Ripening Time

<B>Celebrate the power of food and create delicious, lasting memories with this poetic and playful exploration of the joy of waiting for, and finally sharing, fried plantains.</B><BR/><BR/> Mama steers the cart toward the produce section of the grocery store and picks up a bunch of green plantains. Thus begins a week of anxious anticipation as a young girl waits for mustard yellows to seep onto the unripe green peels. <I>Creep. Creep. Seep.</I> Green begins to turn to yellow. <I>Creep. Creep. Seep.</I> Black streaks appear. And finally, on Sunday, the frying pan sizzles and hisses, as Mama serves up the warm, sugary slices the young girl has waited for so long.     <BR/><BR/> Much like there is sweet treasure hidden beneath the skin of a plantain, this beautifully written and evocative story reaches far beyond the act of preparing a favorite food. <I>Ripening Time </I>celebrates the way food and family entwine to connect us across generations—and serves as a touching reminder that some of the sweetest rewards in life are worth the wait.