Honolulu Mango Jam – Where’s the Mangos?

Juicy sweet flesh running in streams to your elbows, smeared across cheeks as you suck the seed dry and pull tangy strands from between your teeth… Mango is to the islands what watermelon on a hot day is for mainlanders, an icon of summer. It’s just not possible to ever have enough of this seasonal delight. As we walked from our apartment flat to the annual Honolulu Mango Jam in the heart of the city we had high hopes for drowning ourselves in a mango tasting frenzy however, we found that the crown jewel of island fruits the festival is named for, to be sadly lacking…

Entertainment – they got it from start to finish, hawaiian music, hula, fire knife dancers, beauty queens, cultural demonstrations, you name it.  Arts – they’ve got plenty of that too, clothing, jewelry, carving, black pearls galore.  Mangos – not a single one…  One 6′ table dedicated to a few baked goods and chutney was dedicated to the celebrated fruit.

Yes, there were mango ‘inspired’ foods, yet I stood in line for an hour only to be informed that they were all out of my top 2 choices – a great disappointment.  What I got was tasty but overcooked.  This was after I stood in another line for 20 minutes to try BBQ but left that line upon seeing that all the meat was literally black from the grill… turn down the heat guys!  I suppose it’s the downside of trying to turn out food fast and in bulk. However, to pay over $10 a plate and stand in line for so long to eat burnt overcooked food (with no mangos) difficult to swallow.  (Perhaps adding more vendor options could help ease the strain on the chefs and the patrons.)

Desserts – the fresh fruit dessert plates had strawberries, bananas, chocolate, but no mango. Shave ice, popsicles, bubble teas, ice-cream – all had a mango option just like they do every other day at every other event on the island.

I was really hoping to try a mango beer in the Mango Lounge but had to settle between standard wine & beer choices. There were some mango inspired cocktails but again like the dessert selections, they were all options you can request from your local bartender.

Overall, the Mango Jam is a fun family friendly event. Being that this was only the second annual celebration let’s hope that they will continue to add more mango to their jam. For now, if you’re looking for mangos you’ll be better off knocking on your neighbor’s door or pulling over on the road to pick up homemade goods from an auntie & uncle making use of their seasonal surplus.

Caspi media Photo by Ronen Zilberman

by Honolulu Vibes