurant in a cavernous three-room space that can look painfully empty even when more than a dozen diners are present. But I predict that Kumari, which opened in July, will succeed in a location where many other restaurants have failed. For one thing, the restaurant is the only one in the area to serve Nepalese as well as Indian food. And for another, the service is as charming as humanly possible.

In Thailand, boats ply canals to bring sticky rice and pad Thai to the hungry masses. In Baltimore, the masses must take themselves down concrete rivers such as Ritchie Highway to find good Thai food. Squeezed in one of the approximately 42,000 strip malls that line Ritchie Highway between Baltimore and Annapolis, Bangkok Oriental in Pasadena has earned a deserved reputation as one of the area's best Thai restaurants. The small carryout's waiting area features a wicker chair and a couch, many elephants of various sizes, and models of those floating markets still operating in Thailand.

Don't put away your grill just yet. There are still plenty of tasty recipes to try, such as this easy fruit kebab from the California Table Grape Commission. Soak 8 bamboo skewers in water. Prepare grill or broiler. Then skewer 1 cup of green seedless grapes, 1 cup of mango pieces, 1 cup of black seedless grapes and 1 cup of strawberries cut in half. Alternate grapes with mangos and strawberries on the skewers. Prepare a glaze by mixing 1/2 cup honey, 1 tablespoon orange zest, 1/4 cup orange juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Cold and creamy, a lassi is a perfect treat for a summer day, especially when it's flavored with fresh, ripe fruit. Lassis, as fans of Indian food will know, are similar to milkshakes, except they're made with yogurt rather than ice cream. And like a good milkshake, a lassi is versatile enough to carry a wide variety of flavors. If you're like me, you tasted your first lassi in an adventurous moment at an Indian restaurant. Chances are the flavor was mango, which is always a good choice but especially now when fresh mangoes are abundant.

NEW DELHI, India - The verses of Sanskrit literature and the memoirs of kings are full of odes to it. Legend has it that the Portuguese once fought a war over it. Eat one in summer and you will understand. The Alphonso, or King, is the sweetest, coolest, tangiest mango you'll ever find. At the season's start in April, Indians clamoring for their share of this fabled fruit can push the price of Alphonsos up to $30 a dozen. For many, that's a week's wage. But this year, a national transportation strike and reduced exports to the troubled Middle East, where there's usually a huge demand for Alphonsos, has dropped prices to as low as $4 a dozen.

If you find yourself craving mangoes this year, or if Asian flavors start informing your every move in the kitchen, don't be surprised. Those are just two of the trends spotted at the 45th National Chicken Cooking Contest held recently in Baltimore. If the contest recipes are any indicator of what America will be cooking at home, you'll also be using more convenience foods to whip up easy dishes for family dinners and, of course, devouring tons of chicken. It's not just the contest that places chicken at the center of the plate.

I've got a bad reaction on my hand between my thumb and forefinger that I think resulted from pulling an unknown weed. It isn't responding to my usual treatment, a concoction of tea tree oil, witch hazel and rose-water. This is a crusty, itchy rash, like a severe case of mango poisoning I had several years ago. When I fed my little dog mango, he loved it and gave me kisses on the side of my face. The resulting horrible rash kept me in my apartment for a week. Now I don't get within 5 feet of a mango, so that's not the problem.