Mango margaritas, mango salsa, mango Key lime pie, mango facial masque ...
To Miami Herald staff writer and editor Connie Ogle, it’s all one big barrel of “blech.”
“They’re messy,” Ogle says. “You eat them with your whole face.”
To say nothing of that stringy, ropy texture. And the taste? WAY too sweet to be delicious.
Ogle is a self-proclaimed mango hater. And things get tough for her around mango season when, she claims, the “pro-mango propagandists” are out in force.
“A lot of people suggest things that I should try,” says Ogle. “Drinks, foods . . .”
And co-workers leave them on her desk, much to her chagrin.
This aversion to what many South Floridians regard as “the king of tropical fruit” began in Ogle’s childhood in Fort Lauderdale, when her parents would make her pick up the rotten mangoes that dropped from the backyard tree.
“If you’ve ever stepped on a rotten mango barefoot, you'd NEVER want to eat one,” says Ogle.
Last summer, Ogle’s Miami.com post titled “Five Reasons Why Mangoes Are the Worst,” provoked strong emotions from both sides. Some people wanted to know what was “wrong” with her; others, like one man who wrote in from North Carolina, took her part and said he wouldn’t visit Miami again until every mango tree was burned to the ground.
This summer, Ogle’s anti-mango sentiment makes a reprise with the Miami Herald’s “A Hater’s Guide to Mango Season.”
Ogle just found out she has a powerful ally; Miami Herald columnist and humorist Dave Barry, who also loathes mangoes.
“We have a coalition of two,” says Ogle. “Should anyone want to join us, they’re more than welcome to.”
Update: Since Connie Ogle first told us she couldn't think of a single thing she likes about mangoes, she has discovered a few cocktails she actually called "delicious." You can find out how that happened here.
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In the video below, Miami Herald staffers sample some mango-based food and drink. (Connie Ogle is conspicuous with her "frown face" sign.)
