Right as my sister and I arrived this time, we were thrilled to discover that even though it's just getting into hot season, the relentless heat is balanced out by the fact that it's also mango season. If you've never had Asian mangoes - Thai or Philippine, or Indian - you've never had read mangoes. They are really, really, REALLY good. I've been eating them pretty much whenever I get the chance. I've already mentioned my favorite Thai dessert of mangoes with sticky rice and coconut milk: also known as pure delight. They also sell mango yogurt in supermarkets here, and you can tell it's real fresh mango chunks in there, which therefore means it's a favorite.
Another fruit that's been a revelation for me on this trip is passionfruit. I think it's just coming into season right now, too, which explains why I hadn't had the chance to eat it on previous trips. I've had passionfruit-flavored fruit drinks before, but always with other flavors mixed in, so I never knew what it tasted like on its own. It. Is. Heaven. Seriously. Tangy, sweet, a little bit sour - really, I almost want to start using the ridiculously overblown language wine tasters use to describe its flavor. I don't know if you can get it in the States at all. If you can, I bet it's really expensive and not very fresh. But it would still probably be worth a try. I found some passionfruit jam in a supermarket the other day, and let me tell you: passionfruit jam + peanut butter in a sandwich? Joy.
There are many other delicious, unusual fruits here, too: starfruit, rambutan, lychee, dragonfruit, etc. But mango and passionfruit are definitely my favorite at this point.
