It is amazing to me that a post on mangoes (which I detest) should have so far garnered 195 views and 24 replies within just 5 days. Obviously, I'm not in the loop. I remember my husband coming home from a golf trip to Hawaii 30 or more years ago with a box full of mangoes gifted by the tour hosts. All went into my compost.
I used to detest mangoes, but then I had a very ripe one, which was entirely different. Now I like them. There are different kinds, too. I like them served as shown in the first photo at How to prepare and serve a mango | How to Cook | Delia Online, the side pieces scored and turned inside-out, eaten with a a fork and knife.
Okay, I'll give them another try. I do like mango chutney so there's hope. Who knows, maybe one day I'll have enough seeds to make a dress like this one: This stunning dress is made from 700 mango pips
What a great story! I applaud Jessica Collins for her idea, persistence, and undoubted hard work to achieve this result. She has drawn attention in a striking way to an important issue. "I've wanted to do nursing since I was about six … but if something comes up in the fashion industry I'd love to do that as well," she said. "In the future I'd love to see mango seeds used as a fibre like cotton, and just raise awareness in the community to show that there is waste and we can do something with it." She has also demonstrated an eye for artistic composition and fashion design. Wonder if she will find her calling in creating sustainable clothing? What talent she has! May she continue this good work, and may others be inspired by her example.
I believe that the dress was created to make a statement rather than serve as an example of a garment to be mass-produced. Agreed on the impracticality, both in weight and labor-intensive production. Mangoes in this form, no---but perhaps in future we may see Jessica and like-minded colleagues producing mango-derived cloth, similar to the ingenious ideas described here: Appreciation: - Biotextiles: Sustainable style.
I'm sure you're just being funny - when has any woman cared whether her ball gown was practical so long as she could dance in it? At least this one was designed to make people think about recycling and sustainability. The fact that it's also beautiful is a bonus.
I wonder if there would be sensitivity issues with that or if the urushiol would all be removed in the processing.
Good point, Wendy. Well, I'd say it would have to be, or the product would have a very short existence! The Poisoned Dress! Sounds like something from a Vincent Price movie, or the Spanish Inquisition. It is certainly an issue that would have to be addressed before any product development could occur. Think of the workers in the factory where the mangoes would be taken for processing! The mind boggles. One would think that the mango-farm packhouse where Jessica Collins worked must have procedures in place to circumvent allergic reactions. ???
Actually, reactions must not be all that common, or mangoes surely would not be so popular. They're widely planted in gardens in Honolulu. I've never been aware of any reaction when I've prepared them, though my preparation, as I mentioned, doesn't involve peeling. Ha-ha!!
At long last, the poisoned-garment reference that had been struggling to surface in my elderly brain has emerged! (Perfunctory applause, off.) Here it is---Hercules' nemesis, The Shirt of Nessus: Shirt of Nessus - Wikipedia
