I received another reminder that winter is almost here, when I went shopping today in the Naryn produce bazaar. I found my first pineapple of the season--traveled here all the way from Costa Rica. It is a nice counterbalance to the unrelenting Kyrgyz ice and snow to realize that the ripening of tropical fruit in nearby warmer venues coincides with the approach of winter here. Also found my first fresh mandarin oranges in many months. How strange it is that winter marks the advent of tropical fruit salads in this mountain land. Looking forward to the time in a couple months, when avocados start arriving in Bishkek and winter guacamole season begins as well.
One other purchase made today: what will probably be the last bunch of fresh leaf lettuce I will be able to buy in Naryn for about the equivalent of one human gestation period. June will be next time this delicate luxury, taken for granted by every shopper in America, will land in my dinner bowl. Rugged salads of raw red cabbage and cauliflower will now be what I must consume.
If nothing else, while living in the Kyrgyz mountains, one becomes keenly aware of the seasons and of what one can and cannot have. The complacency that comes from being able fulfill one's desires without limit does not exist in this place where I reside. As I transition from leaf lettuce to pineapples, the understanding that limits are usually part of the natural flow of existence is a lesson that each day must be contemplated and appreciated here in order to lead a contented life.
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