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During my growing up years in Mangalore almost every household that grew its own veggies on a small patch of land, usually a backyard garden, used to grow pineapples among other basic vegetables and fruits. It was nice to enjoy seasonal harvest throughout the year because apart from the fact that it was free, it was also organic. Although we didn't grown pineapples in our yard we did enjoy some fruit that was grown in our neighbour's yard which they occasionally shared with us. Honestly, I didn't care much for free goodies then, I never valued them until I left Mangalore and have had to purchase everything.
Having grown up in a neighbourhood that had a good mix of cultures I have had the good fortune of tasting food from every community in Mangalore. We had Havyaka Brahmins who lived in the next compound, where I spent many a joyous hours of my childhood playing with the kids there. Amma as we called their mother reared cows so that the milk could be sold - a way to make two ends meet. Whenever I visited their house (which was daily, after school) I kept myself busy in the verandah or within the compound, playing endless games of digging the ground, making mud cakes and castles, chasing butterflies and playing with their crazy, ferocious mongrel, Tiger.
