Cans of Mango

One night in a fit of insomnia I got up and decided to reorganize the kitchen. I was moving the cans over to where the unused cabinet was, and was scrubbing out cabinets. I noticed two cans of mango were stacked on top of each other, the bottom one bulging and pushing the cabinet shelf down. After unsuccessfully trying to dislodge the two cans, I wrapped a towel around the cans, put a jump rope around them, stood around the corner, and pulled. The cans dislodged and the bulging can hit the fridge and exploded.

It hit the ceiling. It hit the walls. It hit the cabinets. It hit the ceiling fan. It hit the kitchen floor and part of the dining room floor. It hit the cat and my slippered feet. It hit every single food item from the cabinets out on the counters. Everything smelled like rotten mango.

I cleaned with bleach. I was frantic due to thoughts of botulism. Every urban legend I'd ever heard about food poisoning was filling my mind. Several hours later I'm fine, the cat is fine, we are all fine.

I learned that yes, a bacteria caused the can to bulge, but that botulism needs an environment less acidic than mango. I wish everyone's concerns could be on the level of mine. How lucky I am. How spoiled. How blessed.